Air Conditioning System for Cooling the Cabin of a Hybrid-Electric Vehicle

An air conditioning system for cooling the cabin of a hybrid-electric vehicle having an engine and a cabin comprising:

• a refrigerant loop for cycling a refrigerant and a coolant loop for cycling a liquid coolant;
• a compressor in said refrigerant loop for compressing said refrigerant to a superheated gas;
• said compressor being operably connected to the engine of the vehicle;
• a condenser in said refrigerant loop in fluid communication with said compressor for receiving said superheated refrigerant and for transferring heat to a first flow of air to condense said refrigerant to a liquid;
• an expansion valve in said refrigerant loop in fluid communication with said condenser for receiving said liquid refrigerant and for subcooling said refrigerant;
• a cooler in said coolant loop for receiving said coolant and for transferring heat from a second flow of air in fluid communication with the cabin of the vehicle to said coolant to cool the second flow of air and to warm said coolant;
• a pump in said coolant loop in fluid communication with said cooler for receiving said warm coolant and for cycling said coolant through said coolant loop;
• said pump being operably connected to an electric motor for continuing to cycle said coolant when the vehicle is operating with the engine off;
• a phase change heat exchanger in fluid communication with said refrigerant loop and with said coolant loop for transferring heat from said coolant in said coolant loop to said refrigerant in said refrigerant loop to evaporate said refrigerant to a gas and to cool said liquid coolant when the vehicle is operating with the engine running;
• said phase change heat exchanger including a housing being of an insulating material and having a first side and a second side;
• said first side of said housing defining a first input for receiving said subcooled liquid refrigerant from said expansion valve in said refrigerant loop and said second side of said housing defining a first output for dispensing said gaseous first refrigerant to said condenser in said refrigerant loop;
• at least one first tube disposed in said housing of said phase change heat exchanger and extending between said first input and said first output for conveying said refrigerant therebetween;
• said first side of said housing defining a second input for receiving said warm coolant from said pump in said coolant loop and said second side of said housing defining a second output for dispensing said cooled coolant to said cooler in said coolant loop;
• at least one second tube disposed in said housing of said phase change heat exchanger and extending between said second input and said second output with each of said second tubes abutting at least one of said first tubes for allowing heat conduction from said coolant in said coolant loop to said refrigerant in said refrigerant loop;
• said housing of said phase change heat exchanger defining at least one chamber for storing a phase change material;
• each of said chambers abutting at least one of said first tubes and at least one of said second tubes for transferring heat from said phase change material in said chambers to said refrigerant in said first tubes when the vehicle is operating with the engine on to freeze said phase change material and for receiving heat from said coolant in said second tubes to cool said coolant when the engine of the vehicle is not running;
• each of said chambers being disposed closer to said first and second outputs on said second side of said housing of said phase change heat exchanger than to said first and second inputs on said first side of said housing of said phase change heat exchanger;
• said refrigerant being further defined as R-134a;
• said coolant being further defined as a mixture of water and glycol;
• and
• said phase change material being further defined as water.