JP2007333294A - Heat storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To efficiently perform the heat storage (cold storage) by controlling the nucleation of a heat storage material. <P>SOLUTION: The heat storage device with the heat storage material 1 for accumulating latent heat accompanying the phase variation comprises a means for estimating the heat quantity to be input to the heat storage material 1 from the running condition, the running state and the running environment and the heat quantity output from the heat storage material 1; a temperature detecting means based on temperature sensors 9A, 9B, -9E for detecting the temperature inside the heat storage material; a determination means for determining whether the nucleus should be generate or not based on the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means; a nucleation means for operating thermoelectric elements 4A, 4B, -4P so that nuclei are generated independently at a plurality of positions inside the heat storage material 1 to generate solid phase nuclei in the heat storage material 1; and a selecting means 17 for selecting the position to generate the nucleation by the nucleation means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a heat storage device including a heat storage material that starts solidification by generating solid-phase nuclei by external stimulation in a supercooled state, and particularly temporarily stores heat (or cold heat) of a medium such as a refrigerant. The present invention relates to a heat storage device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a heat accumulator configured to collect and store surplus heat and energy generated when a vehicle travels, and to use the heat energy for warming and cooling. One example thereof is described in Patent Document 1. In the apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a latent heat storage material having a large degree of supercooling such as sodium acetate trihydrate and sodium sulfate decahydrate is provided so as to be able to exchange heat with the heat medium, and the interior of the latent heat storage material A thermoelectric element is disposed on the surface. When the latent heat storage material is in a supercooled state, by applying a voltage to the thermoelectric element, the latent heat storage material is locally cooled, resulting in nucleation and solidification, and accompanying this The heat medium is heated by releasing the latent heat.

  Further, Patent Document 2 describes a normal cooling mode in which the cooling temperature of the evaporator is increased to reduce the amount of condensate cold storage by assuming that the vehicle does not shift to a stationary state for a long time when the vehicle is traveling at a high speed. It is considered to be urban driving that is frequently forced to stop when driving at low speed, and the cold storage mode for lowering the cooling temperature of the evaporator and increasing the cold water storage amount is activated, and the current position of the vehicle, There has been proposed a vehicle air conditioner that controls a required amount of cold storage based on information on a traveling state such as a traveling direction and speed and signal information such as a position of a traffic light.

JP-A-6-281372 JP 2002-356112 A

  As described in Patent Document 1, if the heat storage material is solidified, the amount of cold storage can be increased as latent heat. Moreover, if such a heat storage material is used, the thermal energy according to the fluctuation | variation of the demand of cold heat can be supplied. However, in the case of causing a phase change to increase the heat storage capacity of the heat storage material, if the heat storage material having a large degree of supercooling described above is used, it may remain in the supercooled state and not solidify in a timely manner. Stimulates the heat storage material to initiate solidification. Such operation or generation of a solid phase is nucleation. Conventionally, nucleation by electrical stimulation or mechanical stimulation is known as an example. Nucleation is an operation for generating a solid phase by an external stimulus, and therefore, means or a mechanism for that operation is operated, which entails energy consumption. Therefore, when the supply of heat for heat storage is unstable, the energy required for nucleation may exceed the amount of heat storage that increases with nucleation. There was no technology to store heat efficiently, and new technology had to be developed.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above technical problem, and a heat storage device capable of improving the heat storage efficiency by nucleating in consideration of heat input to the heat storage material or heat radiation from the heat storage material. It is intended to provide.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a heat storage device including a heat storage material that stores latent heat accompanied by phase change, a nucleation unit that generates solid-phase nuclei in the heat storage material, and the heat storage material. First calculation means for calculating the amount of heat storage increased by nucleation, second calculation means for calculating the amount of heat consumed by the nucleation means for nucleation, and heat storage calculated by the first calculation means A heat storage device comprising: a determination unit that determines whether or not nucleation is performed by the nucleation unit based on a comparison result between the amount and the calorific value calculated by the second calculation unit .

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the heat storage device comprising a heat storage material for storing latent heat accompanied by phase change, a nucleation means for generating solid-phase nuclei in the heat storage material, and an amount of heat input to the heat storage material are calculated. A heat storage device comprising: a third calculation unit; and a determination unit that determines execution / non-execution of nucleation by the nucleation unit based on a calculation result of the calculated third calculation unit .

