WO2023232537A1

WO2023232537A1 - Cooling device, control device and cooling system for cooling a cooling fluid by means of air and evaporation cooling

Info

Publication number: WO2023232537A1
Application number: PCT/EP2023/063630
Authority: WO
Inventors: Max WAGENBLAST; Robin HAAS; Jan Swoboda; Jürgen Köhler
Original assignee: Man Truck & Bus Se
Priority date: 2022-06-02
Filing date: 2023-05-22
Publication date: 2023-12-07
Also published as: DE102022114017A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a cooling device (10) for cooling a cooling fluid by means of air and evaporation cooling, comprising at least one cooling module (20). The cooling module (20) comprises a first channel (22) for the cooling fluid, a second channel (24) for an evaporation cooling fluid, and air-coolable cooling elements (50), preferably cooling lamellas, which are arranged for thermally coupling to the first channel (22). The second channel (24) has a perforation (60) for releasing the evaporation cooling fluid and for wetting the cooling elements (50) with the evaporation cooling fluid. The second channel (24) is integrated and/or arranged within the first channel (22) and has an outer wall section in common with the first channel (22), which is facing the cooling elements (50) and on which the perforation (60) is formed. The invention also relates to a method for cooling the cooling fluid by means of the cooling device (10) and a motor vehicle comprising the cooling device (10).

Description

Cooling device, control device and cooling system for cooling a cooling fluid by means of air and evaporative cooling

Description

The invention relates to a cooling device for cooling a cooling fluid by means of air and evaporative cooling, a method for cooling the cooling fluid by means of the cooling device and a motor vehicle comprising the cooling device. Alternatively or additionally, the invention further relates to a control device for a cooling device designed to cool a cooling fluid, preferably the cooling device, a cooling system with the cooling device and a motor vehicle comprising the cooling system.

One of the biggest challenges in operating vehicles powered by fuel cells is cooling the fuel cell systems at high ambient temperatures. A possible solution is the use of a vehicle-autonomous evaporative cooling system, in which the product water from the fuel cell is collected in order to spray it onto the front heat cooler in the vehicle and thereby achieve an increase in cooling performance through evaporation of the sprayed water on the cooler surface. The evaporation water can e.g. B. can also be provided by filling a water tank.

The basic principle is to utilize the necessary enthalpy of evaporation for the phase change of water from liquid to gaseous. This makes it possible to achieve locally very high heat flux densities through the simultaneous mass and heat transfer. Non-adiabatic evaporation occurs on the cooler surface (ie the cooling fins and the pipe surfaces), with the evaporation of the water occurring simultaneously with heat transfer from the cooler to the water. At the same time, adiabatic evaporation occurs in the air flow. If the cooling air is not yet completely saturated (the relative humidity is less than 100%), the incoming cooling air cools down due to the extracted heat of evaporation. The air inlet temperature drops and the temperature difference between the cooling fluid and the incoming cooling air increases. This increases the heat transfer ability of the cooler. In addition, the heat capacity flow of the cooling air entering the cooler is increased by the injected water. Consequently, the holistic heat dissipation is improved. A well-known vehicle-side implementation is the attachment of one or more nozzles in the air flow (upstream) for targeted water injection. The nozzles are arranged in such a way that the surface of the cooler is wetted and the air flow is humidified. However, this known arrangement of the nozzles has some disadvantages.

The nozzles have to be accommodated in the front of the vehicle, which requires additional installation space and, by blocking the air path, reduces the cooling air mass flow under otherwise identical conditions. The cooling performance of the heat transfer is reduced accordingly. In conventional heat transfer, the air-side heat transfer typically represents the limiting factor of the entire heat transfer. To dissipate a large amount of waste heat to the environment using conventional cooling, a very large amount of air is required, which in turn means a high use of electrical energy in the form of fan power. Introducing the nozzles creates a further obstacle that the cooling air must overcome in order to be able to provide a sufficient cooling effect.

Furthermore, the increase in cooling performance due to evaporative cooling is lower at higher vehicle speeds, since a secondary air flow through the cooler, which, among other things, depends on the space available for the cooler, a large part of the sprayed water is directed past the cooler.

