WO2012041724A1

WO2012041724A1 - Thermal store, heating module using such a thermal store and heating device using such a thermal store and/or such a module

Info

Publication number: WO2012041724A1
Application number: PCT/EP2011/066148
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kamel Azzouz; Pascal Harand; Alain Bauerheim; Alan Day
Original assignee: Valeo Systemes Thermiques
Priority date: 2010-09-28
Filing date: 2011-09-16
Publication date: 2012-04-05
Also published as: FR2965342A1; FR2965342B1

Abstract

The invention relates to a thermal store, notably for a motor vehicle, comprising a casing (100) and a heat exchange bundle (101) housed in said casing (100), said thermal store being configured to allow exchange of heat between a heat transfer fluid designed to pass through said bundle (101) and a heat storage material confined within said casing (100). It also relates to a heating module and heating device using such a thermal store.

Description

The present invention relates to a thermal battery, a heating module using such a battery and a heating device using such a battery, and a heating device using such a battery. / or such a module. It will find its applications, especially in the field of motor vehicles, including motor vehicles with partially or fully electric traction system. It is more particularly intended for heating the passenger compartment of said vehicle.

Currently, for vehicles with a combustion engine, such as a petrol or diesel engine, it is known to cool the engine using a circuit using a heat transfer fluid which, after having been heated through the engine can be sent not only to a cooling radiator of said fluid but also to a heating radiator for heating the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

In electric vehicles, it is now considered that vehicle drive systems, in particular electrical machines and their control device, dissipate too little heat to ensure satisfactory heating of the passenger compartment.

The problem can arise in the same way, even if to a lesser extent, in hybrid-traction vehicles, that is to say, combining a heat engine and an electric machine to drive the vehicle. .

It has thus been proposed to use electric resistors, powered from the electric batteries of the vehicle, to provide heating of the passenger compartment. However, the proper functioning of this solution depends on the state of charge of the electric batteries.

Moreover, it is known latent heat batteries, that is to say, batteries for storing and returning heat through a phase change material. There is, however, a need for thermal batteries suitable for applications in the automotive field, especially for vehicles with hybrid or electric drive.

The invention proposes to improve the situation and relates to a thermal battery, particularly for a motor vehicle, comprising a housing and a heat exchange bundle, housed in said housing, said battery being configured to allow a heat exchange between a heat transfer fluid provided through said beam and a calorie storage material confined in said housing.

In this way, a latent heat exchanger of simple implantation in a motor vehicle is obtained.

According to different embodiments:

said beam defines a plurality of paths for said alternating heat transfer fluid with a plurality of calorie storage material blades,

the housing comprises an envelope, a thermally insulating material and a confinement body, said beam being housed in the confinement body and said calorie-storing material being confined in said body, said thermally insulating material at least partially filling a volume provided between said envelope and said body,

the body has, on the one hand, flanks fixed on the bundle and, on the other hand, a removable flank, so as to allow the filling of the body of calorie storage material before fixing said removable flank and closing said body after fixing said removable flank on the rest of the body, - said body is provided with manifolds for the heat transfer fluid communicating with said beam through orifices provided at said sidewalls fixed on said beam.

The invention also relates to a heating module, in particular for a motor vehicle, comprising a thermal battery as described above.

According to different embodiments: the module comprises a casing inside which said thermal battery is housed,

said casing further comprises means for heating a heat-transfer fluid, from at least one electric current source, said module being configured to allow, during certain phases, heating of said heat-transfer fluid by said means for heating the fluid; coolant and a heat storage from said coolant in said battery and, in other phases, a return of heat from said battery to said heat transfer fluid.

Thanks to the heat battery in which heat could be stored, the heating is no longer dependent only on the state of charge of the current source used.

We can still predict that:

said casing further comprises means for controlling the circulation of the fluid allowing, selectively:

a circulation of the fluid in series in a branch, referred to as a charge, and in a branch, referred to as thermal sources, comprising said thermal battery and said means for heating a heat-transfer fluid,

- a circulation in series in the branch of thermal sources and in another branch, known as heating,

said casing further comprises a pump, provided on said branch of thermal sources,

- Said module further comprises inlet and / or outlet pipes, adapted to be connected to said heating branch.

