JP2020159318A - Reserve tank - Google Patents

Abstract

To restrain intrusion of gas into cooling water in a reserve tank of a water cooling type cooling device.SOLUTION: A reserve tank 1 includes a front chamber with which an inlet port 30 is connected so that cooling water flows in through the inlet port 30, a rear chamber which receives the cooling water from the front chamber and with which an outlet port 35 is connected so that the cooling water flows out through the outlet port 35, and a ceiling 22 in which a height of a portion 221 covering a region including a place connected with the inlet port 30 of the front chamber from the upper side is lower than LOW line 231 which shows the minimum storage amount of the cooling water set for the rear chamber.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a structure of a reserve tank (reservoir tank) for storing cooling water (cooling liquid) in a water-cooled (liquid-cooled) type cooling device mounted on a vehicle or the like.

An internal combustion engine and / or an electric motor (motor generator) mounted on a vehicle as a power source is provided with a water-cooled cooling device for cooling the internal combustion engine and / or an electric motor (motor generator). The cooling device for cooling the internal combustion engine distributes the cooling water to various parts of the internal combustion engine, such as a cylinder block, a cylinder head, a throttle body containing a throttle valve, a valve housing containing an EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) valve, and an EGR cooler. Then, heat is exchanged with various parts of the internal combustion engine. The cooling device for cooling the electric motor circulates the cooling water to the PCU (Power Control Unit), the electric motor, the transaxle, and the like, and exchanges heat with them.

This type of water-cooled cooling device has a radiator, which is a heat exchanger that dissipates heat from the heated cooling water, and a reserve tank that stores the cooling water (see, for example, the following patent documents), and a flow path for the cooling water. Prepared on top.

Incidentally, in a hybrid vehicle equipped with both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, two systems of cooling devices, one for cooling the internal combustion engine and the other for cooling the electric motor, may be mounted. This is because the allowable upper limit of the temperature (for example, 65 ° C.) of an electric circuit including a large number of IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors) and other semiconductor switching elements, specifically, a PCU having an inverter, a step-up / step-down converter, etc. This is partly because the temperature of the internal combustion engine is lower than the allowable upper limit.

Japanese Patent No. 4578385 Japanese Patent No. 5233954

Due to the nature of a buffer that stores cooling water that expands or contracts due to thermal expansion, there is a space above the surface of the cooling water in the reserve tank, and the space is filled with gas such as air. When the cooling water vigorously flows into the reserve tank from the inlet port of the reserve tank, turbulence occurs in the cooling water and entrains gas on the water surface, which causes gas to be mixed into the cooling water. Mixing gas into the cooling water reduces the cooling effect, causes cavitation, and wears the pump impeller.

Further, when a plurality of chambers separated by a partition wall are provided in the reserve tank and cooling water flows in from one chamber to another at a high flow velocity, the same problem of gas entrainment may occur.

In particular, in a cooling device for cooling an electric motor, the temperature of the cooling water does not become remarkably high, and it is difficult to separate the gas mixed in the cooling water from the cooling water.

An object of the present invention is to suppress the mixing of gas into the cooling water in the reserve tank of the water-cooled cooling device.

In the present invention, there are a front chamber in which the inlet port is connected and cooling water flows in through the inlet port, and a rear chamber in which the cooling water is received from the front chamber and the outlet port is connected and the cooling water flows out through the outlet port. , The height of the portion that covers the area including the connection point of the entrance port of the front chamber from above is positioned lower than the LOW line indicating the minimum storage amount of cooling water set in the rear chamber. A reserve tank including a part was constructed.

Further, in the present invention, after the inlet port is connected and the cooling water flows in through the inlet port, and after the cooling water is received from the anterior chamber and the outlet port is connected and the cooling water flows out through the outlet port. A partition wall that separates the chamber from the anterior chamber and the rear chamber and has a window for allowing the flow of cooling water from the anterior chamber to the rear chamber to pass through, and a protruding wall protruding from the partition wall toward the anterior chamber. A LOW line that is cut out along the direction in which the cooling water flows in the partition wall and faces the region behind the protruding wall, and the upper edge thereof indicates the minimum storage amount of the cooling water set in the rear chamber. A reserve tank with a higher slit was constructed.

According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively suppress the mixing of gas into the cooling water in the reserve tank of the water-cooled cooling device.

