KR20170128559A - In particular, heat batteries for automobiles and corresponding uses - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a thermal battery (1), particularly for automobiles, constituted for the passage of heat transfer fluid and comprising a heat storage material. According to the invention, the thermal battery 1 comprises at least one first heat exchange compartment 3A and at least one separate second heat exchange compartment 3B, each heat exchange compartment 3A, 3B, Firstly, the associated inlet 17 for the dedicated heat transfer fluid and the associated outlet 19 in fluid communication, and secondly the associated heat storage material for heat exchange with the dedicated heat transfer fluid. The invention also relates to the use of such a thermal battery (1), in particular in at least two separate thermal management loops of an automobile.

Description

In particular, heat batteries for automobiles and corresponding uses

The present invention relates in particular to a thermal battery field for automotive thermal batteries, more precisely a thermal storage material such as a phase change material. The invention also relates to the use of such thermal batteries, in particular in a heat management loop for automobiles.

These are, inter alia, latent heat batteries which allow the storage and recovery of heat through the phase change material.

Thermal batteries are commonly used to heat cabs, especially in electric and hybrid vehicles, or to preheat heat transfer fluids in thermal management loops.

The thermal battery may also be used to preheat engine oil or automatic transmission oil of a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine.

For an electric vehicle, heat storage is performed when the electric battery is charged. In operation, this stored heat energy may be utilized when heating of the cab is requested, and the heat battery heats the heat transfer fluid before the heat transfer fluid passes through the heat exchanger and permits heating of the cab. Thus, the energy supplied by the thermal battery is saved from the electric battery.

For hybrid vehicles, heat storage also occurs during charging of the electric battery and also when the engine switches to the internal combustion mode.

For a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine, the energy stored in the thermal battery is charged during the previous itinerary when the engine is warmed up. This stored energy is then used to start the vehicle to reduce friction when the engine is cooled and the oil is viscous. In practice, this friction causes excessive fuel consumption during the first few minutes of use of the vehicle.

Thus, the thermal battery may be installed in a circuit for the transfer fluid, coolant or engine oil.

Such thermal batteries using tube and fin techniques typically include a plurality of heat exchange tubes for circulation of the heat transfer fluid and the phase change material contacts the heat exchange tubes. As a variant, the thermal battery forms an enclosure comprising a phase change material, in particular in encapsulated form, and the heat transfer fluid circulates in contact with these capsules.

Thus, the performance of a thermal battery depends on the phase change material that the battery contains, which is coupled with the temperature condition of the heat transfer fluid, depending on the application in the vehicle.

Also, the thermal battery may only be used for specific applications of the vehicle. As a result, depending on the number of thermal management loops or the number of circuits to which such thermal batteries will be attached, the same number of thermal batteries is required depending on the application.

One of the objects of the present invention is to propose an improved thermal battery which at least partly solves the disadvantages of the prior art and in particular permits the lowest possible load loss.

To this end, the object of the invention is a thermal battery, in particular for automobiles, constituted for the passage of heat transfer fluid and comprising a heat storage material,

The thermal battery includes at least one first heat exchange compartment and at least one separate second heat exchange compartment,

Each heat exchange compartment first includes an associated heat storage material in fluid communication with an associated inlet and associated outlet for a dedicated heat transfer fluid and secondly a heat storage material associated with a dedicated heat transfer fluid .

Heat exchange between the heat transfer fluid and the associated heat storage material in one heat exchange compartment is accomplished independently of the other heat exchange compartments.

Thus, the same thermal battery can incorporate multiple heat storage materials and multiple fluids within it to meet the different needs facing the vehicle. This provides a multifunctional thermal battery.

Such a thermal battery according to the present invention also optimizes heat storage capacity while reducing heat loss to the outside.

Also, according to certain embodiments, a thermal battery can accommodate several heat transfer fluids, especially for different thermal conditions, so that the same thermal battery can be used in different applications, especially in automobiles. Naturally, it is also possible that the same heat transfer fluid circulates in different heat exchange compartments of the thermal battery.

According to a preferred embodiment, the thermal battery comprises an enclosure and at least one separator partition arranged in the enclosure to separate the two heat exchange compartments.

The separating partition may comprise at least one impermeable wall.

Alternatively or additionally, the separating partition may comprise at least two insulative walls and at least one insulator interposed between the two opaque walls.

