EP3957861A1 - Temperature control device comprising a pump with a cooling jacket surrounding a motor chamber - Google Patents

Abstract

Device for tempering an object (10), with a storage container (12) for a liquid medium, a heat exchanger structure (14) for heat exchange between the medium and the object (10), and an electric motor-driven pump (16) for circulating the medium between the storage tank (12) and the heat exchanger structure (14), characterized in that the pump (16) is arranged in relation to the storage tank (12) so that it can be pumped into the medium in the storage tank with a suction nozzle (32). immersed, and that the motor (48) is accommodated in a motor chamber (50) which is integrated into a housing (30) of the pump and is surrounded by the pumped medium.

Description

The invention relates to a device for tempering an object, with a storage container for a liquid medium, a heat exchanger structure for heat exchange between the medium and the object, and a pump driven by an electric motor for circulating the medium between the storage container and the heat exchanger structure.

Devices of this type are used, for example, to cool and/or heat energy stores such as lithium-ion cells and the like or energy generators such as fuel cells, motors, voltage and current converters and the like. However, they can also be used to cool or heat power electronics or drive components, particularly in rail and road vehicles.

Energy stores, in particular lithium-ion batteries or also solid-state batteries, which provide the drive energy in vehicles, sometimes develop so much heat due to fast charging and discharging processes that they have to be actively cooled. On the other hand, it may also be necessary in certain situations be to heat such batteries so that the operating temperature is kept in an optimal range.

The medium used to temper these objects can be, for example, a mixture of water and glycol with suitable anti-corrosion inhibitors. However, other types of cooling liquids such as thermal oil, electrically non-conductive liquids and the like can also be used. Depending on the required cooling capacity, the medium can also be brought into thermal contact with a refrigerant from a compressor refrigeration machine.

An example of a known temperature control device of this type is given in DE 20 2019 131 386 A1 described. The storage tank and the heat exchanger structure are connected by a line system to form a closed circuit in which the medium is circulated using a pump arranged outside of the storage tank. Seal-free centrifugal pumps are typically used as pumps, for example magnetically coupled pumps or canned motor pumps.

The object of the invention is to provide a temperature control device which is characterized by its small space requirement and low weight and is therefore particularly suitable for use in vehicles.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that the pump is arranged in relation to the storage tank in such a way that it is immersed with a suction nozzle in the medium in the storage tank, and that the motor is accommodated in a motor chamber which is integrated into a housing of the pump and is surrounded by the pumped medium.

The heat medium is therefore not only used to temper the object, for example the battery, but also to cool the drive motor of the pump. The enables the use of a small motor, which is nevertheless suitable for high pump capacities. The fact that the intake port of the pump is immersed directly in the medium in the storage tank eliminates the need for leak-prone and space-consuming lines and line connections for connecting the storage tank to the pump. In addition, the installation space is further reduced since at least parts of the pump are arranged in the storage container.

Advantageous refinements and developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

In one embodiment, the motor chamber is surrounded by a cooling jacket over its entire circumference, and a pump chamber of the pump is connected to the cooling jacket by a pressure connection which opens into the cooling jacket in a first circumferential position, while an outlet connection of the pump is diametrically opposed in one of the first circumferential positions opposite second circumferential position is connected to the cooling jacket.

With this pump, the pumped medium is routed through the cooling jacket in such a way that it flows around the electric motor in the circumferential direction. From the pressure port, the medium branches into two streams, which flow around the motor chamber in opposite directions of rotation and reunite when they enter the outlet port. This solution has the advantage that the pressure connection can be kept very short, since the medium does not have to be distributed over the circumference of the motor chamber before it enters the cooling jacket. The medium does not have to be deflected again on the side of the outlet socket either, so that (when installed vertically) the overall height can be reduced considerably. Due to the low overall height of the unit made up of storage tank and pump, the temperature control device can be positioned, for example, on the roof of a vehicle or under the vehicle.