The perspective view of the reserve tank of one Embodiment of this invention. A perspective view of the upper tank member of the reserve tank of the same embodiment as viewed from below. A perspective view of the lower tank member of the reserve tank of the same embodiment as viewed from above. The bottom view of the upper tank member of the reserve tank of the same embodiment. The plan view of the lower tank member of the reserve tank of the same embodiment. AA line end view of the reserve tank of the same embodiment. BB line end view of the reserve tank of the same embodiment. FIG. 2C is an end view of the reserve tank of the same embodiment.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 8 show the reserve tank 1 in this embodiment. The reserve tank 1 is an element of a cooling device that water-cools, for example, a traveling motor generator and a power generation motor generator, which are electric motors mounted on a hybrid vehicle, and a PCU that electrically controls these electric motors.

The reserve tank 1 has an upper tank member 2 and a lower tank member 3 as elements, and has a vertically divided half structure, and by connecting these, one closed type reserve tank 1 is formed. The upper tank member 2 and the lower tank member 3 are each hard resin molded products, and the downward surface of the flange 25 at the lower edge of the upper tank member 2 and the upward surface of the flange 36 at the upper edge of the lower tank member 3 are welded together. Join by etc.

2 and 4 show the internal structure of the upper tank member 2. In addition, FIGS. 3 and 5 show the internal structure of the lower tank member 3. In the reserve tank 1 of the present embodiment, the inside thereof is divided into a plurality of chambers 11, 12 and 13 by partition walls 21 and 31. That is, the reserve tank 1 includes the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12 which are the front chambers with which the inlet port 30 communicates, and the third chamber 13 which is the rear chamber with which the outlet (outlet) port 35 communicates. The inlet port 30 is connected to a portion of the side portion 32 of the lower tank member 3 facing the first chamber 11. The first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12 are not separated by the partition walls 21 and 31, and are connected to each other. The outlet port 35 is connected to a portion of the bottom 33 of the lower tank member 3 facing the third chamber 13.

The partition walls 21 and 31 are integrally molded with each of the upper tank member 2 and the lower tank member 3. The partition wall 21 on the upper tank member 2 side hangs downward from the downward surface of the ceiling portion 22 of the upper tank member 2. The partition wall 31 on the lower tank member 3 side stands upward from the upward surface of the bottom 33 of the lower tank member 3. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the lower end surface of the partition wall 21 on the upper tank member 2 side and the upper end surface of the partition wall 31 on the lower tank member 3 side form a mating surface and come into contact with each other or are extremely close to each other, and the first chamber 11 And the partition walls 21 and 31 that separate the second chamber 12 and the third chamber 13 are formed.

As shown by arrows F in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cooling water flowing into the first chamber 11 from the outside of the reserve tank 1 through the inlet port 30 mainly follows the expansion direction of the partition walls 21 and 31. It flows from the first room 11 to the second room 12 and the third room 13. A window 311 for passing the main flow F of the cooling water is provided at a portion of the partition walls 21 and 31 that separates the second chamber 12 and the third chamber 13. Specifically, a window 311 penetrating the partition wall 31 on the lower tank member 3 side is provided. The upper edge of the window 311 is lower than the LOW (or MIN or LOWER) line 231 described later, and the window 311 is always submerged in the cooling water. The cooling water that has reached the third chamber 13 flows out to the outside of the reserve tank 1 through the outlet port 35.

The ceiling portion 22 of the upper tank member 2 is provided with a replenishment port 20 for replenishing cooling water. The replenishment port 20 is located at a portion 223 of the ceiling portion 22 facing the third chamber 13. This portion 223 bulges upward higher than the portions 221 and 222 facing the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12 in the ceiling portion 22. On the side portion 23 of the bulging portion 223, a LOW line 231 and a FULL (or MAX or UPPER) line 232 are formed by embossing (convex) molding, debossing (concave) molding, printing, labeling (seal), or the like. it's shown. The LOW line 231 and the FULL line 232 suggest an appropriate amount of cooling water storage. The water level in the reserve tank 1 is in a state where the object to be cooled by the cooling device, for example, the electric motor or the internal combustion engine is stopped, the temperature is sufficiently lowered, and the cooling water temperature is low (the cooling water is not expanded). If it is LOW line 231 or more and FULL line 232 or less, the amount of cooling water is appropriate. When the water level is lower than the LOW line 231, it is necessary to inject cooling water into the reserve tank 1 through the replenishment port 20 to replenish the water.