The invention also relates to a heating device of a motor vehicle with partially or fully electric drive system comprising a thermal battery and / or a heat exchange module as described above.

The invention also relates to an assembly of a heat battery or a heat exchange module as described above and of a quantity desired storage material, confined in said housing. Advantageously, a dead volume is kept in the housing to absorb the expansion of the storage material, especially during these phase changes.

The invention will be better understood in the light of the following description which is given only as an indication and which is not intended to limit it, accompanied by the appended drawings among which:

FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of a thermal battery according to the invention,

FIG. 2 illustrates in perspective the beam of the battery of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partial section of the beam of FIG.

FIG. 4 illustrates in perspective the body of the battery of FIG.

1,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a cutaway of an exemplary embodiment of a heating module according to the invention,

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates an embodiment of the heating device according to the invention, in a first mode of operation,

FIG. 7 schematically illustrates the device of FIG. 1, in a second mode of operation,

FIG. 8 schematically illustrates the device of FIG. 1, in a third mode of operation,

- Figure 9 schematically illustrates the device of Figure 1, in a fourth mode of operation.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, the invention firstly relates to a thermal battery 2, in particular for a motor vehicle, comprising a housing 1 00 and a heat exchange bundle 101, housed in said housing 100.

Said battery 2 is configured to allow a heat exchange between said heat transfer fluid, for example water containing anti-freeze, in particular glycol, provided through said beam 01 and a material calorie store, confined in said housing 100. Latent heat battery is thus produced which is suitable for automotive applications.

Said calorie storage material consists, for example, of a phase change material (PCM). The latter is chosen so that, when the battery is traversed by the heat transfer liquid provided sufficiently hot, that is to say at a temperature above the solidification temperature of the MCP, the latter melts and therefore stored heat by solid-liquid phase change. The stored latent energy can then be destocked by circulating in the battery coolant liquid, provided at a temperature below the melting temperature of the PCM.

As more particularly illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, said beam 101 defines, for example, a plurality of paths 102 for said alternating heat transfer fluid with a plurality of blades 103 of calorie storage material.

Said beam consists, for example, of a plurality of stacked plates 104. The said plates 104 are assembled in pairs to define the said plurality of paths 102 for the heat transfer fluid, a said path 102 being provided between two plates 104 of the same pair. In addition, said pairs of plates are remote from the neighboring pair (s) to define, between said pairs, said plurality of blades 103 of calorie-storing material.

Said pairs of plates 104 communicate with each other to define, in particular, one or collectors 105 for the coolant, communicating with said plurality of paths 102 for the coolant.

Said plates 104 are, for example, metal, especially aluminum or aluminum alloy. It may be stamped plates.

Said plates 104 have, for example, raised edges 106 delimiting the paths 102 for the heat transfer fluid.

Said plates 1 04 may also have first bosses 107 allowing pairs of plates to be communicated in pairs so as to define the collector (s) 105. In the illustrated example, said plates 104 are substantially rectangular and said first bosses 107 are located at two adjacent joints of said plates.

Said plates may also have second bosses 108 to force a flow of heat transfer fluid in several passes between the collectors 105. By this is meant that the second bosses 108 define circulation channels 109 for the heat transfer fluid in which it flows by changing directions from one channel to another, as illustrated by circles marked with a cross (traversed in a first direction, in a direction perpendicular to Figure 2) and circles marked with a point (traversed in the opposite direction in the direction perpendicular to Figure 2).

Said plates 104 may still have third bosses or protuberances 1 10 to disrupt the flow of the fluid. These have the function of improving heat exchange by disturbing the flow of heat transfer fluid.

Interference 1 1 1 are optionally provided between the pairs of plates 104, at the storage material blades. They increase the exchange surface. They can also be linked to the plates 104 and thereby strengthen the mechanical strength of the beam.

The beam consists, for example, of bricks A, B, C basic, identical, each defined by a stack of said plates 104, said bricks A, B, C being placed in the extension of one another.

Referring again to FIG. 1, it can be seen that the housing comprises, for example, an envelope 1 20, a thermally insulating material 121, in particular polyurethane foam, and a confinement body 122, said beam 101 being housed in the body 122. Furthermore, said calorie storage material is confined in said body 122. Said thermally insulating material 121 at least partially fills a volume provided between said casing 120 and said body 1 22.

