JPS62258811A - Cooler for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a cooler suitable for an electric vehicle or the like by heating/cooling an enclosed container which contains a metallic hydrogen compound occluding/discharging hydrogen gas to occlude/discharge the hydrogen gas and operating a refrigerant pressure pump with the discharged hydrogen gas. CONSTITUTION:The metallic hydrogen compound in an enclosed container 16 generates hydrogen gas when heated by hot water 17, and the generated hydrogen gas is applied to a refrigerant pressure pump 1 to discharge the refrigerant in a refrigerant chamber 8a to a regrigerant circuit A. The metallic hydrogen compound occludes hydrogen when cooled by cold water 18. In this case, the opening of flow control valves 41, 42 is controlled by the intake air temperature 7 of an evaporator 4 to control the heating/cooling temperature of the enclosed container 16, and the refrigerant pressure pump 1 is operated by the combination of a pressure sensor 19, a position sensor 15, a temperature sensor 6, and the opening/closing of opening/closing valves 35, 36 and flow control valves 41, 42. Accordingly, no power source is required, and this cooler can be used for an electric vehicle.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] rcloth I#I-Sleep to Owada) The present invention relates to a cooling device for a vehicle.

(Prior art) A cooling system for an automobile uses a refrigerant (for example, R-12, etc.), compresses the refrigerant with a compressor that uses the driving force of the engine to pH, and cools and liquefies the compressed high-pressure refrigerant. In some cases, the latent heat of vaporization is used for cooling, but in this case, the driving force of the engine is used as the power source for the compressor, so during cooling operation, about 10% There is a problem in that the output must be reduced.

In addition, in recent years, the development of electric vehicles has been pushed forward from the viewpoint of exhaust gas pollution, etc. However, electric vehicles do not have suitable power and heat sources, so conventional cooling systems that require large power and heat sources are used. There is a problem that it is not possible to use electric vehicles, so the development of a cooling system that can also be used in electric vehicles is awaited.

On the other hand, when metal hydrides are heated or cooled, hydrogen gas is released or absorbed.
This is a well-known fact, and temperature sensors using metal hydrides have already been used in various technical fields.

(Problems to be Solved by Invention) Focusing on the above facts, the present inventors have determined that the hydrogen gas pressure obtained by sealing hydrogen gas released from a metal hydride in a predetermined airtight container is applied to a refrigerant. It was confirmed that the present invention can be used as a driving force for a pressure pump, and the present invention was developed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle cooling system that does not require a special power source and can adjust the capacity of a refrigerant pressurizing pump according to the required cooling capacity. That is.

(Means for solving the problems) In the present invention, as means for solving the above problems,
In a vehicle cooling system equipped with a refrigerant circuit formed by sequentially connecting a refrigerant pressurizing pump, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator,
The refrigerant pressurizing pump has a working chamber connected to a closed container containing a metal hydride that releases or absorbs hydrogen gas by heating or cooling, and a working chamber that is located in the working chamber and releases hydrogen gas from the metal hydride in the closed container. 6. A heat transfer means for heating and cooling the metal hydride in the closed container, and a heat transfer means for controlling the amount of heating and cooling by the heat transfer means. A control means for adjusting according to the required cooling capacity is attached.

(Function) In the present invention, the following effects can be obtained by the above means.

That is, when the temperature of the metal hydride in the closed container rises due to heating by the heat transfer means, hydrogen gas is released from the metal hydride, and the pressure of the hydrogen gas causes the movable member of the refrigerant pressurizing pump to operate, Thereafter, when the temperature of the metal hydride decreases due to cooling by the heat transfer means, hydrogen gas in the working chamber of the refrigerant pressurizing pump is stored in the metal hydride in the closed container, and the pressure in the working chamber decreases, causing the movable member to will be reinstated. By repeating the above operations, the refrigerant is pressurized by the refrigerant pressurizing pump, and the compressed refrigerant is discharged to the refrigerant circuit, where it condenses, expands, and evaporates. It is used for purposes. By adjusting the amount of heating and cooling by the heat transfer means to correspond to the required cooling capacity by the control means, the amount of hydrogen gas absorbed and released is adjusted, and as a result, the amount of hydrogen gas absorbed and released is adjusted. The operating speed of the movable member is thus adjusted.