As a first feature of the reserve tank 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, a portion of the ceiling portion 22 of the upper tank member 2 that covers the first chamber 11 to which the inlet port 30 is connected from above. The height of 221 is lower than that of LOW line 231. As a result, as long as the amount of cooling water stored is appropriate, the surface of the cooling water is always higher than the ceiling 221 of the first chamber 11, the first chamber 11 is completely filled with the cooling water, and the first chamber 11 is filled. A space in which a gas such as air exists, that is, a space on the water surface is no longer generated. Therefore, even if the cooling water flows into the first chamber 11 from the inlet port 30 at a high flow velocity, a turbulent flow in which the cooling water swirls does not occur in the first chamber 11, and the gas on the water surface is cooled by the turbulent flow. There is no problem of getting involved in.

Further, in the present embodiment, the height of the portion 221 of the ceiling portion 22 of the upper tank member 2 that covers the second chamber 12 from above is also the LOW line 231 except for the upper 222 of the very partial region 14, which will be described later. Is lower than. Therefore, most of the second chamber 12 is filled with the cooling water, and the entrainment of gas on the water surface is suppressed even in the second chamber 12.

On the other hand, as already described, the height of the portion 223 of the ceiling portion 22 of the upper tank member 2 that covers the third chamber 13 from above is higher than the LOW line 231 and the FULL line 232. In the third chamber 13, a space where a gas such as air exists is created on the surface of the stored cooling water.

As the second feature of the reserve tank 1 of the present embodiment, the protrusions 24 and 34 are provided on the partition walls 21 and 31 that separate the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12 from the third chamber 13, and the protrusions 24 and 34 are provided. A region 14 in which the flow F of the cooling water stagnates is created behind the back, a slit 211 is opened in the partition wall 21 facing the region 14, and a gas such as air is introduced from the second chamber 12 to the third through the slit 211. It is possible to escape to the room 13.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, 7 and 8, the upper tank member 2 and the lower tank member 3 have protruding walls protruding from the partition walls 21 and 31 toward the first chamber 11 and the second chamber 12, respectively. 24 and 34 are integrally molded with the partition walls 21 and 31. The protrusions 24 and 34 extend in a direction intersecting (or orthogonal to) the expansion direction of the partition walls 21 and 31 in a plan view or a bottom view. Like the partition wall 21, the protruding wall 24 on the upper tank member 2 side hangs downward from the downward surface of the ceiling portion 22 of the upper tank member 2. The protruding wall 34 on the lower tank member 3 side, like the partition wall 31, rises upward from the upward surface of the bottom 33 of the lower tank member 3. Then, the lower end surface of the protruding wall 24 on the upper tank member 2 side and the upper end surface of the protruding wall 34 on the lower tank member 3 side form a mating surface and come into contact with or very close to each other, and the cooling water flow F is brought into the partition wall 21. The protruding walls 24 and 34 to be peeled off from 31 are formed.

The cooling water does not flow vigorously in the region 14 adjacent to the partition walls 21 and 31 on the second chamber 12 side and behind the protrusions 24 and 34 along the direction F in which the cooling water flows. The portion 222 of the ceiling portion 22 of the upper tank member 2 facing the region 14 is raised so as to be recessed upward when viewed from the inside of the second chamber 12, and the upper edge thereof has a LOW line 231 (furthermore, further. (Over the FULL line 232). Therefore, in the region 14, a space in which a gas such as air exists, that is, a space on the water surface can be generated.

Further, the slit 211 is formed so as to cut out the partition wall 21 of the upper tank member 2 facing the region 14 upward from the lower end surface side thereof. The upper edge of the slit 211 is higher than the LOW line 231 (and even higher than the FULL line 232). The slit 211 mainly allows a gas such as air to pass from the second chamber 12 to the third chamber 13, and performs a gas-liquid separation action for separating the gas mixed in the cooling water from the cooling water.

Cooling water may flow from the second chamber 12 to the third chamber 13 through the slit 211. However, since the momentum of the cooling water is weakened in advance by the protrusions 24 and 34, the pressure loss due to the slit 211 is reduced, and the turbulent flow that swirls due to the cooling water flowing through the slit 211 is suppressed. As a result, entrainment of gas on the water surface in the cooling water is suppressed.