According to the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the battery is provided without other elements between the envelope 1 and the body 122 and the volume provided between them. it is completely filled by the thermally insulating material 121. The envelope 120 is closed by a cover 123.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the body 1 22 has, on the one hand, flanks fixed on the bundle and, on the other hand, a removable flank 131, so as to allow the filling of the calorie-storing material body before fixing said removable flank 131 and closing said body 122 after fixing said removable flank 131 to the remainder of the body 122. It is, for example, metal flanks, in particular aluminum and / or aluminum alloy.

Said beam has, for example, a substantially parallelepipedal shape and the fixed flanks, in particular brazed, on the beam 101 consist of three lateral flanks 130a, 130b, 130c of an upper flank 132 and a lower flank 133. Said flanks upper 1 32 and lower 133 are respectively attached to the plates 104 at the upper and lower end of the stack of plates 104. The lateral flanks 130a, 130b, 130c fixed on the beam are, for example, in contact with the edges Surveys 106. Said flanks 130a, 130b, 130c, 132, 133 fixed on the beam are also fixed together in pairs at their contact stop.

Once the removable flank 131 has been put in place, a closed volume containing said storage material is defined inside the body 122. A dead volume may be provided to absorb the expansions of said material. The body 122 may also comprise a seal between the removable flank 121 and the adjacent flanks 30a, 130c, 132, 133.

Said body 122 is provided, for example, manifolds 134 for heat transfer fluid communicating with said beam through orifices, not shown, provided at said flanks attached to the beam. They are located, in particular, at the upper flanks 132 and lower 133.

Said manifolds 134 are optionally provided with partitions to define the circulation of the coolant between the bricks A, B, C in series and / or in parallel. They have, for example inlet pipes 135 and / or outlet 136. As illustrated in FIG. 5, said battery 2 can also be integrated into a heating module, in particular for a vehicle for a motor vehicle.

According to the invention, said module comprises, for example, a casing 150 inside which said thermal battery is housed. In the illustrated embodiment, the housing 100 of the battery comprises a body 122 such as that described above. An insulating material 121 may also be provided around said body 1 22, close to it. It does not, however, fill the entire housing 50 in which a free volume 151 is available for other components.

In this regard, said casing further comprises, for example means 1 for heating a heat transfer fluid, from at least one source of electric current, said module being configured to allow, during certain phases, a heating of said coolant by said means 1 for heating the coolant and a heat storage from said heat transfer fluid in said battery 2 and, in other phases, a return of heat from said battery 2 to said heat transfer fluid.

By "means for heating" is meant, for example, that the main function, or even the sole function, of said means is to heat the heat transfer fluid and that it is not a question of electrical organs, such as, engine or electronic components. , having a useful function different from that of dissipating heat in said coolant. Said means for heating the heat transfer fluid are thus constituted, for example, by an electrical resistance, said device being configured so that said resistance is traversed by said heat transfer fluid. An electrical connector 160 is provided on said resistor.

Said casing 150 further comprises, for example, means 7 for controlling the circulation of the fluid allowing, selectively:

a circulation of the fluid in series in a branch 8, called charge, and in a branch 4, called thermal sources, comprising said thermal battery 2 and said means 1 for heating a coolant, a circulation in series in the branch of thermal sources 4 and in another branch 6, said heating, said charging branches 8 and heating 6 being more visible in the following figures.

Said control means 7 consist of a three-way valve, each of said branches 4, 6, 8 being connected to one of the channels of the three-way valve by one of their end.

Said branches of thermal sources 4 and charge 8 are placed in the casing 150 and said heating branch 6 is located outside thereof.

Said casing further comprises, for example, a pump 5 provided on said branch 4 of thermal sources.

Said module may also comprise inlet and / or outlet pipes 152 and 152 that can be connected to said heating branch 6.

The inlet pipe 152 of the module communicates with a duct 154 placed between the three-way valve and the pump 5 while the outlet pipe 153 is derived from said three-way valve. Said three-way valve is configured to close the outlet pipe 153 of the module while putting into communication the heat transfer fluid coming from the electrical resistance 1 and the pipe 1 54 leading to the pump 5.