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in a heat storage device comprising a heat storage material for storing latent heat accompanying phase change, a nucleation means for generating solid-phase nuclei in the heat storage material, and an amount of heat input to the heat storage material are predicted. A first prediction means; a second prediction means for predicting the amount of heat output from the heat storage material; and the heat storage by a difference between a heat amount predicted by the first prediction means and a heat amount predicted by the second prediction means. A heat storage device comprising: estimation means for estimating a heat storage amount of the apparatus; and determination means for determining execution / non-execution of nucleation by the nucleation means based on an estimation result of the estimation means is there.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the third calculating means is input based on information obtained by the traveling state detecting means for detecting the traveling state or the traveling environment detecting means for detecting the traveling environment. It is a heat storage device characterized by calculating the amount of heat.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the second or fourth aspect of the invention, the determining means is based on the calculation result by the third calculating means and the estimated temperature distribution inside the heat storage material. A heat storage device including means for determining execution / non-execution of nucleation.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the invention, the first predicting unit inputs the amount of heat input based on information obtained by the traveling state detecting unit, the traveling condition detecting unit, or the traveling environment detecting unit. And the second predicting means predicts the amount of heat output based on the information obtained by the traveling state detecting means, the traveling condition detecting means or the traveling environment detecting means. It is.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the third or sixth aspect of the invention, the judging means generates the nucleation by the nucleating means based on the heat storage amount estimated by the estimating means and the estimated temperature distribution inside the heat storage material. It is a heat storage device characterized by judging execution / non-execution of a nucleus.

  The invention of claim 8 is the heat storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the nucleation means is means using a thermoelectric element.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the amount of stored heat that is increased by generating nucleation is larger than the amount of heat consumed to generate nucleation, the amount of stored heat of the heat storage device is further increased. Thus, the amount of heat generated from a power source such as an engine or a motor / generator can be effectively stored. Also, if the amount of stored heat that is increased by generating nucleation is small compared to the amount of heat consumed to generate nucleation, it is used to generate nucleation by not controlling the generation of nucleation. Energy consumption can be prevented.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, nucleation is generated according to the calculation result of the amount of heat input to the heat storage material, so that the loss of heat is prevented or suppressed by unnecessarily nucleating and the heat storage efficiency is improved. Can be made.

  According to the invention of claim 3, since the increase of the heat storage amount is estimated when the predicted value of the heat amount input to the heat storage material is larger than the predicted value of the heat amount output from the heat storage material, the heat storage amount of the heat storage device As a result, nucleation is generated so that the amount of heat increases, and the amount of heat generated from a power source such as an engine or a motor / generator can be effectively stored. Also, if the predicted value of heat input to the heat storage material is smaller than the predicted value of heat output from the heat storage material, a decrease in the heat storage amount is estimated, so it is used for nucleation by not causing nucleation. Energy consumption can be prevented.

  According to the invention of claim 4, the amount of heat input to the heat storage material is calculated based on the travel environment such as the accelerator opening, the vehicle speed, the gear ratio, the brake and the travel environment such as the outside air temperature, and the nucleation is performed accordingly. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or suppress the loss of heat due to unnecessary nucleation and improve the heat storage efficiency.

  According to the invention of claim 5, the amount of heat calculated by the third calculation means can be efficiently stored by generating nucleation based on the calculation result by the third calculation means and the temperature distribution inside the heat storage material. If it is determined that the nucleation is generated so that the heat storage amount is further increased from the temperature distribution inside the heat storage material, the energy efficiency of the power source such as the engine or the motor / generator is improved. In addition, when it is determined that energy efficiency is better without nucleation, energy consumption used for nucleation can be prevented by preventing nucleation.

  According to the invention of claim 6, the amount of heat output from the heat storage material and the amount of heat input to the heat storage material are determined from infrastructure such as accelerator opening, engine speed, vehicle speed, shift, brake, etc., traffic congestion information, etc. Increase / decrease in the amount of heat storage calculated based on the predicted information of the output heat quantity and the input heat quantity prediction result, which is predicted based on the information of the vehicle, the driving environment such as the three-dimensional navigation system (road gradient), and the driving conditions such as the outside temperature Control whether or not to nucleate based on. When the input heat quantity prediction result is larger than the output heat quantity prediction result, the heat quantity corresponding to the difference between the input heat quantity prediction result and the output heat quantity prediction result is input to the heat storage material. Therefore, nucleation is generated so as to further increase the amount of heat stored in the heat storage material. On the other hand, if the input heat quantity prediction result is smaller than the output heat quantity prediction result, the heat quantity corresponding to the difference between the input heat quantity prediction result and the output heat quantity prediction result is output from the heat storage material. Therefore, it is possible to prevent energy consumption used for generating nucleation by not generating nucleation.

  According to the invention of claim 7, it is determined whether or not heat generation can be efficiently performed based on the estimated heat storage amount and the estimated temperature distribution inside the heat storage material, and as a result Control whether or not. If the predicted heat amount input to the heat storage material is larger than the predicted heat amount output from the heat storage material, the amount of heat corresponding to the difference between the input heat amount prediction result and the output heat amount prediction result is Since it is estimated to be input to the heat storage material, nucleation is generated so as to further increase the amount of heat stored in the heat storage device. On the other hand, if the predicted heat amount input to the heat storage material is smaller than the predicted heat amount output from the heat storage material, it corresponds to the difference between the input heat amount prediction result and the output heat amount prediction result. Since the amount of heat to be output is output from the heat storage material, energy consumption used for generating nucleation can be prevented by not generating nucleation.

  According to invention of Claim 8, the surface of the thermoelectric element which is contacting the heat storage material is cooled by the Peltier effect by sending an electric current through a thermoelectric element.

  Next, the present invention will be described more specifically. The heat storage device of the present invention is capable of both positive heat storage for increasing energy and negative heat storage for reducing energy.