In addition, the spray cone of the nozzles changes depending on the vehicle speed. The sprayed area can therefore only be optimized for one operating point (mainly characterized by vehicle speed and fan speed of a fan). This requires a high level of application effort when commissioning and testing the motor vehicle.

In addition, the spraying of water cannot wet the entire radiator surface in the motor vehicle, despite the complex nozzle alignment. The non-optimal positioning of the nozzles due to limited installation space and other vehicle components means that part of the radiator surface is not reached by water and remains unused to increase cooling performance.

The amount of water cannot be sprayed on optimally, as in some places it is too high for evaporation under the given external conditions amount of water is sprayed. The excess water that has not evaporated does not contribute to increasing cooling performance and remains unused.

It is therefore the object of the invention to provide such a solution with which the disadvantages of previous solutions are at least partially avoided. In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide the most efficient possible technology for cooling a cooling fluid by means of air and evaporative cooling.

The task is solved by the features of the independent claims. Advantageous further developments are specified in the dependent claims and the description.

According to a first general aspect, a cooling device for cooling a cooling fluid using air and evaporative cooling is provided. The cooling device includes at least one cooling module. The at least one cooling module has a first channel for the cooling fluid (i.e. for guiding the cooling fluid), a second channel for an evaporative cooling fluid (i.e. for guiding the evaporative cooling fluid), and air-coolable cooling elements which are arranged on the first channel for thermal coupling. The air-coolable cooling elements can, for. B. be designed as cooling fins and / or have a fin and louver geometry. Furthermore, cooling air paths for the passage of cooling air flowing through can be formed in the cooling elements and/or between the cooler elements and the first channel. The cooling air paths can in particular run perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the first channel and/or a flow direction of the cooling fluid in the first channel.

The first channel and the air-coolable cooling elements expediently serve as heat exchangers of a heat flow from the cooling fluid to a cooling air. The cooling air flowing along the surfaces of the cooling elements and the first channel (and thus flowing through the cooling air paths) can thus absorb heat from the mostly hot cooling fluid. The driving force for heat transfer is the temperature difference between the cooling fluid and the cooling air. In addition to the thermal conduction resistance and the temperature, the mass flow of the cooling air, which is influenced by a pressure loss along the cooling air paths and the heat-transferring surfaces, can be decisive for the performance of the heat transfer.

The second channel has a perforation for discharging the evaporative cooling fluid and for wetting the cooling elements with the evaporative cooling fluid. The second channel is integrated and/or arranged (e.g. inserted) within the first channel. The second channel further has an outer wall section common to the first channel, which faces the cooling elements and on (and/or in) which the perforation is formed. The first channel is expediently fluidly separated from the second channel, with in particular an interior of the first channel being fluidly separated from the perforation.

The cooling device can e.g. B. a combination of a (known) heat exchanger, comprising the first channel for the cooling fluid and the air-coolable cooling elements, and one or more (integrated) dispensing devices (or spraying devices) for dispensing the evaporative cooling fluid, comprising the second channel for the evaporative cooling fluid. The cooling device can therefore also be referred to as a hybrid cooling device.

The present disclosure according to the first general aspect thus provides a solution with improved cooling, in particular a more efficient use of evaporative cooling by wetting with the evaporative cooling fluid.

The arrangement of the second channel and the perforation means that the surfaces of the cooling elements can be wetted as directly as possible with the evaporative cooling fluid, i.e. H. Essentially exclusive non-adiabatic evaporative cooling is implemented. Non-adiabatic evaporative cooling is significantly more effective in terms of a possible increase in cooling performance with the same amount of water compared to adiabatic evaporation (humidification of the cooling air by the evaporative cooling fluid). Therefore, the adiabatic evaporation, the ratio between the increase in cooling performance achieved and the amount of evaporative cooling fluid used is significantly lower than with direct wetting of the cooling surfaces, can be avoided if possible or at least greatly reduced with the cooling device.