Said housing 151 has, for example, a parallelepipedic configuration. The battery 2 is housed in one of the corners of the housing and the three-way valve 7 is located in a corner opposite that of the battery 2. The pump 5 and the resistor are located in the other two corners. This optimizes the size of the module.

As illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 9, the invention also relates to a device for heating a motor vehicle with a partially or totally electric drive system comprising a heat battery and / or a heat exchange module as described above. .

The device may also include a heating radiator 3, adapted to be traversed by said heat transfer fluid and a fluid to be heated, in particular a flow of air, said radiator making it possible to exchange heat between said fluid to be heated and said coolant.

It may be, for example, an interchange-type interchange, that is to say, comprising a bundle of parallel tubes traversed by said coolant, said tubes being connected at their end to collector boxes having an inlet and an outlet for the coolant. Interlayers are provided between the tubes and are traversed by the air flow.

Said exchanger may be placed in a housing of an air conditioning system, not shown, with a fan or blower 9, forcing a flow of air through said exchanger.

According to the exemplary embodiment illustrated, said device according to the invention comprises three branches of circulation of said coolant, namely the branch 4 of thermal sources, the branch 6 of heating, which comprises said heating radiator 3, and the branch of charge 8.

Said branches 4, 6, 8 are interconnected at the three-way valve 7, placed at one of their end 4a, 6a, 8a and a common point 10 placed at the other end of their end 4b, 6b, 8b.

Said device is configured to allow the implementation, total or partial, of the method according to the invention, the description follows.

According to the latter, as already said, during certain phases, heat is stored from said heat transfer fluid in said battery 2 by heating said coolant by said means 1 for heating the coolant, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7 In other phases, the heat transfer fluid is heated by a return of heat from said battery 2 to said heat transfer fluid, as illustrated in FIGS.

During the heating phases of said heat transfer fluid by said means 1 for heating the heat transfer fluid, it will be possible to obtain a heating of the flow of air passing through the radiator by circulating the coolant through said means 1 for heating said coolant and through said radiator 3, as illustrated in Figures 7 and 9. During the phases of restitution of the heat by said thermal battery 2, it will be possible to obtain a heating of the air flow by circulating the heat transfer fluid through said battery 2 and said radiator 3, as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9.

There are thus three modes to obtain a heating of the air passing through the radiator 3.

Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the invention, a mode is identified in which the vehicle is connected to a home electrical network, said stop mode, and a mode in which the vehicle drive system is active, said driving mode.

And, in case of identification of said stopping mode, said means 1 are fed to heat said heat transfer fluid from said domestic electrical network, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7.

For home electrical network, for example, the low-voltage electrical network of a home or a charging station such as a three-phase alternating electric network offering an electric current of 220V to 240V, at 50 or 60 Hz, between phase and neutral.

Conversely, in running mode, said means 1 will be fed to heat said coolant from a source of current of the vehicle, in particular a current source of the vehicle drive system.

It may be a high voltage electrical network of the vehicle, such as a network offering a continuous current of 400 V, connecting the electrical drive machine of the vehicle to batteries, called traction. It could also be a low voltage network of the vehicle, such as a network offering a DC current of 12V, used to supply different electrical components of the vehicle from a low voltage battery.

More generally, in shutdown mode, the various electrical equipment of the heating device according to the invention, such as the pump 5 and / or the fan 9, may be powered by said source of domestic power while, in mode of driving, they will be powered by said vehicle power source. In more detail, as illustrated in FIG. 6, in stop mode, it will be possible first of all to charge the thermal battery 2 by circulating the fluid in series in the charging branch 8 and in the branch of thermal sources 4 , in particular by the three-way valve 7 whose channels connected to said branches 4, 8 are open while the channel of said valve 7, connected to the heating branch 6, is closed. And the resistor 1 is supplied by the domestic power source, without supplying the fan 2. The pump 5 is also powered by the domestic power source.

Still in stopping mode, as illustrated in FIG. 7, it is then possible, if desired, to heat the fluid passing through the heating radiator 3 by circulating the fluid in series in the branch 4 of thermal sources and in the branch 6 of the heating, in particular by the three-way valve 7 whose channels connected to said branches 4, 6 are provided open while the path of said valve 7, connected to the load branch 8, is closed. And the resistor 1 and the pump 5 and the fan 9 are fed from said source of domestic current. It is thus possible to preheat the vehicle, without discharging either its electric batteries or the thermal battery.