  The example shown in FIG. 1 is configured such that the refrigerant 2 as a heat carry-in medium carries cold into the heat storage material 1 and the brine 3 as a heat carry-out medium carries out the cold heat of the heat storage material 1. It is an example. The heat storage material 1 is a latent heat storage material having a low melting point and relatively high heat of fusion, such as water, an ethyl glycol aqueous solution, or an ammonium chloride aqueous solution, and is enclosed in a predetermined container. Around the heat storage material 1, a plurality of thermoelectric elements (thermoelectric modules) 4A, 4B,... 4P are arranged side by side without a gap or with a space therebetween. These thermoelectric elements 4A, 4B,... 4P are for locally cooling the heat storage material 1 to cause nucleation, and on the surface in contact with the heat storage material 1 and the surface in contact with the outside air on the opposite side. It has a contact, and it is comprised so that heat absorption may be produced in the contact which contacts the thermal storage material 1 by applying a voltage between these contacts.

  Further, a heat input pipe 5 for circulating the refrigerant 2 and a heat output pipe 6 for circulating the brine 3 are arranged in a state of penetrating the inside of the heat storage material 1. These pipes 5 and 6 are arranged at a predetermined interval inside the heat storage material 1, and the heat storage material 1 fills the space between these pipes 5 and 6. Heat transfer via the heat storage material 1 occurs between the refrigerant 2 and the brine 3.

  And since the heat exchange with the refrigerant | coolant 2 and the heat storage material 1, the brine 3, and the heat storage material 1 arises in the part buried in the heat storage material 1 of each piping 5, 6, these parts are heat exchange parts. In particular, the heat input pipe 5 is a heat carry-in part of the present invention, and the heat output pipe 6 is a heat carry-out part of the present invention. Further, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the brine 3 is configured to flow from bottom to top. Therefore, the lower portion of the heat output pipe 6 in FIG. 1 becomes the inlet portion 7A, and the upper portion. Is the exit 8A. And temperature sensor 9A, 9B, ... 9E is arrange | positioned in the several location inside the thermal storage material 1, and the temperature of each part is detected. The arrangement position is, for example, in the vicinity of the inlet portion 7B of the heat input pipe 5 and its outlet portion 8B, in the vicinity of the inlet portion 7A of the heat output pipe 6 and in the vicinity of its outlet portion 8A, and the heat storage material 1 Central part.

  The refrigeration cycle 10 that circulates the refrigerant 2 will be briefly described here. The compressor 11 is driven by a power source (not shown) such as an engine of a vehicle, and a condenser 12 and The receiver tank 13 and the expansion valve 14 are connected in order. The heat input pipe 5 is connected to the discharge side of the expansion valve 14, and the heat input pipe 5 is connected to the suction side of the compressor 11. Therefore, the heat input pipe 5 constituting the heat carry-in portion of the present invention is an evaporator of the refrigeration cycle 10. On the other hand, the heat output pipe 6 is configured to form a circulation path with a heat exchanger 15 such as a passenger compartment side heat exchanger, and a pump 16 is interposed in the circulation path. .

  The condenser 12 in FIG. 1 may have a structure that dissipates heat into the atmosphere, or may be configured as a heat accumulator using a heat accumulating material that stores the released heat instead. As a result, the refrigerant circulating in the refrigeration cycle 10 can be cooled in the same manner as when the condenser 12 is used, and the heat stored in the heat storage material 1 can be stored. In addition, waste heat can be accumulated by using an engine or ATF-OIL coolant instead of the refrigerant 2 used in FIG.

  A controller (ECU) 17 for controlling the thermoelectric elements 4A, 4B,... 4P is provided. The controller 17 is configured mainly by a microcomputer as an example, and selects and selects thermoelectric elements 4A, 4B,... 4P to be operated by using input data and data and programs stored in advance. It is configured to perform on / off control. Data input for the control includes the temperatures detected by the temperature sensors 9A, 9B,... 9E, the outside air temperature, the flow rate of the refrigerant 2, the flow rate of the brine 3, and the like.

  The heat storage material 1 is in a liquid phase in a state of a temperature equal to or higher than the melting point and in a supercooled state. In that state, the specific heat is larger than that of the solid phase after solidification, and thus the amount of heat that can be conducted is large. , Its conduction speed is slow. In the solid state, the opposite properties are exhibited. The control device of the present invention is configured to selectively cause nucleation or solidification of the heat storage material 1 in order to efficiently store heat using such characteristics of the heat storage material 1.