In one embodiment, the pump is installed vertically in the storage tank. The suction port is then just above the bottom of the storage tank, while the motor chamber is in the upper area of the pump housing above the liquid level. A secure sealing of the motor chamber and the rotor-bearing section of the shaft is made much easier as a result. The discharge nozzle enters the lower end of the cooling jacket, while the outlet nozzle is preferably arranged radially outwards at the upper end of the cooling jacket, so that the flow of the medium in the cooling jacket also has an upward component. This avoids the formation of zones with low liquid exchange in the cooling jacket and at the same time facilitates venting of the pump.

In the following an embodiment is explained in more detail with reference to the drawing.

Fig. 1

eine Prinzipskizze einer erfindungsgemäßen Temperiervorrichtung;

Fig. 2

einen axialen Schnitt durch eine Pumpe in einem Speicherbehälter der Temperiervorrichtung; und

Fig. 3

einen Schnitt längs der Linie III-III in Fig. 2.

Show it:

1

a schematic diagram of a temperature control device according to the invention;

2

an axial section through a pump in a storage tank of the temperature control device; and

3

a section along the line III-III in 2 .

In 1 a temperature control device for an object 10 is shown schematically, for example for a battery of an electric vehicle. The essential components of the temperature control device are a storage container 12 for a liquid, heat-transferring medium (e.g. cooling liquid or thermal oil), a heat exchanger structure 14 for the heat exchange between the medium and the object 10, and a pump 16, with which the medium is circulated in a closed circuit between the storage tank 12 and the heat exchanger structure 14 .

In the example shown, the storage container 12 is a hermetically sealed container that is filled with the liquid medium to such an extent that a gas space 20 remains above the liquid level 18, in which the pressure can be controlled with an overpressure and ventilation valve 22. Alternatively, the container may be open to the atmosphere.

In addition, the storage container 12 in this example also has an electric heater 24, with which the temperature of the medium and thus also the temperature of the object 10 can be maintained above a specific minimum temperature.

Optionally, the temperature control device can also have an active cooling function, with the cooling energy being generated outside the container with a heat exchanger (e.g. free cooler, consisting of an air/liquid cooler with a fan or an active refrigeration compressor module) and by means of a second heat exchanger in the form of an inserted cooling pipe coil or Cooling plates in the container or outside of the container is in an energy-exchanging relationship in the medium in the container. If this second heat exchanger is placed outside the container, this heat exchanger is integrated into the hydraulically circulating medium in such a way that the medium circulates through this second heat exchanger and energy exchange is thus implemented.

The pump 16 has a housing 30 which is mounted on or in the storage tank 12 such that an intake port 32 of the pump is immersed in the medium in the storage tank, while a motor chamber 50 integrated into the housing is located above the liquid level 18 .

In 2 and 3 the pump 16 is shown in more detail.

In the area of its lower end, the housing 30 forms the intake port 32 and, further above, a pump chamber 34. A shaft 36 is rotatably mounted in the housing 10 and carries at least one impeller 38 within the pump chamber 34. In the example shown, there is a cascade of three axial impellers are provided, which convey the medium sucked in via the intake port 32 into a pressure line 40 which emanates from the upper end of the pump chamber 34 in a radially offset position with respect to the shaft 36 .

The pump 16 is mounted in the storage tank 12 such that the axis of the shaft 36 is oriented vertically and the opening of the intake manifold 32 is just above the bottom 44 of the storage tank. The lower part of the pump, which forms the suction connection 32, the pump chamber 34 and the lower part of the pressure connection 40, is immersed in the medium, while the upper part of the pump is above the liquid level 18. This upper part of the housing 30 accommodates an electric motor 48, which in this way can be better protected against the harmful effects of the pumped medium.

The shaft 36 is mounted axially fixed in the housing 30 with its section lying above the liquid level 18 by means of roller bearings 49 and runs through the motor chamber 50, which is closed off at the upper end by a cover 52. A rotor 54 of the electric motor is rotatably mounted within the motor chamber 50 on the shaft 36 and is surrounded by a stator 56 which is held stationary in the motor chamber 50 and is in thermal contact via its outer peripheral surface with a peripheral wall 58 of the motor chamber.