Thanks to this separation compartment, the heat exchange compartments can not be in fluid communication with each other, thus permitting the use of a complete separation of one or the other of the heat exchange compartments of the heat battery, in particular according to the desired application in the automobile.

The separation compartment may also include at least one heating means such as at least one screen-printed heating panel to improve heat storage.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the at least one first heat exchange compartment comprises a first heat storage material and the at least one second heat exchange compartment comprises a second heat storage material different from the first heat storage material.

The second heat storage material is, for example, a composition different from the first heat storage material.

In particular, the first heat exchange compartment comprises a first phase change material and the second heat exchange compartment comprises a second phase change material having a phase change temperature that is different from the phase change temperature of the first phase change material.

For example, the first phase change material has a phase change temperature of about 60 DEG C to 110 DEG C, and the second phase change material has a phase change temperature of about 50 DEG C to 95 DEG C. [

Thus, a heat storage material such as a different phase change material can be used in the same thermal battery. The phase change material is in each separate heat exchange compartment and there is no risk of a chemical reaction therebetween, which is independent of the use of other phase change materials in the other heat exchange compartments of the heat battery, .

The thermal battery advantageously includes a separate fill opening for each phase change material.

Alternatively, it is possible to use the same phase change material in the different heat exchange compartments of the thermal battery.

According to one exemplary embodiment, a thermal battery comprises a bundle of heat exchange tubes, one heat exchange tube having at least one circulation channel for heat transfer fluid and at least one circulation channel in contact with the heat exchange tube And one heat storage material.

In this case, the separation compartment performs the function of sealing and separating between the heat storage materials of the two parallel arranged heat exchange compartments of the thermal battery.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, a thermal battery is configured such that the heat exchange material (s) is encapsulated within a plurality of reservoirs, e.g., in a substantially substantially cylindrical or spherical configuration, and the heat transfer fluid contacts the capsules of the heat storage material It has a common enclosure.

In this case, the separation compartment performs the function of sealing and separating between the heat transfer fluids that can circulate in two parallel arranged heat exchange compartments of the thermal battery.

In accordance with a particular exemplary embodiment, a thermal battery also includes at least one thermal storage material disposed between the reservoirs of the encapsulated thermal storage material and the enclosure of the encapsulated thermal storage material and the enclosure of the thermal battery Lt; / RTI > Such a device may be one or more grills having a plurality of meshes, and the encapsulated storage material is intended to pass through the mesh of the grill.

The thermal battery may also include one or more of the following features taken separately or in combination:

The thermal battery generally has a substantially parallelepiped or cylindrical shape,

The separating partition is arranged substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the thermal battery,

The separating partition is arranged substantially transversely to the longitudinal direction of the thermal battery,

The separating partition is arranged substantially parallel to the flow direction of the heat transfer fluid (s)

The thermal battery comprises at least one common insulation means for said at least two heat exchange compartments,

The first heat exchange compartment and the second heat exchange compartment have different volumes and can be used separately for different applications.

The invention also relates to the use of a thermal battery according to the invention, in particular in at least two thermal management loops of an automobile.

Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by reading the following description given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, given as non-limiting examples.
1 is a perspective view of a thermal battery according to the first embodiment,
Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the heat battery of Fig. 1,
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the double wall separating partition of the thermal battery from Fig. 1 or Fig. 2,
Figure 4a is a perspective view of a single wall separating partition of a thermal battery from Figure 1 or Figure 2, with integrated heating means,
Figure 4b is a perspective view of the double wall separating partition from Figure 3, with integrated heating means,
4C is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 4A showing the heating means of the separating partition,
5 is a perspective view of a thermal battery according to the second embodiment,
6 is a perspective view of a thermal battery according to the third embodiment,
Figure 7 is a schematic perspective view of the internal elements of the thermal battery according to the third embodiment from Figure 6,
8 is a perspective view of a thermal battery according to the fourth embodiment,
Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the heat battery from Figure 8, which is a slightly perspective view,
10 is a perspective view of a thermal battery according to the fifth embodiment,
Figure 11 shows the thermal battery from Figure 1 arranged in two separate thermal management loops in a simplified and simple manner.
In the drawings, substantially identical elements have the same reference numerals.
The elements of Figures 5 to 10 have reference numerals to the elements of Figures 1 to 4c preceded by hundred units 1, 2, 3 or 4, corresponding to the elements of Figures 1 to 4c, and will not be described again in detail .

Thermal battery

The present invention relates to a thermal battery (1, 101, 201, 301, 401).

