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US 12,341,169 B2Granted
Thermal management system
AssigneeFlint Engineering Limited
InventorsStephen Lester, Hussam Jouhara
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Described herein is a system for thermal management of a component, such as a battery for an electric vehicle. The system comprises an electrical component and one or more panels thermally coupled to the electrical component. Each panel comprises a plurality of passages for conveying a working fluid around the panel. The one or more panels are arranged to form a hermetically sealed system such that the working fluid is configured to communicate heat energy around the sealed system. The system further comprises a heat exchanger mechanism in thermal communication with at least one of the plurality of panels so as to communicate heat energy to and/or from the electrical component via the plurality of panels.
Claims19
A system comprising:
- an electric vehicle battery;
- a working fluid comprising both liquid and vapor phases;
- a plurality of panels coupled, both fluidly and mechanically, to form a structure that is arranged around and thermally coupled to the electric vehicle battery, each one of the plurality of panels comprising a network of interconnected passages configured to convey the working fluid around the respective panel to provide an isothermal surface, the plurality of panels being arranged to form a hermetically sealed system consisting of the interconnected passages, the working fluid being configured to passively circulate around the sealed system without a wicking structure or material, the passive circulation being by the action of gravity and internal pressures from evaporation of the liquid at a first location of the sealed system and condensation of the vapor at a second location of the sealed system to communicate heat energy around the sealed system;
- a heat exchanger physically and thermally coupled to a side of one of the plurality of panels so as to communicate heat energy to and/or from the electric vehicle battery via the plurality of panels in an isothermal manner;
- and
- one or more fluid pumps arranged to pump a second fluid through the heat exchanger.
3 more elements
A system comprising:
- an electric vehicle battery;
- a working fluid comprising both liquid and vapor phases;
- a plurality of panels coupled, both fluidly and mechanically, to form a structure that is arranged around and thermally coupled to the electric vehicle battery, each one of the plurality of panels comprising a network of interconnected passages configured to convey the working fluid around the respective panel to provide an isothermal surface, the plurality of panels being arranged to form a hermetically sealed system consisting of the interconnected passages, the working fluid being configured to passively circulate around the sealed system without a wicking structure or material, the passive circulation being by the action of gravity and internal pressures from evaporation of the liquid at a first location of the sealed system and condensation of the vapor at a second location of the sealed system to communicate heat energy around the sealed system;
- a heat exchanger in thermal communication with at least one of the plurality of panels so as to communicate heat energy to and/or from the electric vehicle battery via the plurality of panels in an isothermal manner, the heat exchanger not being in fluid communication with the interconnected passages of the plurality of panels;
- and
- one or more fluid pumps arranged to pump a second fluid through the heat exchanger.
3 more elements
A system comprising:
- an electric vehicle battery;
- a working fluid comprising both liquid and vapor phases;
- a plurality of panels coupled, both fluidly and mechanically, to form a structure that is arranged around and thermally coupled to the electric vehicle battery, each one of the plurality of panels comprising a network of interconnected passages configured to convey the working fluid around the respective panel to provide an isothermal surface, the plurality of panels being arranged to form a hermetically sealed system consisting of the interconnected passages, the working fluid being configured to passively circulate around the sealed system without a wicking structure or material, the passive circulation being by the action of gravity and internal pressures from evaporation of the liquid at a first location of the sealed system and condensation of the vapor at a second location of the sealed system to communicate heat energy around the sealed system;
- and
- a heat exchanger physically and thermally coupled to a side of one of the plurality of panels so as to communicate heat energy to and/or from the electric vehicle battery via the plurality of panels in an isothermal manner,
- wherein, for each of the plurality of panels, the plurality of passages comprises one or more primary passages and one or more secondary passages,
- wherein the plurality of panels are fluidly coupled to one another through the primary passages, the primary passages being fluidly coupled through respective joining members, each joining member having one or more passages of a cross-sectional area greater than a cross-sectional area of the primary passages.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.