Thermal energy storage and heat rejection system
AssigneesROLLS-ROYCE plc, Rolls-Royce North American Technologies Inc.
InventorsBrian Thomas Spangler, Douglas J. Snyder
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cooling system is provided including a two-phase pump loop and a vapor compression system. The two-phase pump loop cools a thermal load with a first coolant. The vapor compression system is configured to circulate a second coolant. The vapor compression system includes a liquid vapor separator which separates the second coolant into a liquid portion and a gaseous portion. The liquid vapor separator is a thermal energy storage for the two-phase pump loop. A condenser of the two-phase pump loop transfers heat from the first coolant to the liquid portion of the second coolant in the liquid-vapor separator.
Claims20
A cooling system comprising:
- a two-phase pump loop comprising a pump, an evaporator configured to evaporate a first coolant supplied by the pump, a condenser configured to condense the first coolant evaporated by the evaporator, and an accumulator configured to deliver the first coolant condensed in the condenser to the pump;
- a thermal energy storage configured to deliver a liquid portion of a second coolant to the condenser of the two-phase pump loop, wherein the thermal energy storage is configured to separate the second coolant into the liquid portion and a gaseous portion;
- and
- a vapor compression system configured to circulate the second coolant, the vapor compression system comprising a compressor and a cooler, wherein the thermal energy storage is configured as a liquid-vapor separator of the vapor compression system, the compressor is configured to compress the gaseous portion of the second coolant from the thermal energy storage, and the cooler is configured to cool the gaseous portion compressed by the compressor.
A cooling system comprising:
- a two-phase pump loop configured to cool a thermal load with a first coolant;
- and
- a vapor compression system configured to circulate a second coolant, the vapor compression system comprising a liquid-vapor separator configured to separate the second coolant into a liquid portion and a gaseous portion,
- wherein the liquid-vapor separator is a thermal energy storage for the two- phase pump loop, wherein a condenser of the two-phase pump loop is configured to transfer heat from the first coolant to the liquid portion of the second coolant in the liquid-vapor separator.
A method comprising:
- supplying a liquid portion of a second coolant to a condenser from a thermal energy storage;
- condensing a first coolant within the condenser, wherein the first coolant is in a two-phase pump loop and the first coolant is cooled by the liquid portion of the second coolant passing through the condenser;
- evaporating a gaseous portion of the second coolant by the condenser;
- and
- returning the gaseous portion of the second coolant to the thermal energy storage, wherein the gaseous portion of the second coolant within the thermal energy storage is configured to supply a vapor compression system.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.