US 12,693,057 B2Granted

Vapor compression cycle with direct pumped two-phase cooling

AssigneeHamilton Sundstrand Corporation

InventorsRaphael Mandel, Ram Ranjan, Joseph E. Turney

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Abstract

Thermal management systems include a vapor cycle and a liquid cycle sharing a common working fluid. The vapor cycle includes, along a vapor cycle flow path, a compressor and a condenser. The liquid cycle includes, along a liquid cycle flow path, a fluid driver, a load, a regulator valve, and a phase change material heat exchanger. A cold sink is thermally coupled to a heat load. A separator is configured to separate liquid and vapor portions of the working fluid and direct the liquid into the liquid cycle and the vapor into the vapor cycle. The separator is part of both the vapor cycle and the liquid cycle. The regulator valve controls a temperature of the working fluid within the liquid cycle at a location upstream of the phase change material heat exchanger to control a mode of operation of the phase change material heat exchanger.

Claims16

Dependent claims

A thermal management system comprising:

a vapor cycle and a liquid cycle sharing a common working fluid, wherein the vapor cycle comprises, along a vapor cycle flow path, a compressor and a condenser, and wherein the liquid cycle comprises, along a liquid cycle flow path, a fluid driver, a load, a regulator valve, and a phase change material heat exchanger;
a cold sink thermally coupled to a heat load;
and
a separator configured to separate a liquid portion and a vapor portion of the working fluid and direct the liquid portion into the liquid cycle and the vapor portion into the vapor cycle, wherein the separator is part of both the vapor cycle and the liquid cycle,
wherein the regulator valve is configured to control a temperature of the working fluid within the liquid cycle at least at a location upstream of the phase change material heat exchanger to control a mode of operation of the phase change material heat exchanger between a discharging mode of operation and a recharging mode of operation,
wherein, in the discharging mode of operation, the temperature of the working fluid upstream of the phase change material heat exchanger is higher than a melting point of a phase change material of the phase change material heat exchanger, and
wherein, in the recharging mode of operation, the temperature of the working fluid upstream of the phase change material heat exchanger is less than a melting point of a phase change material of the phase change material heat exchanger.

4 more elements

A method of operating a thermal management system, the thermal management system comprising a vapor cycle and a liquid cycle sharing a common working fluid, wherein the vapor cycle comprises, along a vapor cycle flow path, a compressor and a condenser, and wherein the liquid cycle comprises, along a liquid cycle flow path, a fluid driver, a load, a regulator valve, and a phase change material heat exchanger, a cold sink thermally coupled to a heat load, and a separator configured to separate a liquid portion and a vapor portion of the working fluid and direct the liquid portion into the liquid cycle and the vapor portion into the vapor cycle, wherein the separator is part of both the vapor cycle and the liquid cycle, the method comprising:

controlling a temperature of the working fluid within the liquid cycle at least at a location upstream of the phase change material heat exchanger using the regulator valve to control a mode of operation of the phase change material heat exchanger between a discharging mode of operation and a recharging mode of operation,
wherein, in the discharging mode of operation, the temperature of the working fluid upstream of the phase change material heat exchanger is higher than a melting point of a phase change material of the phase change material heat exchanger, and
wherein, in the recharging mode of operation, the temperature of the working fluid upstream of the phase change material heat exchanger is less than a melting point of a phase change material of the phase change material heat exchanger.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.