It may also be a latent heat battery, especially known by the acronym LHB.

The thermal battery (1, 101, 201, 301, 401) is configured to allow one or more heat transfer fluids to pass through the battery. In the remainder of the description, the term "heat transfer fluid" means any fluid that allows the transfer of heat or cold air between two media.

The thermal battery (1, 101, 201, 301, 401) also includes a thermal battery (1, 101, 201, 301, 401) Or more thermal storage material.

In operation, the thermal battery (1, 101, 201, 301, 401) permits storage of heat and subsequent recovery of the heat transfer fluid through one or more heat transfer materials.

More precisely, the thermal battery 1, 101, 201, 301, 401 comprises at least one first heat exchange compartment 3A and a separate second heat exchange compartment 3B, Or 3B), heat exchange may occur independently of other heat exchange compartments between the associated heat storage materials.

Various embodiments of a thermal battery (1, 101, 201, 301, 401) with multiple fluids and multiple heat storage materials are described below.

The following embodiment is an example. Reference is made to the various embodiments in the description, but this does not necessarily need to mean that each embodiment is associated with the same embodiment, or that the features apply only to a single embodiment. The single features of the different embodiments may also be combined to provide alternative embodiments.

1st Example

1 is a schematic view of a thermal battery 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

According to the first embodiment illustrated, the thermal battery 1 has a substantially substantially parallelepipedal shape.

The battery (1) includes an enclosure (5). According to this first embodiment, the enclosure 5 also has a generally substantially parallelepipedal shape.

The enclosure 5 is made of a material that is sufficiently high in properties to withstand the conditions of use of such a thermal battery of an automobile, for example aluminum or thermally stable plastic material, in terms of impermeability, insulation and mechanical strength. In a variant, an insulating material disposed over the wall of the enclosure may also be provided to further insulate the battery from the external environment.

To separate the two heat exchange compartments 3A and 3B, the thermal battery 1 comprises at least one separator 7. This separating partition 7 is intended to be impermeable to the heat transfer fluid and the heat storage material on both sides of the separating partition 7. Therefore, the heat exchange compartments 3A and 3B are not in fluid communication with each other.

The position of the separating partition 7 is indicated by the dotted line in the drawing of Fig. In this example, the separating partition 7 is arranged in the inner space formed by the enclosure 5, as can be best seen in Fig.

More precisely, in this example the separating partition 7 is arranged substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis L of the thermal battery 1 and thus of the enclosure 5. The separating partition 7 is arranged here over the entire length of the enclosure 5 (see Figs. 1 and 2).

The separating partition 7 can be made integral with the enclosure 5. Alternatively, the separating partition 7 can be detached and secured to the enclosure 5 by any suitable means.

The separating partition 7 is made, for example, by a substantially substantially parallelepiped-shaped wall.

According to a variant illustrated in FIG. 3, the separating partition 7 may have at least two assembled walls 70.

Advantageously, at least one heat insulator 71 can be interposed between the walls 70.

The wall 70 and any intervening insulation 71 can be assembled by any suitable means.

It is also possible that the separating partition 7 comprises at least one heating means. As a non-limiting example, a single separation partition 7 (FIG. 4A) or at least two walls 70 (FIG. 4B) includes at least one screen-printed heating panel 72 most clearly shown in FIG. Lt; / RTI >

The heating means integrated into the separation compartment 7, such as the screen-printed heating panel 72, permits heat recharging of the thermal battery 1, for example, during charging of the vehicle's electric battery. The storage of thermal energy inside the thermal battery 1 is improved.

Depending on the alternative (not shown), a Peltier effect cell may be provided, especially in the case of low temperature storage. In the case where the two heat exchange compartments 3A and 3B are insulated, the charging temperatures can be adjusted independently of each other. In the case of a single wall separator 7, the filling temperature can be the same on both sides.

 As described above, the thermal battery 1 is designed such that at least one heat transfer fluid passes through the thermal battery.

Heat transfer fluids are those used in applications such as, for example, preheating or cab heating, i.e., coolant, transmission fluid or engine oil. Fluids such as screen-wash liquids, refrigerants or other fluids used in automobiles can be used in accordance with the present invention.

To this end, as best seen in FIG. 2, the thermal battery 1 comprises a plurality of circulation channels 9 for at least one heat transfer fluid. These circulation channels 9 may be formed, for example, by a tube, or alternatively by a parallel arrangement of plates.