(Embodiments) Hereinafter, some preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a vehicle cooling system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The vehicle cooling system according to this embodiment includes a refrigerant pressurizing pump l.
, a condenser 2, an expansion valve 3, and an evaporator 4 are connected in sequence. In the refrigerant circuit A, an on-off valve 36 is provided on the discharge side of the refrigerant pressurizing pump 1, while a check valve that allows refrigerant to flow only in the suction direction is provided on the suction side of the refrigerant pressurizing pump 1. 43 is interposed. Reference numeral 5 is a blower for blowing air into the vehicle interior, 6
is a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature Tc of the condenser 2,
7 is a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature Ta of air sucked into the evaporator 4.

The refrigerant pressurizing pump 1 includes a cylinder 8 serving as a working chamber and a piston 9 serving as a movable member that reciprocates within the cylinder 8.
Inside the cylinder 8 is the piston 9.
The refrigerant chamber 8a on the discharge side and the hydrogen gas chamber 8b on the opposite discharge side
It is divided into two parts.

The piston rod 10 of the piston 9 is slidably supported by a partition wall 11 installed at an intermediate portion of the cylinder 8 (on the hydrogen gas chamber 8b side), and when sliding, is supported on one end side of the cylinder 8 (on the side opposite to the discharge side). ) Guide rotado 1 protruding from
2. Reference numeral 13 is a return spring for returning the piston, 14 is a communication hole formed in the partition wall 11, and 15 is a position sensor for detecting the bottom dead center of the piston 9.

The hydrogen gas chamber 8b in the cylinder 8 has an on-off valve 35.
It is connected to a closed container 16 containing a metal hydride via a metal hydride. Here, the metal hydride is L aN is
As typified by metal hydrides, it refers to alloys that release hydrogen gas when heated and store hydrogen gas when cooled. The relationship between temperature and hydrogen gas pressure in the L aN is metal hydride used in this example is as shown in the characteristic curve shown in FIG.

And said airtight container! 6 is attached with a hot water pipe 17 for heating the metal hydride and a cold water pipe 18 for cooling the metal hydride, and these hot water pipes 1
7 and the cold water pipe I8 constitute a heat transfer means as defined in the claims. Said hot water piping [7
Flow control valves 41 and 42 whose opening degree can be adjusted are interposed on the respective artificial sides of the cold water pipe 18. The opening degree of these flow rate control valves 41 and 42 is controlled as follows depending on the suction air temperature Ta of the evaporator 4, and
The amount of heating and cooling of the metal hydride inside can be adjusted as appropriate.

That is, when Ta>30°C, flow control valve 41: fully open, flow I
j1 control valve 42: fully open, when Ta<20°C, flow control valve 41: fully closed, flow rit control valve 42: fully open, 20°C≦Ta
When the temperature is ≦30° C., the flow control valves 41 and 42 are controlled to have variable opening degrees.

Note that, as a means for heating and cooling the metal hydride, it is of course possible to use hot air, cold air, etc. instead of the above-mentioned hot water and cold water. Reference numeral 19 is a pressure sensor for detecting the hydrogen gas pressure Pa within the closed container 16.

Thus, the on-off valves 35, 36 and the flow control valves 41.
42 can be operated and controlled by a control unit 20 acting as a control means based on information from temperature sensors 6, 7, position sensor 15 and pressure sensor I9.

Next, the operation of the vehicle cooling system shown in FIG. 1 will be explained with reference to chart 70 shown in FIG.

Ru.