Similarly, in rolling mode, as illustrated in FIG. 8, it will be possible to obtain a heating of the passenger compartment by heating the fluid passing through the heating radiator 3 by means of a circulation of the coolant in the branch of thermal sources 4 and in the heating branch 6, in particular by the three-way valve 7 whose channels connected to said branches 4, 6 are open while the channel of said valve 7, connected to the load branch 8, is closed. And one feeds the pump 5 as well as, possibly, the fan 9, without supplying the resistor 1. The current taken on the electric batteries is thus minimized by making use of the heat recovery produced by the thermal battery 2.

Still in rolling mode, it will be possible to identify conditions for discharging the thermal battery 2 and to heat the fluid passing through the heating radiator 3 by circulating the fluid in series in the branch thermal sources 4 and in the heating branch 6, in particular by the three-way valve 7 whose channels connected to said branches 4, 6 are open while the channel of said valve 7, connected to the load branch 8, is closed. And it feeds the pump 5 and the resistor 1 and, possibly, the fan 9. It can thus, particularly if the heating demand is prolonged and if the state of charge of the electric batteries of the vehicle allows, prolong the warming air, even if the thermal batteries have little or no heat to return.

Claims

1. Thermal battery, in particular for a motor vehicle, comprising a housing (100) and a heat exchange bundle (101), housed in said housing (100), said battery being configured to allow a heat exchange between a heat transfer fluid, provided passing through said beam (110) and a calorie storage material confined in said housing (100).

The battery of claim 1 wherein said beam (100) defines a plurality of paths (102) for said alternating heat transfer fluid with a plurality of blades (110) of calorie storage material.

3. Battery according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the housing (100) comprises an envelope (120), a thermally insulating material (121) and a confinement body (122), said beam (101) being housed in the body of confinement (122) and said calorie storage material being confined in said body (122), said thermally insulating material (121) at least partially filling a volume provided between said envelope (1 20) and said body (1 22).

4. Battery according to claim 3 wherein the body (122) has, on the one hand, flanks (130a, 130b, 1 30c, 132, 133) fixed on the beam (101) and, on the other hand, a removable flank (1 31), so as to allow the filling of the body (122) of calorie storage material before fixing said removable flank (131) and closing said body (122) after fixing said removable flank (131) on the rest of the body (122).

5. Battery according to claim 4 wherein said body is provided with manifolds (134) for heat transfer fluid communicating with said beam through orifices provided at said flanks (132, 133) fixed on the beam ( 1 01).

6. Heating module, especially for a vehicle for a motor vehicle, comprising a thermal battery (2) according to any one of the preceding claims.

7. Module according to claim 6 comprising a casing (150) inside which is housed said thermal battery.

8. Module according to claim 7 wherein said housing (1 50) further comprises means (1) for heating a heat transfer fluid, from at least one electric power source, said module being configured to allow, during certain phases, a heating of said coolant by said means (1) for heating the coolant and a storage of heat from said heat transfer fluid in said battery (2) and, in other phases, a return of heat from said battery ( 2) to said heat transfer fluid.

9. Module according to claim 8 wherein said housing (1 50) further comprises means (7) for controlling the circulation of the fluid allowing, selectively:

a circulation of the fluid in series in a branch (8), referred to as charge, and in a branch (4), referred to as thermal sources, comprising said thermal battery and said means (1) for heating a heat transfer fluid,

- A series circulation in the branch of thermal sources (4) and in another branch (6), called heating.

10. Module according to claim 9 wherein said housing (1 50) further comprises a pump (5) provided on said branch of thermal sources (4).

1 1. Module according to any one of claims 9 or 10 further comprising inlet pipes (152) and / or outlet (153), adapted to be connected to said heating branch (6).

12. A heating device of a motor vehicle with a partially or fully electric drive system comprising a thermal battery according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and / or a heat exchange module according to any one of the claims. 6 to 1 1.

13. Set of a thermal battery according to any one of claims 1 to 5 or a heat exchange module according to one of any of claims 6 to 11 and a desired amount of storage material confined in said housing.

14. The assembly of claim 14 wherein a dead volume is stored in the housing to absorb the expansion of the storage material.