In the example illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the thermal battery 1 comprises a bundle of stacked heat exchange tubes 11 forming a circulation channel 9.

According to the first embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the thermal battery 1 comprises a heat exchange tube 11 in both the heat exchange compartments 3A and 3B.

In this example, the separation compartment 7 is arranged substantially parallel to the heat exchange tubes 11. In this case, the separating partition 7 is also arranged substantially parallel to the flow direction of the heat transfer fluid.

All heat exchange tubes 9 may be identical.

As a variant, the bundle of heat exchange tubes may comprise heat exchange tubes 9 of different construction in the two heat exchange compartments 3A and 3B.

The same heat transfer fluid that can circulate in the circulation channel 9 existing in the first heat exchange compartment 3A and the circulation channel 9 existing in the second heat exchange compartment 3B can be provided.

Alternatively, the first dedicated heat transfer fluid can circulate in the circulation channel 9 of the first heat exchange compartment 3A while the second dedicated heat transfer fluid can circulate in the circulation channel 9 of the second heat exchange compartment 3B, (9). The first heat transfer fluid and the second heat transfer fluid may have the same properties or may have different properties.

The thermal battery 1 may also comprise an intervening element 13 arranged between two adjacent heat exchange tubes 11 in each case and between the heat exchange tube 11 and the enclosure 5. [ The intervention element 13 has a function of increasing the heat exchange area. In order to facilitate understanding of FIG. 2, the intervening elements 13 are advantageously present throughout the thermal battery 1, although only partially and schematically shown.

The intervening element 13 can take the form of a pin, for example.

The enclosure 5 is arranged around a heat exchange bundle comprising a plurality of heat exchange tubes 11 and, where possible, an intervening element 13.

According to the first embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1, the thermal battery is also made here in the form of a collector plate 15 and is arranged on both sides of the heat exchange bundle, i.e. in the example at the longitudinal end of the heat exchange tube 9 And has two current collectors 15 arranged therein. The collector plate 15 also ensures the closure of the heat exchange bundles.

In addition, to allow the circulation of one or more heat transfer fluids in the heat exchange compartments 3A, 3B, the thermal battery 1 has at least one inlet 17 for the supply of heat transfer fluid, And at least one outlet (19) for the outlet. These are, for example, inlet stubs 17 or outlet stubs 19.

The inlet stub 17 and the outlet stub 19 are arranged in a thermal battery in fluid communication with at least one heat exchange compartment 3A or 3B. Advantageously, the first inlet stub 17 and the first outlet stub 19 are arranged in fluid communication with the associated first heat exchange compartment 3A. Similarly, the second inlet stub 17 and the second outlet stub 19 are arranged in fluid communication with the associated second heat exchange compartment 3B.

Therefore, the thermal battery 1 can accommodate a plurality of heat transfer fluids.

The heat transfer fluid may have different thermal properties. The heat transfer fluid may also originate from a separation circuit.

Each heat transfer fluid used can circulate independently within the associated heat exchange compartment 3A or 3B, including a particular inlet stub 17 and outlet stub 19. [ Thus, independently of each other, the heat transfer fluid is introduced into the heat battery 1 through the inlet stub 17 and then distributed to the heat exchange tubes 11 of the associated heat exchange compartments 3A or 3B. After passing through the thermal battery 1, the heat transfer fluid is discharged through the outlet stub 19.

In Fig. 1, arrow F schematically illustrates the flow of heat transfer fluid. Naturally, the flow direction of the heat transfer fluid may be one direction or another direction.

According to the illustrated example, the inlet stub 17 and the outlet stub 19 are arranged in the current collector plate 15. More precisely, one collector plate 15 may comprise an inlet stub 17 and the other collector plate 15 may comprise an outlet stub 19.

The heat transfer fluids in the two heat exchange compartments 3A and 3B can circulate in the same direction or, alternatively, can circulate in the opposite direction. In this case, each collector plate 15 may have at least one inlet stub 17 and at least one outlet stub 19.

Second, the thermal battery 1 is intended to include at least one heat storage material.

The thermal battery 1 is intended to include the same heat storage material, for example, in both heat exchange compartments 3A and 3B.

Alternatively, the first heat storage material may be provided in the first heat exchange compartment 3A and the second heat storage material may be provided in the second heat exchange compartment 3B.

