Chiller/warmer combination for an electric vehicle
AssigneeHonda Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorsTyler A. TISDALE, Alanna HO, Christopher E. LANG
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A chiller/heater combination system for electric vehicles. The system includes a heat exchanger for 3 fluids. A first fluid is a high-temperature heat exchange fluid that cools components that generate heat, a second fluid is air conditioning refrigerant, and a third fluid is low-temperature heat exchange fluid used to heat or cool the motive unit. The heat exchanger may be a stacked plate design for three fluids. The low-temperature heat exchange fluid is cooled or heated in the three-fluid heat exchanger.
Claims20
A heat exchange system for three heat exchange fluids in an electric vehicle, the system comprising:
- a high-temperature heat exchange fluid circuit including high-temperature heat exchange fluid for cooling devices that require cooling during operation;
- an air conditioning refrigerant circuit including air conditioning refrigerant fluid;
- a low-temperature heat exchange fluid circuit including low-temperature heat exchange fluid used to heat or cool a motive unit;
- and
- a three-fluid heat exchanger.
A method for warming a motive unit of an electric vehicle having a heat exchange system for three heat exchange fluids including a three-fluid heat exchanger, the method comprising:
- transferring heat from a high-temperature heat exchange fluid for cooling devices that require cooling during operation to a low-temperature heat exchange fluid used to adjust the temperature of the motive unit in a three-fluid heat exchanger to heat the low-temperature heat exchange fluid;
- minimizing heat removal during condensation of high-pressure gas refrigerant to high-pressure liquid refrigerant to transfer heat from the high-pressure liquid refrigerant to heat the low-temperature heat exchange fluid in the three-fluid heat exchanger;
- and
- warming the motive battery with the warmed low-temperature heat exchange fluid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.