  When a stimulus such as heat is applied from the outside of the heat storage material 1 when the heat storage material 1 is in a supercooled state, the heat storage material 1 is solidified in the vicinity of the stimulus. Specific examples of stimulating the heat storage material 1 include thermoelectric elements 4 </ b> A, 4 </ b> B,... 4 </ b> P arranged around the heat storage material 1 so that the stimulation is given by energization. Since the solidified heat storage material 1 is subjected to cold storage by latent heat, the amount of heat storage increases (increases) compared to the supercooled state. Therefore, the heat storage material 1 increases (increases) the amount of heat storage by giving a stimulus from the outside.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the control. First, detected values by the temperature sensors 9A, 9B,... 9E provided outside and inside the heat storage material are read into the controller 17 in step S21. And based on the said detected value, the temperature distribution inside the thermal storage material 1 is estimated (step S22). Since the temperature sensors 9A, 9B,... 9E described above are arranged in a limited place, the temperatures of all the locations of the heat storage material 1 cannot be known. Since the structure as a whole including the pipes 5 and 6 is known, the temperature of the location where the temperature sensors 9A, 9B,... 9E are not arranged can be estimated based on experimental data, simulation, or the like.

  It is determined whether or not there is a supercooling portion based on the estimation result of the temperature distribution (step S23). If a location above the freezing point coexists with a location that has started to solidify during the cold storage process, the location that has started to solidify maintains the temperature of the freezing point in order to release latent heat. On the other hand, when a supercooled portion coexists without solidifying, the temperature continuously changes between the portion above the freezing point and the supercooled portion. In this way, when the solidification has started and there is no supercooling part or the part and the part where the supercooling part coexist, the temperature is different, so the presence or absence of the supercooling part can be detected from the temperature distribution. it can.

  If it is detected or determined that there is no supercooling section and a negative determination is made in step S23, the precondition for nucleation is not satisfied, so this routine is temporarily executed without performing any control. finish. On the other hand, if it is detected or determined that the supercooling portion exists and a positive determination is made in step S23, the position to be nucleated, that is, the thermoelectric elements 4A, 4B,. 4P is selected (step S24). A voltage is applied to the thermoelectric elements 4A, 4B,... 4P, and the heat storage material 1 is locally cooled by the Peltier effect. Therefore, in the above heat storage device, when it is detected or determined that the heat storage material 1 has a supercooling portion, the amount of cold input to the heat storage material 1 is released from the heat storage material 1. This is greater than the amount of cold heat, and such a state is determined in step S23. And since local nucleation operation based on the judgment result is performed, the amount of heat (energy amount) consumed for nucleation is less than the amount of heat storage that increases (increases) with nucleation, and as a result, heat is stored efficiently. It can be performed. In other words, the thermoelectric element is selected and operated in a supercooled state or a temperature distribution state in which the amount of stored heat increases (increases), and nucleation is performed.

  The outline which shows the other example of the thermal storage material 1 is shown in FIG. In this embodiment, in addition to the temperature sensor 9 that measures the internal temperature of the heat storage material, a temperature sensor 18 that measures the temperature of the peripheral portion of the heat storage device 19 is provided. The thermoelectric elements 4A, 4B,... 4P and the temperature sensors 9A, 9B,... 9E are provided in the same manner as in the example of FIG. Moreover, since the other structure is the same as FIG. 1, the code | symbol similar to FIG. 1 is attached | subjected to FIG. 3, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a control example for the heat storage device shown in FIG. Steps S41 to S43 are the same as steps S21 to S23 described above, and a description thereof will be omitted. If it is negatively determined in step S43 that it has been detected or determined that there is no supercooling section, the preconditions for nucleation are not satisfied, so this routine is not performed without particular control. Is temporarily terminated. On the other hand, if it is detected or determined that a supercooling portion exists and a positive determination is made in step S43, the amount of heat storage that increases (increases) due to nucleation (hereinafter referred to as an increased amount of heat storage). ) (Β1) is calculated from the estimated temperature distribution (step S44). That is, the increased heat storage amount can be obtained from the amount of the supercooling portion in the heat storage material 1, the amount to solidify, the latent heat, and the like.

  Thereafter, the ambient temperature of the regenerator 19 is measured by the temperature sensor 18 provided around the regenerator 19, and is read into the controller 17 (step S45). From the temperature difference between the temperature read in step S41 and the ambient temperature read in step S45, a thermoelectric element operating power amount (β2) that is a heat amount (energy amount) consumed when operating the thermoelectric element 4 is calculated. When the temperature difference between the temperature (α1) of the heat storage material and the ambient temperature (α2) is large and the ambient temperature (α2) is high, more energy is required to nucleate the heat storage material 1. On the other hand, when the temperature difference between the temperature (α1) of the heat storage material and the ambient temperature (α2) is small, the amount of heat (energy amount) for nucleating the heat storage material 1 may be small. The operating power amount calculation map shown in FIG. 5 is created based on the accumulation of experimental data, and the calculation of the thermoelectric element operating power amount (β2) is obtained from the operating power amount calculation map (step S46).