In this example, the enclosure 5 of the thermal battery 1 forms a reservoir of heat storage material. In other words, the heat storage material once introduced into the thermal battery 1 is held by the enclosure 5 around the heat exchange tube 11 and any intervening elements 13.

The heat storage material is arranged to be in contact with at least one heat exchange tube (9) for heat exchange between the heat storage material and the heat transfer fluid. Thus, heat transfer occurs through the walls of these heat exchange tubes 11.

The separation compartment 7 permits strict separation of the heat storage material of each heat exchange compartment 3A, 3B, thereby avoiding any contact and risk of chemical reaction between the heat storage materials. Therefore, a plurality of heat storage materials can be used for the same thermal battery 1.

The heat storage material is preferably a phase change material known in French as MCP or PCM in French. The phase change material absorbs a certain amount of heat as it passes from one physical state to another physical state, for example, during melting, and also stores the stored heat when recovers the original physical state, for example, by recrystallization It is a material that can be returned.

More precisely, the phase change material is intended to allow the storage of heat from the heat transfer fluid in the thermal battery 1 during any stage and the recovery of heat from the heat battery 1 to the heat transfer fluid during the other stages.

By such a thermal battery 1, which may comprise several heat storage materials, such as phase change materials, it is possible to use the most suitable material for a given application.

A phase change material having the same phase change temperature or alternatively having a different phase change temperature may be provided in the two heat exchange compartments 3A and 3B. The choice depends on the desired phase change temperature. This temperature can range from a few hundred degrees for example at the outlet to about 60 DEG C to 110 DEG C for transmission oil or engine oil or for example to about 50 DEG C to 95 DEG C for ethylene glycol have.

Similarly, a phase change material having a similar latent heat or alternatively having a different latent heat may be provided in the two heat exchange compartments 3A and 3B.

Depending on the particular example of the engine cooling loop, for example, when the heat transfer fluid after being heated as it passes through the engine circulates in contact with the phase change material, the heat transfer fluid may flow from the heat transfer fluid, for example, Is cooled by a phase change material that extracts heat energy. The heat can be recovered at the cold start of the vehicle, allowing rapid heating of the heat transfer fluid.

As a variant, the phase change material may be a material that stores pre-distances and can return the stored pre-distances in this case to a heat transfer fluid, also known as a pre-distance transfer fluid. This may be the flow of air intended to modify the thermal parameters of the vehicle cabin. As a variant, it can be a refrigerant fluid.

Depending on the specific example of the air conditioning loop of the vehicle,

When the air conditioning loop is in operation, the phase change material transfers thermal energy to a heat transfer fluid or a free distance transfer fluid provided at a sufficiently low temperature, i.e., a temperature lower than the solidification temperature of the phase change material,

- a heat transfer fluid circulating in contact with the phase change material, or a pre-distance transmission fluid, during a short engine stop, especially when the air conditioning loop is stopped, is driven by a phase change material that extracts heat energy from the heat transfer fluid And cooled.

In this configuration, the thermal battery 1 is arranged upstream of the evaporator of the air conditioning loop, for example, along the circulation direction of the air flow toward the cab.

In this case, it is clear that the phase change material used is selected to have a lower phase change temperature than the previous example in the case of the engine cooling loop.

Thus, the cab of the vehicle is cooled during a given stopping period, for example, at the time of the automatic stop of the engine when the vehicle is at rest.

The thermal battery 1 may also include at least one filling opening that allows filling of the phase change material of the at least one heat exchange compartment 3A or 3B. The filling with the phase change material preferably takes place in liquid form under suitable temperature conditions. The plug 21 (shown in Fig. 1) advantageously closes such a fill opening.

The filling openings or openings can be arranged on the enclosure (5).

A separate filling opening can be provided in each heat exchange compartment 3A or 3B. Thus, the phase change material associated with a given heat exchange compartment 3A or 3B may be introduced independently of the phase change material associated with the other heat exchange compartment. The filling opening can be arranged on the same side or on two different sides of the enclosure (5).

Finally, the thermal battery 1 advantageously has a common thermal insulation means for the two heat exchange compartments 3A and 3B.

Such a common adiabatic means can be arranged around the enclosure 5 of the thermal battery 1 in particular to contain the heat stored in the thermal battery 1. As a non-limiting example, the adiabatic means may comprise a foam, an aero-gel, a fiber or a laminate material, whether in a vacuum or not.

Second Example

Fig. 5 shows a second embodiment of the thermal battery 101. Fig.

Only the differences from the first embodiment are shown below.