When the cooling switch was turned on, the on-off valves 35 and 36 and the flow control valves 41 and 42 were reset to the closed state (
After step S, ), the flow rate control valve 41.4 responds to the intake air temperature Ta of the evaporator 4 detected by the temperature sensor 7
2 opening degree control is performed (step S,). That is, Ta
>30℃, flow control valve 41: fully open, flow m control valve 4
2; Fully closed, when Ta<20°C, flow control valve 41. Fully closed, flow rate control valve 42: fully open, when 20°C≦Ta≦30°C, flow rate control valves 41, 42: variable opening control. Therefore, when Ta≧20°C, the metal hydride in the closed container 16 is heated by the heating m (obtained by the heat transfer means) according to the suction air temperature Ta of the evaporator 4 (in other words, the required cooling capacity). It will be heated and the pressure sensor! The hydrogen gas pressure Pa in the closed container 16 detected by 9 is P
, (in this embodiment, 20 atm) (step S3), the on-off valve 35 is opened (step S4).

Then, hydrogen gas released from the metal hydride in the closed container 16 is discharged into the hydrogen gas chamber 8b of the cylinder 8 constituting the refrigerant pressurizing pump 1, and the pressure of the hydrogen gas (
= 20atI11) causes the piston 9 to operate, and when the cold piston 9 in the refrigerant chamber 8a of the cylinder 8 reaches the bottom dead center and the refrigerant pressurization reaches its peak, the position sensor 15 detects this (step SS). , the on-off valve 36 is opened until the condenser temperature Tc detected by the temperature sensor 6 starts to rise (in other words, until the refrigerant discharge from the refrigerant pressurizing pump 1 is completed). 36 is maintained in the open state, but when the condenser temperature Tc starts to rise (step S7), the on-off valve 36 is closed (step S,). After that, MEm control valve 11
is fully closed (step 511), the flow rate control valve 12 is fully opened (step S, , ), and the metal hydride in the closed container 16 is cooled. Then, in the refrigerant pressurizing pump l, the hydrogen gas 'K < 8 b in the cylinder 8 is occluded by the metal hydride in the closed container 16, and the hydrogen gas pressure P a becomes p, (-1 ain) or less. (step S), the piston 9 of the refrigerant pressurizing pump l returns d.
I can be shunned. In the process of repeating the above operation, the pressurized refrigerant discharged from the refrigerant pressurizing pump 1 by opening the on-off valve 36 condenses in the condenser 2. l/- to +-It,
Secret ■, Seven fortune telling Q No-go area
4, the air is evaporated by removing latent heat of vaporization from the air supplied by the blower 5, and then passed through the check valve 43 to the cylinder 8.
The refrigerant is sucked into the refrigerant chamber 8a. Thus, the air supplied from the blower 5 is converted into cold air in the evaporator 4, and the cold air is used for cooling the interior of the vehicle.

That is, in the cooling device of this embodiment, the airtight container 16
The amount of heating and cooling by the heat transfer means (i.e. hot water and cold water) for the metal hydride accommodated in the evaporator 4 is controlled in accordance with the intake air temperature Ta of the evaporator 4 by opening the flow control valve 41.42. The operating speed of the piston 9 in the refrigerant pressurizing pump 1 is controlled by adjusting the release m and storage m of hydrogen gas by the metal hydride, thereby adjusting the operating speed according to the required cooling capacity. It is designed to have a cooling effect.

Note that when the intake air temperature Ta of the evaporator 4 is 20° C. or lower, cooling is not necessary, so the operation of the cooling system itself is stopped.

Fig. 4 shows the refrigerant pressurizing pump in the above embodiment.
The cooling system used is shown. In this case, 'I
The refrigerant pressurizing pumps la, Ib, lc, and ld in J are each configured to perform a long stroke. For example, when the first refrigerant pressure pump Ia is in the compression start state, the second refrigerant pressure pump lb is in the compression completion state,
The third refrigerant pressurizing pump lc is in a suction start state, and the fourth refrigerant pressurizing pump Id is in a suction completion state. Therefore, four refrigerant pressurizing pumps 1 a, I b,
1c and Id, the refrigerant is continuously supplied to the refrigerant circuit A, allowing continuous operation of the cooling device. It goes without saying that one or more refrigerant pressurizing pumps 1 may be used.

A second embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG.

In this case, the cylinder 8 constituting the refrigerant pressurizing pump 1 is
It has a double-wall structure with a space 23 between the inner wall 21 and the outer wall 22, and hydrogen gas from the closed chamber file is separated by a bellows-type hydrogen-impermeable membrane 24 fixed to the piston 9. The hydrogen chamber 8b is configured such that the hydrogen is supplied to the hydrogen chamber 8b.