In the present embodiment, the front chambers 11 and 12 to which the inlet port 30 is connected and the cooling water flows in through the inlet port 30 and the outlet port 35 to which the cooling water is received from the front chambers 11 and 12 and the outlet port 35 is connected are connected. The height of the portion 221 that covers the rear chamber 13 through which the cooling water flows out from above and the areas 11 and 12 including the portions where the inlet ports 30 of the front chambers 11 and 12 are connected from above is set in the rear chamber 13. A reserve tank 1 including a ceiling portion 22 positioned lower than the LOW line 231 indicating the set minimum storage amount of cooling water was configured.

According to the present embodiment, even if the cooling water vigorously flows into the front chambers 11 and 12 in the reserve tank 1 from the inlet port 30, the problem of entraining the gas on the water surface in the cooling water occurs in the front chambers 11 and 12. Absent.

Further, in the present embodiment, the front chambers 11 and 12 to which the inlet port 30 is connected and the cooling water flows in through the inlet port 30 and the outlet port 35 are connected to receive the cooling water from the front chambers 11 and 12 and exit. A window that separates the rear chamber 13 from which the cooling water flows out through the port 35, the front chambers 11 and 12, and the rear chamber 13, and allows the flow F of the cooling water from the front chambers 11 and 12 to the rear chamber 13 to pass through. The partition walls 21 and 31 in which 311 is opened, the protrusions 24 and 34 protruding from the partition walls 21 and 31 toward the front chamber 12, and the protrusion walls along the direction F in which the cooling water flows in the partition walls 21 and 31. Notched at a portion facing the region 14 on the back of the back chambers 24 and 34, the upper edge thereof includes a slit 211 higher than the LOW line 231 indicating the minimum storage amount of the cooling water set in the rear chamber 13. The reserve tank 1 is configured.

According to the present embodiment, gas such as air can be easily released from the front chambers 11 and 12 to the upper space of the rear chamber 13 through the slit 211, and the gas mixed in the cooling water is effectively separated from the cooling water. Can be removed. Further, the momentum of the cooling water flowing from the front chambers 11 and 12 to the rear chamber 13 through the slit 211 is weakened, and a large turbulent flow due to the cooling water is not generated, and the front chamber 11, 12 or the rear chamber 13 is on the water surface. There is no problem of entraining gas in the cooling water.

As a whole, it is possible to effectively suppress the mixing of gas into the cooling water in the reserve tank 1, and it is possible to avoid problems such as reduction of the cooling effect, occurrence of cavitation, and wear of the pump impeller.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described in detail above. The specific configuration of each part can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

The present invention can be applied to a reserve tank which is an element of a water-cooled cooling device mounted on a vehicle or the like.

1 ... Reserve tanks 11, 12 ... Front chamber 13 ... Rear chamber 14 ... Area behind the ridge 21, 31 ... Partition 211 ... Slit 22 ... Ceiling 221 ... In the area including the place where the entrance port of the front chamber is connected Part covered from above 231 ... LOW line 24, 34 ... ridge wall 30 ... entrance port 31 ... window 35 ... exit port

Claims (3)

The front room where the inlet port is connected and the cooling water flows in through the inlet port,
A rear chamber that receives cooling water from the front chamber and is connected to an outlet port to allow cooling water to flow out through the outlet port.
The height of the portion of the anterior chamber that covers the area including the connection point of the inlet port from above is positioned lower than the LOW line indicating the minimum storage amount of cooling water set in the rear chamber. A reserve tank equipped with. A partition wall that separates the anterior chamber and the posterior chamber and has a window for allowing the flow of cooling water from the anterior chamber to the rear chamber to pass through.
A protruding wall protruding from the partition wall toward the anterior chamber,
The reserve tank according to claim 1, which is cut out at a position facing a region behind the protruding wall along the direction of flow of cooling water in the partition wall, and has a slit whose upper edge is higher than the LOW line. .. The front room where the inlet port is connected and the cooling water flows in through the inlet port,
A rear chamber that receives cooling water from the front chamber and is connected to an outlet port to allow cooling water to flow out through the outlet port.
A partition wall that separates the anterior chamber and the posterior chamber and has a window for allowing the flow of cooling water from the anterior chamber to the rear chamber to pass through.
A protruding wall protruding from the partition wall toward the anterior chamber,
A LOW line that is cut out along the direction of flow of cooling water in the partition wall at a portion facing the region behind the protruding wall, and the upper edge thereof indicates the minimum storage amount of cooling water set in the rear chamber. Reserve tank with higher slits.

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