According to the second embodiment, the circulation of the heat transfer fluid (s) no longer occurs in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the heat exchange tube 111. Conversely, according to the second embodiment, the circulation is U-shaped as indicated by arrow F 'in Fig.

In this case, the separation compartment 107 is arranged in the enclosure 105 in a substantially transverse direction with respect to the longitudinal axis L of the enclosure 105. The separating partition 107 is here arranged over the entire transverse section of the enclosure 105 with reference to Fig.

In the example of FIG. 5, the heat transfer fluid associated with the heat exchange compartments 103A and 103B circulates substantially U-shaped from the bottom to the top with reference to the view of FIG. Naturally, the heat transfer fluid can circulate from the top to the bottom in the other direction, that is to say according to the illustration of FIG. 5, or the two heat transfer fluids can circulate in opposite directions.

Naturally, the present invention is not limited to heat cells 1, 101 in a substantially substantially parallelepiped form.

For example, the thermal battery 201, 301, 401 may be provided in a substantially substantially cylindrical form.

Further, according to the above-described embodiment, the enclosures 5, 105 of the thermal battery 1, 101 form a reservoir of heat storage material.

As an alternative, the thermal battery 201, 301, 401 may include therein a plurality of reservoirs formed of a thermal storage material, the encapsulated phase change material.

Third Example

FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment of the thermal battery 201. FIG.

Only the differences from the first embodiment are shown below.

The thermal battery 201 has a generally substantially cylindrical shape.

The enclosure 205 forms an interior space into which a plurality of reservoirs or capsules 223 containing encapsulated phase change material can be placed. Encapsulation of the phase change material performs a strict separation function and allows the use of different or the same phase change material in the heat exchange compartments 203A and 203B of the thermal battery 201. [

In the example of FIG. 6, the reservoir or capsule 223 has a generally substantially cylindrical shape. They are therefore known as tubes of encapsulated phase change material 223.

The tubes of the encapsulated phase change material 223 may be arranged substantially parallel to the length L of the thermal battery 201 and thus the enclosure 205. Here, the heat transfer fluid circulates in a U-shape (indicated by arrow F ') within the associated heat exchange compartment 3A or 3B.

The thermal battery 201 may also include a support device 225 for the tube of encapsulated phase change material 223. The support device 225 is arranged between the tubes of the encapsulated phase change material 223 itself and between the tubes of the encapsulated phase change material and the enclosure 205.

The support device 225 is advantageously designed to maintain a constant distance between each tube of the encapsulated phase change material 223 to obtain homogeneity in terms of load loss and flow of the heat transfer fluid. As an alternative, an irregular pitch can be provided between the tubes of the encapsulated phase change material 223, which in particular enforces the passage of the heat transfer fluid in this position.

The support device 225 may include a composite material disposed within the enclosure 205 except for the inlet and outlet stubs 217 and 219 to enclose the tube of the encapsulated phase change material 223 .

7, support device 225 includes at least one grill 225, so that a tube of encapsulated phase change material 223 can be attached to the mesh of the grill for support It passes. The grill 225 may then be secured to the enclosure 205 by any suitable fastening or blocking means.

The tubes of the encapsulated phase change material 223 may also be held at their longitudinal ends by the collector 215 (FIG. 6).

In contrast to the first embodiment described, the collector 215 no longer has an inlet or outlet stub 217, 219 for the heat transfer fluid. Such inlet 217 or outlet stub 219 may be arranged directly on the wall of the enclosure 205.

Also, according to this third embodiment, the heat transfer fluid (s) may not flow in the circulation channel as described in the first embodiment. In contrast, the heat transfer fluid (s) can circulate within the enclosure 205 of the thermal battery 201 to be in contact with the tube of the encapsulated phase change material 223.

To this end, the tube of the encapsulated phase change material 223 should be made of a material that will permit the conditions of use of the heat transfer fluid circulating within the thermal battery 201 and the enclosure 205. Such a material may in particular be a polymeric material such as aluminum or polyamide.

The thermal battery 201 also has at least one separating partition 207 arranged to separate at least two heat exchange compartments 203A and 203B. Thus, the separating partition 207 can separate the heat transfer fluid circulating in the two heat exchange compartments 203A and 203B and can separate the heat storage fluid of the two heat exchange compartments 203A and 203B as in the first or second embodiment May no longer be separated.