  Based on the relationship between the increased heat storage amount (β1) calculated in step S44 and the thermoelectric element operating power amount (β2) calculated in step S46, whether or not the nucleation action is possible based on the determination map of FIG. Determination is made (step S47). The determination in step S47 can be made based on the determination map described in FIG. This determination map is a two-dimensional map in which the horizontal axis represents the thermoelectric element operating energy (β2) and the vertical axis represents the increased heat storage amount (β1), and the boundary line L indicated by a curve in FIG. It is divided into an area and a B area. This boundary line L is a curve located slightly on the upper side of FIG. 6 with respect to a line (45 degree line in FIG. 6) in which the ratio of the thermoelectric element operating power amount (β2) to the increased heat storage amount (β1) is 1. It is a set boundary line. A region where the increased heat storage amount (β1) is somewhat larger than the thermoelectric element operating power amount (β2) is defined as B region, and a region where the increased heat storage amount (β1) is further greater than the thermoelectric element operating power amount (β2) is defined as the A region. is there. The judgment map of FIG. 6 is a curve because the temperature difference between the temperature (α1) of the heat storage material and the ambient temperature (α2) increases as the thermoelectric element operating power (β2) increases, or the ambient temperature ( This is because the amount of energy necessary for lowering the temperature of the surface where the thermoelectric element and the heat storage material are contacted to a temperature at which the heat storage material is supercooled increases and the efficiency is deteriorated. Therefore, the relationship between the increased heat storage amount (β1) calculated in step S44 and the thermoelectric element operating power amount (β2) calculated in step S46 is determined based on FIG. Therefore, in step S47, it is determined whether or not the current operation state is the A region. If the determination is negative, the present control routine is temporarily terminated without operating the thermoelectric element 4. If the determination is positive, the position to be nucleated, that is, the thermoelectric element 4 to be operated to nucleate is selected (step S48).

  Another example of the heat storage device is schematically shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the structure is the same as that shown in FIG. 1, but as information used for the nucleation control, the travel state such as the accelerator opening, the engine speed, the vehicle speed information, the gear ratio, the brake information, etc. 1 is different from the example shown in FIG. 1 in that the driving environment is read. The thermoelectric elements 4A, 4B,... 4P and the temperature sensors 9A, 9B,... 9E are provided in the same manner as in the example of FIG. Moreover, since the other structure is the same as FIG. 1, the code | symbol similar to FIG. 1 is attached | subjected to FIG. 7, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a control example in another example. In this embodiment, the travel state such as the accelerator opening, the engine speed, the vehicle speed, the gear ratio, and the brake is read (step S81), and then the engine load (required torque) amount (γ1) is calculated (step S82). ). It is determined whether or not the calculated engine load (required torque) amount (γ1) is equal to or less than the determination reference load amount (γ2) (step S83). When the engine load (requested torque) amount (γ1) is larger than the determination reference load amount (γ2), the load applied to the power source such as the engine or the motor / generator is large, and the amount of heat (energy amount) that can be generated by the compressor 11 Therefore, the amount of heat (energy amount) flowing from the compressor 11 through the refrigerant 2 is also reduced. For this reason, when the engine load (required torque) amount (γ1) is larger than the determination reference load amount (γ2), the control routine is terminated without causing nucleation. Further, when the outside air temperature is high, the heat dissipation from the condenser 12 is deteriorated, so that the amount of heat flowing through the refrigerant 2 inevitably decreases, and nucleation control is not performed.

  If the engine load (required torque) amount (γ1) is equal to or less than the determination reference load amount (γ2), and if a positive determination is made in step S83, the load of the power source such as the engine or the motor / generator is small, Since the amount of heat (energy amount) that can be generated by the compressor 11 also increases, the amount of heat flowing from the compressor 11 through the refrigerant 2 into the heat storage material 1 increases. Therefore, the process proceeds to the control routine after step S84 in order to examine whether or not to cause a nucleating action.

  When the engine load (requested torque) amount (γ1) is smaller than the determination reference load amount (γ2), the compressor 11 is based on the outside air temperature measured by a temperature sensor or the like and the engine load (requested torque) amount (γ1). The amount of heat generated in step S3 and flowing into the heat storage material 1 through the refrigerant 2 is calculated as a heat generation amount (γ3) (step S84). Here, when a variable displacement compressor is used as the compressor 11, the capacity of the compressor 11 is reduced as the engine speed increases and the engine load increases. Thereby, the driving force consumed by heat generation is reduced, and the driving force applied to the vehicle is increased. Therefore, in the case of a variable capacity compressor, the heat generation amount (γ3) increases when the engine speed is low and the engine load is small. When a constant capacity compressor is used as the compressor 11, the heat generation amount (γ3) increases in proportion to the engine speed. When the outside air temperature is high, the heat dissipation from the condenser 12 is deteriorated, so that the calculated heat generation amount (γ3) is reduced, and the nucleation control is not performed.

  On the other hand, the mounting location of the temperature sensor 9 is provided outside and inside the heat storage material 1 as in FIG. The reading of the temperature sensor 9 described in steps S85 and S86 and the estimated internal temperature distribution are the same as those in steps S21 and S22 described above, and thus the description thereof is omitted. In step S87, the necessity of nucleation control is determined based on the calculated heat generation amount (γ3) and the estimated temperature distribution. From the estimation result of the temperature distribution, the thermal characteristics of the heat storage material 1, the refrigerant 2, and the brine 3 are determined. Here, the thermal characteristics of the heat storage material 1 include a thermal characteristic including a state where the heat storage material 1 is solidified and a thermal characteristic when the heat storage material 1 is not solidified. If it is determined that the amount of cold generated (γ3) can be efficiently stored by the person who generated the nucleation, the thermoelectric element that operates to nucleate in consideration of the amount of heat stored and the heat storage speed 4 is selected (step S88).