The space 23 between the double walls communicates with a chamber 25.26 formed outside the hydrogen-impermeable membrane 24 on the opposite discharge side of the cylinder 8 through through holes 27 and 28. ing.

In addition, the space 23 is made of a metal having different characteristics (lower hydrogen gas pressure P) than the metal hydride housed in the closed container 16 in order to generate hydrogen gas that serves as a driving source for the refrigerant pressurizing pump 1. It is connected via an on-off valve 37 to another closed container 29 containing a hydride. The metal hydride housed in the hermetic container 29 is stored in the cylinder 8 of the refrigerant pressurizing pump l when hydrogen gas leaks from the hydrogen gas chamber 8b into the space 23 between the double walls. It functions to absorb and recover hydrogen gas.

The relationship between temperature and hydrogen gas pressure in the two types of LaNi5-based metal hydrides used in this example is as shown in the characteristic curves shown in FIG.

Here, the curve indicated by the symbol X is the semi-1A open tank with a stirrup in the closed container 16. This is a characteristic curve of the compound.

The sealed container 29 is also provided with a hot water pipe 30 for heating the metal hydride and a cold water pipe 31 for cooling the metal hydride. On-off valves 38 and 39 are provided on the inlet sides of the hot water pipe 30 and the cold water pipe 31, respectively.

Note that as means for heating and cooling the metal hydride in the closed container 29, hot air and cold air may be used instead of the hot water and cold water. The reference numeral 32 is a pressure sensor for detecting the hydrogen gas pressure Pc in the closed container 29, and the reference numeral 33 is a water temperature sensor for detecting the outlet water temperature of the cold water pipe 31.

Further, the sealed container 29 is connected via an on-off valve 40 to the sealed container 16 containing a metal hydride for generating hydrogen gas, which is a driving source for driving the refrigerant pressurizing pump l. There is. That is, the hydrogen gas occluded in the metal hydride in the sealed container 29 is released by heating, stored in the sealed container 16, stored in the metal hydride, and recovered. It is.

In the case of this embodiment, the temperature sensor 7 is installed in the vehicle interior to detect the vehicle interior temperature Ta, which is approximately the same as the temperature of the air taken into the evaporator 4. Therefore, the flow zero control valve 41.4
2, the opening degree is controlled in accordance with the vehicle interior temperature 'ra, in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, the on-off valves 35°, 36.
37, 38, 39.40 and flow control valves 41, 42 act as control means on the basis of information from temperature sensor 6.7, water temperature sensor 33, position sensor 15 and pressure sensor 19.32.
The operation is controlled by 5. Reference numeral 34 denotes an alarm device that issues an alarm when hydrogen gas leaks from the refrigerant pressurizing pump l.

The rest of the configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment, so the explanation thereof will be omitted.

Next, the operation of the vehicle cooling system shown in FIG. 5 will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 7.

When the air conditioner switch is turned on, the opening/closing valve opens at 35°3G.
, 37.38, 39.40 and flow control valve 41°11
2 is reset to the closed state (step S,), after 1 second (set by a timer), the cold water supply on-off valve 39 and the on-off valve 37 on the artificial side of the airtight container 29 are opened (step S1). −, S+3). Also, 1.5 seconds have passed after the control in step S1 (set by a timer)
Then, the vehicle interior temperature detected by the temperature sensor 7'
The opening degree of the flow rate control valves 41 and 42 is controlled according to ra (step S). That is, when Ta>30°C, flow m control valve 41: fully open, flow control valve 42: fully closed, Ta<
At 20°C, flow control valve 41: fully open, flow control valve 42:
Fully open, when 20℃≦Ta≦30℃・Flow control valve 41/4
2.10 degree variable control hctL'*.