Fourth Example

Figs. 8 and 9 show a fourth embodiment of the thermal battery 301. Fig. The fourth embodiment is distinguished from the third embodiment by the arrangement of the separating partition 307. In practice, in this example, the separating partition 307 is arranged substantially transversely to the longitudinal direction L of the thermal battery 301. [

More precisely, in this example, the separating partition 307 is arranged over the entire transverse section of the enclosure 305.

Elements 323 and 325 correspond to elements 223 and 225 of the third embodiment, respectively, and are not described again.

Fifth Example

The fifth embodiment of the thermal battery 401 shown in Fig. 10 is distinguished from the third embodiment by the fact that the phase change material (s) are encapsulated in a reservoir 423 of substantially spherical shape.

Naturally, the separating partition 407 can be arranged in the longitudinal direction of the thermal battery 401 as shown in Fig. 9, but also as a variant, in a manner similar to the fourth embodiment, Can be arranged substantially transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis (L).

Element 425 corresponds to element 225 of the third embodiment, respectively, and is not described again.

Various embodiments of the thermal battery (1, 101, 201, 301, 401) have been described above. Naturally, the features of these embodiments may be combined without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The use of the thermal battery according to the present invention

Figure 11 shows in a simplified and simplified manner the use of a thermal battery according to the invention, in particular in at least two thermal management loops of an automobile.

11 shows a thermal battery 1 according to the first embodiment. Of course, the thermal battery 1, 101, 201, 301, 401 according to any of the embodiments described above can also be used.

The same thermal battery 1 according to the invention can in particular be arranged on several separate circuits at the same time. Advantageously, the same thermal battery 1 can be arranged in a number of separate circuits identical to the separate heat exchange compartments 3A, 3B of this thermal battery 1.

In the example of Fig. 11, the thermal battery has two heat exchange compartments 3A and 3B and is arranged in two circuits at a time.

As an illustrative, non-limiting example, the thermal battery 1 is arranged in the engine oil loop B1 and the transmission oil loop B2 simultaneously. Thus, in this example, the heat transfer fluids are engine oil and transmission oil, respectively. The heat transfer fluid can have different properties and can also have different operating temperatures.

The loop B1 or B2 may, for example,

At least one heat source (27 or 29),

At least one pump (31 or 33) for driving the heat transfer fluid, and

- at least one heat exchange compartment (3A or 3B) of the thermal battery (1).

These various elements 27, 31, 3A or 29, 33, 3B are each connected by respective conduits 35 or 37 to allow the circulation of heat transfer fluid between different elements of each loop B1 or B2 Respectively.

In a particular example, the various elements of each loop B1, B2 can be mounted in series in the order described above. 11, the heat transfer fluid outlet from each heat exchange compartment 3A or 3B of the thermal battery 1 may be, for example, a respective heat source 27 or 29 ) Of the heat transfer fluid; The outlet of the heat transfer fluid of the heat source 27 or 29 is connected to the inlet of the heat transfer fluid of the respective associated pump 31 or 33; The outlet of the heat transfer fluid from this pump 31 or 33 is connected to the inlet of the heat transfer fluid of the respective associated heat exchange compartment 3A or 3B of the thermal battery 1.

The heat exchange compartments 3A and 3B, which are strictly separated within the same thermal battery 1, can manage different operating temperatures and can include a phase change material having different heat storage materials, especially different phase change temperatures. Thus, it allows use inside a separate loop.

For example, the thermal battery 1 may be,

- a phase change material having a phase change temperature on the order of 80 DEG C in the first heat exchange compartment 3A arranged in the engine oil loop B1,

- a phase change material having a phase change temperature on the order of 50 DEG C in the second heat exchange compartment (3B) arranged in the transmission oil loop (B2).

Thus, during operation, the thermal battery 1 stores heat generated from one or other heat sources 27, 29.

At cold start of the vehicle, the energy stored in the thermal battery 1 allows rapid heating of the transmission oil and / or engine oil. Thus, this rapid rise in temperature reduces viscous and frictional forces, thus leading to a reduction in fuel consumption.

According to an alternative, the thermal battery 1,

First, during certain steps, it allows the storage of the free distance from the heat transfer fluid, also known as the pre-distance transfer fluid, to the thermal battery 1,

Secondly, it can be used in one or more loops that are configured to allow the recovery of heat (in this case, the emission of free distance) from the thermal battery 1 to the pre-distance transfer fluid during other steps.