By arranging the second channel within the first channel (and thus at least in sections within the cooling fluid), the evaporative cooling fluid also absorbs part of the waste heat to be dissipated from the cooling fluid by heat conduction. Since the enthalpy of evaporation varies from e.g. B. Water as an evaporative cooling fluid only changes slightly with increasing temperature in the range of 25 ° C and 100 ° C, the heat flow of the cooling fluid to the evaporative cooling fluid only results in a negligible reduction in the increase in cooling performance due to evaporation. In addition, it can Heat absorbed by the evaporative cooling fluid is transferred to the cooling air when discharged through the perforation.

Furthermore, as is known, a heat flow from the cooling fluid in the first channel via its outer wall to the cooling elements, in particular cooling fins, takes place through heat conduction. Cooling air flowing past, which typically has a lower temperature than the cooling fluid, absorbs heat from the surfaces of the cooling elements and thereby cools the cooling elements. The first channel itself cannot be flowed through by the cooling air, so that due to its design, the air-side pressure loss of the cooling air is increased as it flows through the cooling device. The higher the pressure loss, the lower the cooling air mass flow and thus the cooling performance. Since the second channel is arranged within the first channel, this does not lead to any further increase in pressure loss. In comparison, the nozzles for dispensing the evaporative cooling fluid according to the prior art are arranged upstream of a heat exchanger, therefore represent an obstacle for the cooling air in the direction of the heat exchanger, and thus additionally contribute to the pressure loss.

Due to the arrangement of the second channel, the perforation is arranged such that the evaporative cooling fluid is discharged (or injected) into cooling air paths formed by the cooling elements and the first channel. Accordingly, surface sections of the cooling elements are preferably arranged directly opposite the individual openings of the perforation. This results in the heat-transferring surfaces of the cooling elements being wetted more evenly or homogeneously with the evaporative cooling fluid, which simultaneously results in a lower film height of the evaporative cooling fluid on the surfaces. Wetting of the heat-transferring surfaces and an increase in the film height leads to the geometric cross-section that is important for the air flow being narrowed. The air mass flow is subject to a higher pressure loss. With the same boundary conditions, a lower air mass flow occurs and the heat transfer decreases. This effect can be greatly reduced by uniform networking.

In addition, the film height of the evaporative cooling fluid on the surfaces forms an additional thermal conduction resistance between the cooling fluid and the cooling air, which must be overcome. A lower film height, which can be achieved by the cooling device, also means that the thermal conduction resistance is kept as low as possible. If the cooling elements have a lamella and louver geometry, the more uniform wetting with the evaporative cooling fluid can also prevent or at least limit the louvers from being covered with the evaporative cooling fluid. Covering the Louver would result in the turbulatory effect of the Louver being reduced or completely disappearing. The air flow through the cooling elements would therefore be less turbulent or even laminar. The ratio of heat conduction in the air flow would be lower than the convective heat transport in the cooling air (compared to conventional cooling without evaporative cooling), ie less heat would be removed from the cooling fluid.

According to a particular embodiment, the common outer wall section can be formed by an outer wall section of the second channel and an outer wall section of the first channel, which are arranged adjacent to one another (e.g. overlapping) and have common passages (e.g. aligned passages in the outer wall section of the second Channel and the outer wall section of the first channel) to form the perforation. The common passages are designed to be fluidically sealed to an interior of the first channel.

According to one embodiment, the first channel can be formed by a first tube, in particular a flat tube. The second channel can be formed by a second tube, in particular a round tube. A wall section of the second tube, in which first openings are formed, can rest on a wall section of the first tube, in which second openings arranged in alignment with the first openings are formed, to form the perforation. This offers an easy-to-implement embodiment of the cooling device.

According to one embodiment variant, the at least one cooling module can comprise a plurality of cooling modules which are arranged adjacent to one another, in particular in such a way that the cooling elements of one of the plurality of cooling modules are arranged on the first channel of another one of the plurality of cooling modules in addition to the thermal coupling. The cooling modules can be arranged in one plane and aligned in the same way. The cooling modules can in particular form a stack. This offers e.g. B. the possibility of adapting the cooling device to the corresponding application and the installation space. The number of cooling modules and thus the number of the first channels can e.g. B. from the quantity to cooling fluid and the temperature to which the cooling fluid is to be cooled down.