Therefore, when the temperature above Ta is 20°C, the metal hydride in the closed container IG is heated by the amount of heating (obtained by the heat transfer means) according to the vehicle interior temperature 'ra (in other words, the required cooling capacity). Therefore, when the hydrogen gas pressure Pa detected by the pressure sensor 19 in the closed container 16 exceeds P (30 atm in this embodiment) (step S).
, opens the on-off valve 35 (step S4). Then, the hydrogen gas released from the metal hydride in the closed container 16 is discharged into the hydrogen gas chamber 8b of the cylinder 8 constituting the refrigerant pressurizing pump l, and the pressure of the hydrogen gas (= 30a
tm), the piston 9 is actuated, and the refrigerant (for example, fluorocarbon gas) in the refrigerant chamber 8a of the cylinder 8 is compressed.

When the piston 9 reaches the bottom dead center and the refrigerant pressurization reaches its peak, the position sensor 15 detects this (Step S), the on-off valve 36 is opened (Step S6), and the temperature sensor 6 detects this. The on-off valve 36 is maintained in the open state until the condenser temperature 'rc starts to rise (in other words, until the refrigerant discharge from the refrigerant pressurizing pump l is completed), but the condenser temperature Tc does not start to rise. When the process starts (step S), the on-off valve 36 is closed (step S8).

After that, the flow control valve 41 is fully opened (step S).
, the metal hydride in the flow control 16 is cooled. Then, the hydrogen gas in the hydrogen gas chamber 8b of the cylinder 8 in the refrigerant pressurizing pump 1 is absorbed by the metal hydride in the closed container 16, and the hydrogen gas pressure Pa becomes Pt (=0.8 atm).
The following happens (step S, . . .), and the piston 9 of the refrigerant pressurizing pump 1 is returned to its original state. In the process of repeating the above operation, the pressurized refrigerant discharged from the refrigerant pressurizing pump 1 by opening the on-off valve 36 is condensed and liquefied in the condenser 2, and then transferred to the expansion valve 3, as in the first embodiment. The air is depressurized and evaporated in the evaporator 4 by removing latent heat of vaporization from the air supplied by the blower 5, and is then sucked into the refrigerant chamber 8a of the cylinder 8 via the check valve 43. Thus, the air supplied from the blower 5 is converted into cold air in the evaporator 4, and the cold air is used for cooling the interior of the vehicle (see FIG. 1).

On the other hand, by the control in steps S, t and S+3,
The space 23 of the cylinder 8 in the refrigerant pressurizing pump l and the closed container 29 are brought into communication, and -1 cloud + 1n Jitsu Tatsumi 9q Yamakona Kiju table (k spider climbs the cold cable and is cooled,
At that time, if hydrogen gas leaks from the hydrogen gas chamber 8b into the space 23, this leaked hydrogen gas will be occluded by the metal hydride in the closed container 29. Since the temperature of the metal hydride increases when it absorbs hydrogen gas, the pressure sensor 32 measures the degree of rise in the cold water temperature Td detected by the water temperature sensor 33 and the hydrogen gas pressure in the closed container 29. Detection 1 direct P obtained by detection
c, P c < P 3 (0.4 atm in this example) and T d < T (in this example,
30° C.), it is determined that there has been no hydrogen gas leakage into the space 23 (step 514), and the operation of the refrigerant pressurizing pump 1 by the pressure of the hydrogen gas generated in the closed container 16 is continued. .

However, in step S+4, Pc≧P,
If it is determined that Td≧T, it is determined that hydrogen gas has leaked into the space 23 and that the metal hydride in the closed container 29 has occluded the leaked hydrogen gas. Therefore, the flow rate control valve 41 is fully closed and the flow rate control valve 42 is fully opened on the side of the closed container 16 (step 515), and the metal hydride in the closed container 16 is cooled with cold water. Then,
The operation of the refrigerant pressurizing pump 1 is stopped, and the hydrogen gas in the hydrogen gas chamber 8b in the syringe-8 is occluded and recovered by the metal hydride in the closed container 16. At that time, space part 23
Since the storage of hydrogen gas leaked into the metal hydride in the closed container 29 has been completed, the on-off valve 37 is closed (step 516), and at the same time, the on-off valve 39 is closed and the on-off valve 38 is opened. (Step S1.). Then, the metal hydride in the closed container 29 is heated by the hot water and releases hydrogen gas, and the hydrogen gas pressure Pc in the closed container 29 increases.