Thus, a thermal battery 1, 101, 201, 301, 401 according to one or other embodiments allows the use of one or more heat transfer fluids and also one or more heat storage materials such as phase change materials. Because there are at least two separate heat exchange compartments (3A, 3B; 103A, 103B; 203A, 203B; 303A, 303B; 403A, 403B) without fluid communication between the heat transfer fluids or between the heat storage materials, (1, 101, 201, 301, 401) are multifunctional and can be used in at least two separate circuits or loops of the vehicle.

Such a thermal battery (1, 101, 201, 301, 401) also allows optimization of heat storage capacity while reducing heat loss to the outside.

By the use of the same thermal battery (1, 101, 201, 301, 401) which may include multiple heat transfer fluids and / or heat storage materials, the surface area exposed to the ambient environment is reduced do. Actually, according to the selected shape, the present inventor has found that the surface area exposed to the loss to the outside is the same as that of the heat battery ( 1, 101, 201, 301, 401) and by more than 30% in the case of three separate heat exchange compartments.

The greater the number of separate compartments for heat exchange between the heat storage materials used in the same thermal battery (1, 101, 201, 301, 401) as the associated heat transfer fluid, the greater the reduction in external surface area, Resulting in a decline.

Claims (11)

A thermal battery, particularly for automotive use, configured to pass a heat transfer fluid and comprising a heat storage material,
The thermal battery (1; 101; 201; 301; 401)
At least one first heat exchange compartment (3A; 103A; 203A; 303A; 403A), and
At least one separate second heat exchange compartment (3B; 103B; 203B; 303B; 403B)
The respective heat exchange compartments 3A, 3B; 103A, 103B; 203A, 203B; 303A, 303B; 403A, 403B are firstly associated with associated inlets 17, 117, 217, 317, Characterized by comprising an associated heat storage material in fluid communication with the associated outlet (19; 119; 219; 319; 419), and secondly for heat exchange with said dedicated heat transfer fluid
Thermal battery. The method according to claim 1,
105, 205, 305, 405) and two heat exchange compartments (3A, 3B; 103A, 103B; 203A, 203B; 303A, 303B; 403A, 403B) Characterized in that it comprises at least one separating partition (7; 107; 207; 307; 407)
Thermal battery. 3. The method of claim 2,
The separating partition (7; 107; 207; 307; 407) comprises at least two impermeable walls (70) and at least one heat insulator (71) interposed between the two impermeable walls Featured
Thermal battery. The method according to claim 2 or 3,
Characterized in that the separating partition (7; 107; 207; 307; 407) comprises at least one heating means such as a screen-printed heating panel (72)
Thermal battery. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The at least one first heat exchange compartment (3A; 103A; 203A; 303A; 403A) comprises a first heat storage material and the at least one second heat exchange compartment (3B; 103B; 203B; 303B; 403B) Characterized in that it comprises a second heat storage material different from the first heat storage material
Thermal battery. 6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the first heat exchange compartment (3A; 103A; 203A; 303A; 403A) comprises a first phase change material and the second heat exchange compartment (3B; 103B; For example, the first phase change material has a phase change temperature of about 60 ° C to 110 ° C, and the second phase change material has a phase change temperature that is different from the phase change temperature of 50 ° C Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 95 C < / RTI >
Thermal battery. 7. The method according to claim 2, wherein the method is carried out in combination with any one of claims 1 to 6,
407 is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction L of the thermal battery 1 (101; 201; 301; 401) and has a substantially parallelepipedic or cylindrical shape, Characterized in that
Thermal battery. 7. The method according to claim 2, wherein the method is carried out in combination with any one of claims 3 to 6,
407 have a substantially parallelepiped or cylindrical shape and the separating partition (7; 107; 207; 307; 407) is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction L of the thermal battery (1; 101; 201; 301; 401) Are arranged in a < RTI ID = 0.0 &
Thermal battery. 9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
Characterized in that it comprises at least one common adiabatic means for said at least two heat exchange compartments (3A, 3B; 103A, 103B; 203A, 203B; 303A, 303B; 403A, 403B)
Thermal battery. 10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
Characterized in that the first heat exchange compartments (3A; 103A; 203A; 303A; 403A) and the second heat exchange compartments (3B; 103B; 203B; 303B; 403B) have different volumes
Thermal battery. The use of a thermal battery (1; 101; 201; 301; 401) according to one of claims 1 to 10, in particular in at least two separate thermal management loops (B1, B2) of an automobile.

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