The motor chamber 50 is surrounded for most of its height by a cooling jacket 60, the walls of which are formed in one piece with the peripheral wall 58 of the motor chamber. The cooling jacket 60 has a cylindrical shape as a whole and forms an annular chamber 62. The pressure line 40 opens out in a first circumferential position A, right in 2 , into the lower end of the annular chamber 62. In a circumferential position B diametrically opposite the first circumferential position A, on the left in 2 , a radial outlet connection 64 is connected to the upper end of the cooling jacket 60, via which the medium pumped by the pump reaches a delivery line leading to the object 10.

When the pump is in operation, the liquid is sucked in through the intake port 32 and pressed through the pressure port 40 into the annular chamber 62 of the cooling jacket 60 . In the first circumferential position A, the flow of the medium branches into two branches, which flow around the motor chamber 50 in opposite directions and reunite in the circumferential position B, as in FIG 3 indicated by arrows.

The medium flowing through the annular chamber 62 forms a closed body of liquid around the pump motor, which is not interrupted by any sound bridges, as a result of which good sound insulation and thus very quiet operation of the pump are achieved at the same time.

In another embodiment, the mouth of the pressure line 40 and the transition to the outlet port could also be close together and separated by a partition.

The height of the cooling jacket 62 can be dimensioned in such a way that the winding packets of the stator 56 are cooled in a targeted manner.

how 2 1, the motor chamber 50, which also accommodates the roller bearings 49, is sealed off from the interior of the storage container 12 by a shaft seal 66. Optionally, the pump can have a level sensor and electronic control have, through which the liquid level 18 is detected and regulated so that it always remains safely below the position of the shaft seal 66.

In this example, the peripheral wall of the pump chamber 34 is formed by three annular modules 68 which are stacked one on top of the other and sealed against one another and which each accommodate one of the impellers 38 . The intake manifold 32 is formed by a separate housing part which is connected to the rest of the housing by tie bolts 70 . In this way, the ring modules can be clamped together tightly and securely. After loosening the tie bolts 70 and removing the intake manifold 32, the number of ring modules 68 and the impellers 38 can be varied as required or according to the available overall height.

Claims (6)

Device for tempering an object (10), with a storage container (12) for a liquid medium, a heat exchanger structure (14) for heat exchange between the medium and the object (10), and an electric motor (48) driven pump ( 16) for circulating the medium between the storage tank (12) and the heat exchanger structure (14), characterized in that the pump (16) is arranged in relation to the storage tank (12) in such a way that it is connected to a suction nozzle (32) in the Medium is immersed in the storage container, and that the motor (48) is housed in a motor chamber (50) which is integrated into a housing (30) of the pump and is surrounded by the pumped medium. Device according to Claim 1, in which the pump (16) has a cooling jacket (60) which surrounds the motor chamber (50) and which is in fluid communication on the one hand via a pressure connection (40) with a pump chamber (34) and on the other hand with an outlet connection (64). , and in which the pressure connection (40) opens into the cooling jacket (60) in a first circumferential position (A) and the outlet connection (64) is connected to the cooling jacket (60) in a second circumferential position (B) diametrically opposite the first circumferential position . Device according to Claim 2, in which the outlet connection (64) extends radially from the cooling jacket (60). Device according to Claim 2 or 3, in which the outlet connection (64) is arranged at the axial end of the cooling jacket (60) opposite the pump chamber (34). Device according to one of Claims 2 to 4, in which a peripheral wall of the pump chamber (34) is formed by a plurality of ring modules (68) which can be separated from one another and a plurality of impellers (38) are held detachably on a shaft (36). Device according to one of the preceding claims, in which the pump (16) is mounted on the storage container (12) in such a way that its pump shaft (36) runs vertically and the pump chamber (34) is above a maximum liquid level (18) of the medium in the storage container ( 12) is located.

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