  Another example of the heat storage device is schematically shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the structure is the same as that in FIG. 1, but the information used for the nucleation control includes information indicating the driving state, infrastructure information, information provided in the three-dimensional navigation system, and driving environment. It is different from information. The information indicating the running state includes the accelerator opening, the engine speed, the vehicle speed, the gear ratio, and the brake. The infrastructure information includes information that can be received from the outside, such as traffic jams, signals, and weather information. Further, the information provided in the three-dimensional navigation system includes road gradient, railroad crossing, curve information, and the like. The thermoelectric elements 4A, 4B,... 4P and the temperature sensors 9A, 9B,... 9E are provided in the same manner as in the example of FIG. The other structure is the same as that shown in FIG.

  FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining a control example in another example. In this embodiment, accelerator opening, engine speed, vehicle speed, gear ratio, driving conditions such as brakes, traffic information, traffic information, infrastructure information such as weather information, road gradient, railroad crossing, curve three-dimensional navigation information, etc. Information such as the driving conditions from the driving environment, the driving environment information of the driving environment information of the outside air temperature, etc. is read into the controller 17 (step S111). Here, the information of the three-dimensional navigation includes the location of the destination, the distance from the current position, the height difference, and the like. Further, with respect to the accelerator opening, the engine speed, the vehicle speed, the gear ratio, and the brake, the accuracy as input information can be improved by feeding back the driver's operation to the control device.

  The load of the power source such as the engine or motor / generator is predicted (estimated) from the travel distance and height difference between the destination read by the information of the three-dimensional navigation and the current position, and is generated by the compressor 11 in the future. The amount of heat generated (δ1) is predicted (step S112). Moreover, the future heat consumption (δ2) stored in the heat storage material 1 is predicted from the travel distance between the destination read by the three-dimensional navigation information and the current position, the height difference, and the like (step S113). Then, the future heat storage amount (δ3) can be estimated from the heat generation amount (δ1) generated in the future and the future heat consumption amount (δ2) (step S114).

  In step S115, the temperatures outside and inside the heat storage material 1 are read into the controller 17 by the temperature sensor, and the temperature distribution is estimated in step S116. Since these are the same as steps S21 and S22 described above, the description thereof is omitted.

  Whether or not nucleation control is possible is determined based on the internal temperature distribution estimated in step S116 and the future heat storage amount (δ3) estimated in step S114. Specifically, it is determined whether or not there is a supercooling portion of the heat storage material 1 from the estimated internal temperature distribution, and the future heat storage amount (δ3) does not exceed the heat storage amount of the supercooled heat storage material 1. If it is determined, the routine is exited without performing nucleation control. On the other hand, when it is determined that the future heat storage amount (δ3) exceeds the heat storage amount of the supercooled heat storage material 1, the positions to be nucleated, that is, the thermoelectric elements 4A, 4B,. Selected (step S118). A voltage is applied to the thermoelectric elements 4A, 4B,... 4P, and the heat storage material 1 is locally cooled by the Peltier effect.

  FIG. 12 shows a timing chart representing the generated heat amount accumulation (δ1), the consumed heat amount accumulation (δ2), the heat storage amount (δ3), and the presence or absence of nucleation control with respect to the height difference (elevation) in this routine. Here, the heat storage amount (δ3) indicates a difference between the generated heat amount accumulation (δ1) and the consumed heat amount accumulation (δ2). In addition, the timing chart shown in FIG. 12 shows the generation heat amount accumulation (δ1), the consumption heat amount accumulation (δ2), the heat storage amount (δ3), and the presence / absence of nucleation control due to the height difference (altitude). The driving conditions, driving conditions, and driving environment factors are not considered. As the height difference (elevation) information, the height difference scheduled to travel in the future is read into the controller 17 from the three-dimensional navigation.

  Since energy is output from the refrigeration cycle 10 as the vehicle travels, the amount of generated heat (δ1) increases with time. The cumulative heat consumption (δ2) indicates the cumulative amount of heat consumed from the heat storage material 1 by cooling, and increases with the set temperature of cooling, the amount of air blown, the usage time, and the like. In addition, since the timing chart shown in FIG. 12 shows the accumulated heat consumption (δ2) due to the height difference (elevation), fluctuations in the cooling set temperature, the air flow rate, the usage time, and the like are not taken into consideration. .

  In the timing chart of FIG. 12, when there is no change in elevation (elevation), the vehicle is traveling on a so-called flat part. Specifically, the state up to time t1 in FIG. Since the generated heat amount accumulation (δ1) and the consumed heat amount accumulation (δ2) both increase at a constant rate, the stored heat amount (δ3), which is the difference between the generated heat amount accumulated (δ1) and the consumed heat amount accumulated (δ2), also increases at a constant rate. To increase.