According to one embodiment, the cooling device may further comprise a first supply line for the evaporative cooling fluid and a second supply line for the evaporative cooling fluid. The first supply line and the second supply line can be fluidly connected to at least one evaporative cooling fluid reservoir. Furthermore, an evaporative cooling fluid delivery device for adjusting a fluid mass flow of the evaporative cooling fluid, which is supplied to the first supply line and the second supply line, can be arranged between the evaporative cooling fluid reservoir and the first supply line and between the evaporative cooling fluid reservoir and the second supply line. The second channel may have a first end that is fluidly connected to the first supply line and a second end that is fluidly connected to the second supply line. By means of the first and second supply lines, the second channel can thus be used on both sides, e.g. B. with the same fluid pressure as the evaporative cooling fluid. This allows the evaporative cooling fluid to emerge evenly from the openings of the perforation and the cooling elements to be wetted evenly.

According to one embodiment, the first feed line and/or the second feed line can be arranged at least in sections at the end of the first channel, in particular adjacent to it. The first supply line and the second supply line can run parallel to one another at least in sections. The first feed line and the second feed line can run at least in sections perpendicular to the second channel. The first supply line, the second supply line and the second channels of the plurality of cooling modules can form a ladder-shaped line arrangement for the evaporative cooling fluid. This results in a design that is as easy to implement as possible for supplying and discharging the evaporative cooling fluid. Due to the end-side arrangement of the first supply line and/or the second supply line, part of the waste heat to be dissipated can also be absorbed from the cooling fluid by heat conduction.

According to one embodiment, the first channels of the plurality of cooling modules, e.g. B. meandering, fluidly connected to each other. In particular, an end of the first channel of one of the plurality of cooling modules can be fluidly connected to an end of the first channel of an adjacent one of the plurality of cooling modules. The fluidically connected first channels can have two ends for connecting a cooling fluid circuit (and/or integrating the first channels into a cooling fluid circuit). The second channels of the plurality of cooling modules can be fluidly connected to one another, in particular through the first supply line and the second supply line.

According to one embodiment, the perforation can extend in the longitudinal direction of the second channel. The cooling elements can be arranged essentially in the longitudinal direction of the first channel. A width of the cooling elements can be smaller than or substantially equal to a width of the first channel. The resulting uniform distribution of the openings of the perforation along the cooling elements helps to ensure more uniform wetting of the cooling elements with the evaporative cooling fluid.

According to one embodiment variant, the first channel and the second channel can run parallel to one another and/or in the same plane. The second channel can extend beyond the first channel on both sides and/or can be led out of the first channel at the end (on both end sides of the first channel), preferably in a fluid-tight manner.

According to one embodiment, the at least one cooling module can have a third channel for the evaporative cooling fluid. The third channel can e.g. B. be arranged outside the first channel, preferably adjacent. The third channel can have a perforation facing the cooling elements for discharging the evaporative cooling fluid and for wetting the cooling elements with the evaporative cooling fluid. By arranging the third channel, the networking of the cooling elements can be improved even further. In particular, the third channel can serve to wet outer areas of the cooling elements that can only be reached with difficulty by the perforation of the second channel.

According to an embodiment variant, the third channel can be arranged in particular on a front side of the first channel, preferably seen in the flow direction of the cooling air flowing along the cooling elements. The third channel and the second channel can run parallel to each other. The third channel can be formed by a round tube and/or have the same dimensions as the second channel. This design and arrangement of the third channel allows the additional pressure loss of the cooling air to be kept as low as possible. If the third channel is arranged at the front of the first channel, the third channel creates a slipstream for the first channel and additionally an air-conducting effect, so that the pressure loss for the cooling air is only slightly increased by the additional third channel. The third channel can e.g. B. be attached to the first channel by an adhesive, weld or screw connection. This makes it possible to manufacture the third channel separately from the arrangement of the first and second channels and to attach it later in a modular manner.

The perforation of the third channel may be formed in an outer wall of the third channel and extend in the longitudinal direction of the third channel (and preferably parallel to the perforation of the second channel). The perforation of the third channel can be tapered towards the cooling elements.