When Pc≧P4 (10aLm in this embodiment) (step 518), the on-off valve 40 is opened (step S, ), and the hydrogen gas generated in the hermetic container 29 is transferred to the metal in the hermetic container 16. Occlude and recover u° into hydrides. At this time, the metal hydride in the closed container +6 is maintained in a cooled state by the control in step Sr5. Thus, the storage and recovery of the hydrogen gas generated in the sealed container 29 into the metal hydride in the sealed container 16 is completed, and P c > P
When z (= 0.8 atm) (step S,.)
, all valves, i.e. on-off valves 35, 36, 37, 38,
39, 40 and the flow control valves 41 and 42 to stop the operation of the system (step S2+), and at the same time, the alarm device 34 notifies the leakage of hydrogen gas (step S0).

In other words, in the cooling device of this embodiment, the airtight container +6
The amount of heating and cooling by the heat transfer means (i.e., hot water and cold water) for the metal hydride housed in the vehicle is adjusted by controlling the opening of the flow rate control valves 41 and 42, which are controlled in accordance with the vehicle interior temperature Ta. In this way, the release (1) and storage amount of hydrogen gas by the metal hydride are adjusted to control the operating speed of the piston 9 in the refrigerant pressurizing pump 1, thereby achieving a cooling effect according to the required cooling capacity. In addition, when hydrogen gas leaks from the hydrogen gas chamber 8b to be supplied to the refrigerant pressurizing pump I, the leaked hydrogen gas is cooled in advance to increase the hydrogen storage capacity. The system monitors the temperature rise and pressure change of the compound in the closed container 29, automatically stops the operation of the refrigerant pressurizing pump l, and issues an alarm for hydrogen gas leakage. .

Note that when the vehicle interior temperature Ta is 20° C. or lower, cooling is not necessary, so the operation of the cooling system itself is stopped.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and that the design can be modified as appropriate without departing from the gist of the invention.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, a refrigerant pressurizing pump used in a vehicle cooling system is connected to a closed container containing a metal hydride that releases or stores hydrogen gas by heating or cooling. A movable member faces the working chamber and is reciprocated by the pressure of the hydrogen gas released from the metal hydride in the sealed container. Since pressure is used as the driving source for the refrigerant pressurizing pump, it is possible to solve the problem of reduced engine output in special power situations, making it ideal for installation in electric vehicles that do not have a power source or heat source. It has the excellent effect of becoming something.

In addition, the amount of heating and cooling by the heat transfer means for the metal hydride housed in the sealed container is adjusted in accordance with the required cooling capacity, and the amount of hydrogen gas released and absorbed by the metal hydride is adjusted. Therefore, the operating speed of the movable member in the refrigerant pressurizing pump can be controlled in accordance with the required cooling capacity, and there is also the effect that the cooling action can be effectively performed in accordance with the required cooling capacity.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram of a vehicle cooling system according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a P-T characteristic diagram of a metal hydride used in the cooling system shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. The diagram is
FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the cooling device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG.
FIG. 5 is a system diagram of the cooling system when used as a base, and FIG. 5 shows the main parts of the vehicle cooling system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the cooling device shown in FIG. 5. 1... Refrigerant pressurizing pump 2... Condenser 3... Expansion valve 1... Evaporator 8... Working chamber (cylinder) 9... ...Movable member (piston) 16... Sealed container 17.18 ... Heat transfer means 20 ... Control means A ... Refrigerant circuit Figure 2, Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a vehicle cooling system equipped with a refrigerant circuit including a refrigerant pressurizing pump, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator connected in sequence, the refrigerant pressurizing pump releases or stores hydrogen gas by heating or cooling. It is composed of a working chamber connected to a closed container containing a metal hydride, and a movable member that faces the working chamber and is reciprocated by the pressure of hydrogen gas released from the metal hydride in the closed container,
The method is characterized in that it is equipped with a heat transfer means for heating and cooling the metal hydride in the sealed container, and a control means for adjusting the amount of heating and cooling by the heat transfer means according to the required cooling capacity. Vehicle cooling system.