  In addition, when the height difference (elevation) decreases with the passage of time, it corresponds to traveling on a so-called downhill road, and in this case, the potential energy of the vehicle is converted into generated heat energy by the compressor 11, so The generated heat energy increases, the amount of generated heat accumulating with traveling increases, and nucleation control is performed to increase the heat storage amount (δ3). In the example of FIG. 12, the state from time t2 to time t4 corresponds. In this case, the energy that can be used for the compressor 11 increases, and the amount of generated heat (δ1) increases. At this time, the amount of increase in the amount of heat consumed (δ2) hardly depends on the change in height difference (elevation), so the amount of increase in the amount of stored heat (δ3) increases compared to when the flat part is traveling.

  In addition, when the height difference (elevation) increases with time, it corresponds to traveling on a so-called uphill road. In this case, the kinetic energy of the vehicle is converted into potential energy. Since the energy consumption of a power source such as a generator increases, the energy consumption is reduced without nucleation control. In the example of FIG. 12, there are states from time t5 to time t6. In this case, the energy that can be used for the compressor 11 decreases, and the amount of generated heat (δ1) decreases. Here, since the amount of increase in the amount of heat consumed (δ2) hardly depends on the change in elevation difference (elevation), the amount of stored heat (δ3) decreases.

  In FIG. 12, since the downhill road continues after time t1, the amount of increase in the heat storage amount (δ3) increases compared to when the flat portion travels. When the heat storage amount (δ3) increases and is estimated to increase in the future, the nucleation control is performed on the heat storage material 1, and the thermoelectric elements 4A, 4B, which are operated to nucleate, that is, the nucleation operation are performed. ... 4P is selected. At this time, nucleation control is performed from time t2 to time t4, but since the heat storage amount (δ3) is estimated to increase until time t5, the heat storage amount (δ3) increases from time t4 to time t5. In spite of this, nucleation control is not performed. However, after time t5, it is predicted that the altitude difference (elevation) will increase as time elapses, so that the vehicle travels on a so-called uphill road, and the heat storage amount (δ3) is estimated to decrease accordingly. The nucleation control is not performed from time t4 to time t7 in consideration of the amount (δ3). Similarly, nucleation control is performed between time t7 and time t8. After time t10, the vehicle travels on the downhill road until time t12, and then travels on the flat portion. However, the nucleation control is performed between time t11 when traveling on the downhill road and time t12 when traveling on the flat portion. ing. This is because if there is a traffic jam in the direction of travel, or if there is no section where the heat storage amount can be increased due to urban areas, active heat generation control is performed in advance to increase the heat storage amount (δ3) and prepare for the future. It is.

  It should be noted that the energy for promoting the nucleating action is not limited as long as the energy can be transmitted to the heat storage material, and not only the heat energy by the thermoelectric element but also a microwave or physical impact may be applied. Further, the amount of heat (energy amount) flowing through the heat carrying medium is not limited to the amount of heat (energy amount) from the refrigeration cycle 10, but may be the amount of heat (energy amount) obtained from solar cells and waste heat.

  In addition, the refrigerant | coolant 2 as a heat carrying-in medium carries in the warm heat which is positive heat with respect to the heat storage material 1, and the brine 3 as a heat carrying-out medium carries out the warm heat which the heat storage material 1 has. Even in the case where the heat storage material 1 is in a supercooled state, the heat storage material 1 is solidified when a stimulus is applied from the outside of the heat storage material 1. The stimulating means for giving energy to the heat storage material 1 is the same as the case where the refrigerant 2 as the heat carrying-in medium carries in the cold and the cold heat of the heat storage material 1 is carried out by the brine 3 as the heat-loading medium. It is. Since the heat storage material 1 releases latent heat when it solidifies, the amount of heat release increases (increases) due to a phase change from the supercooled state. Therefore, the heat storage material 1 increases (increases) the amount of heat released by applying a stimulus from the outside.

  In addition, when the refrigerant 2 as the heat carry-in medium carries warm heat into the heat storage material 1 and the brine 3 as the heat carry-out medium carries out the warm heat that the heat storage material 1 has, The amount of warm heat input to the heat storage material 1 is smaller than the amount of warm heat released from the heat storage material 1, and such a state is determined in step S23 in FIG. And since the local nucleation operation is performed based on the judgment result, the amount of heat (energy amount) consumed for nucleation is less than the amount of heat released (increased) with nucleation, and as a result, heat is radiated efficiently. It can be performed. In other words, the thermoelectric element is selected and operated in a supercooled state or a temperature distribution state in which the amount of heat release increases (increases), and nucleation is performed.

  In addition, in the case where the refrigerant 2 as a heat carrying medium carries warm heat into the heat storage material 1 and the brine 3 as a heat carrying medium carries out the warm heat that the heat storage material 1 has, If it is detected or determined that the supercooling portion exists and a positive determination is made in step S43, the amount of heat released (hereinafter referred to as the increased amount of heat released) that is increased (increased) by the nucleation action is estimated. The calculated temperature distribution is calculated (step S44). That is, the increased heat radiation amount can be obtained from the amount of the supercooling portion in the heat storage material 1, the amount to solidify, the latent heat thereof, and the like.

  Furthermore, in the case where the refrigerant 2 as the heat carry-in medium carries warm heat into the heat storage material 1 and the brine 3 as the heat carry-out medium carries out the warm heat that the heat storage material 1 has. Is determined from the relationship between the increased heat dissipation amount (β1) calculated in step S44 in FIG. 4 and the thermoelectric element operating power amount (β2) calculated in step S46 in FIG. Based on this, it is determined whether or not nucleation is possible (step S47). The determination in step S47 can be made based on the determination map described in FIG. This determination map is configured in the same manner as when the refrigerant 2 as the heat carry-in medium carries in the cold and the cold heat of the heat storage material 1 is carried out by the brine 3 as the heat carry-out medium. Therefore, the relationship between the increased heat release amount calculated in step S44 and the thermoelectric element operating power amount (β2) calculated in step S46 is determined based on FIG. In step S47, it is determined whether or not the current operating state is the A region. If the determination is negative, the present control routine is temporarily terminated without operating the thermoelectric element 4. If the determination is positive, the position to be nucleated, that is, the thermoelectric element 4 to be operated to nucleate is selected (step S48).

It is a figure which shows typically an example of the inside of the heat storage device of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the example of control selectively nucleated in the thermal accumulator shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows typically another example of this invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a control example for controlling nucleation based on a comparison between an increase in heat storage amount due to the nucleation effect and a heat amount generated during the nucleation effect shown in FIG. 3. It is a figure which shows roughly the map regarding the thermoelectric element operating electric energy used by the example of control shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows roughly the map which determines the propriety of the nucleation action used in the example of control shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows typically another example of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the example of control which controls nucleation based on the engine load amount shown in FIG. 7, and the produced | generated heat amount accompanying external temperature. It is a figure which shows roughly the map regarding the produced | generated heat amount used with the example of control shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows typically another example of this invention. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the example of control which controls nucleation based on the prediction production | generation heat amount and prediction heat consumption which are shown in FIG. It is a timing chart for demonstrating the control timing of the nucleation shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Thermal storage material, 2 ... Refrigerant, 3 ... Brine, 4A, 4B,-4P ... Thermoelectric element, 5 ... Heat input piping, 6 ... Heat output piping, 7A, 7B ... Inlet part, 8A, 8B ... Outlet part 9A, 9B, ... 9E, 18 ... Temperature sensor, 10 ... Refrigeration cycle, 11 ... Compressor, 12 ... Condenser, 13 ... Receiver tank, 14 ... Expansion valve, 15 ... Heat exchanger, 16 ... Pump, 17 ... Controller, 19 ... Regenerator.

Claims (8)

In a heat storage device with a heat storage material that stores latent heat with phase change,
Nucleation means for generating solid phase nuclei in the heat storage material;
First calculation means for calculating a heat storage amount that increases by nucleating the heat storage material;
Second calculating means for calculating the amount of heat consumed by the nucleating means for nucleation;
Determination means for determining execution / non-execution of nucleation by the nucleation means based on a comparison result between the heat storage amount calculated by the first calculation means and the heat amount calculated by the second calculation means. A heat storage device characterized by having In a heat storage device with a heat storage material that stores latent heat with phase change,
Nucleation means for generating solid phase nuclei in the heat storage material;
Third calculation means for calculating the amount of heat input to the heat storage material;
A heat storage apparatus comprising: a determination unit that determines execution / non-execution of nucleation by the nucleation unit based on the calculated calculation result of the third calculation unit. In a heat storage device with a heat storage material that stores latent heat with phase change,
Nucleation means for generating solid phase nuclei in the heat storage material;
First prediction means for predicting the amount of heat input to the heat storage material;
Second prediction means for predicting the amount of heat output from the heat storage material;
Estimating means for estimating a heat storage amount of the heat storage device based on a difference between the heat amount predicted by the first prediction means and the heat amount predicted by the second prediction means;
A heat storage apparatus comprising: a determination unit that determines execution / non-execution of nucleation by the nucleation unit based on an estimation result of the estimation unit.   The third calculation unit calculates the amount of heat input based on information obtained by a traveling state detection unit that detects a traveling state or a traveling environment detection unit that detects a traveling environment. The heat storage device described.   The determination means includes means for determining execution / non-execution of nucleation by the nucleation means based on a calculation result by the third calculation means and an estimated temperature distribution inside the heat storage material. The heat storage device according to claim 2 or 4. The first predicting means predicts the amount of heat input based on the information obtained by the traveling state detecting means or the traveling condition detecting means or the traveling environment detecting means,
The said 2nd prediction means estimates the calorie | heat amount output based on the information obtained by the said driving | running | working state detection means, the said driving condition detection means, or the said driving environment detection means, The Claim 3 characterized by the above-mentioned. Thermal storage device.   The determination means determines execution / non-execution of nucleation by the nucleation means based on a heat storage amount estimated by the estimation means and a temperature distribution estimated inside the heat storage material. The heat storage device according to 3 or 6.   The heat storage device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the nucleation unit is a unit using a thermoelectric element.

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