According to one embodiment variant, the third channel and the second channel can be designed to be fluidically separated. The cooling device may further comprise a third supply line for the evaporative cooling fluid and a fourth supply line for the evaporative cooling fluid. The third channel may have a first end fluidly connected to the third supply line and a second end fluidly connected to the fourth supply line. This means that the third channel can also be used on both sides, e.g. B. with the same fluid pressure as the evaporative cooling fluid. In addition, it is possible for the second and third channels to be supplied with the evaporative cooling fluid independently of one another in order to be able to independently adjust the application of the evaporative cooling fluid depending on the cooling requirement and for the most even wetting possible for both channels.

The third feed line and the fourth feed line can run parallel to one another at least in sections. The third feed line and the fourth feed line can run at least in sections perpendicular to the third channel. The third supply line, the fourth supply line and the third channels of the plurality of cooling modules can form a (second) ladder-shaped line arrangement for the evaporative cooling fluid.

It is also possible for the at least one cooling module to have further channels for the evaporative cooling fluid. The at least one cooling module can z. B. have a fourth channel for the evaporative cooling fluid. The fourth channel can e.g. B. be arranged outside the first channel, preferably adjacent. The fourth channel can have a perforation facing the cooling elements for discharging the evaporative cooling fluid and for wetting the cooling elements with the evaporative cooling fluid.

The fourth channel can be arranged on a rear side of the first channel, particularly as seen in the flow direction of the cooling air flowing along the cooling elements be. The fourth channel and the second channel can run parallel to each other. The fourth channel can be formed by a round tube and/or have the same dimensions as the second channel. The fourth channel can e.g. B. can be attached to the first channel by an adhesive, weld or screw connection.

The perforation of the fourth channel may be formed in an outer wall of the fourth channel and extend in the longitudinal direction of the fourth channel (and preferably parallel to the perforation of the second channel). The perforation of the third channel can be tapered towards the cooling elements.

The fourth channel, the third channel and the second channel can be designed to be fluidically separated. The cooling device may further comprise a fifth supply line for the evaporative cooling fluid and a sixth supply line for the evaporative cooling fluid. The fourth channel may have a first end fluidly connected to the fifth supply line and a second end fluidly connected to the sixth supply line.

The fifth feed line and the sixth feed line can run parallel to one another at least in sections. The fifth feed line and the sixth feed line can run at least in sections perpendicular to the fourth channel. The fifth supply line, the sixth supply line and the fourth channels of the plurality of cooling modules can form a (third) ladder-shaped line arrangement for the evaporative cooling fluid.

According to a further embodiment, the first channel, the second channel and the cooling elements (and preferably the third channel and the fourth channel) of the at least one cooling module can be the same material, preferably a metal, e.g. B. aluminum. This can z. B. good thermal conductivity from the cooling fluid within the first channel to the cooling elements or to the evaporative cooling fluid in the other channels can be guaranteed. Aluminum is particularly suitable because, in addition to its high thermal conductivity, aluminum also has high strength, good corrosion resistance and a low specific weight, which is particularly suitable for the production of the cooling device.

According to a further general aspect of the invention, a method for cooling a cooling fluid is provided. The method includes providing the cooling device as disclosed herein. The method further comprises supplying the cooling fluid into the first channel of the at least one cooling module of the cooling device and supplying a Evaporative cooling fluid into the second channel of the at least one cooling module of the cooling device. The method further comprises discharging the evaporative cooling fluid by means of the perforation of the cooling device and wetting the cooling elements of the cooling device with the evaporative cooling fluid.

To avoid repetition, features of the cooling device that were previously disclosed purely in accordance with the device should also be considered disclosed in accordance with the method and can be claimed.

According to a further general aspect of the invention, a motor vehicle, preferably a commercial vehicle, is provided with the cooling device as disclosed herein. The cooling device can preferably be arranged on a vehicle front of the motor vehicle. In this way, driving air can be used as cooling air that flows past the cooling elements. Alternatively or additionally, the cooling device can include a fan for generating a cooling air flow.

According to one embodiment of the motor vehicle, the cooling device, in particular the first channel of the at least one cooling module, can be integrated in a cooling circuit for a fuel cell arrangement.

The motor vehicle can be a motor vehicle with a fuel cell drive. This can at least partially solve the cooling problem of fuel cells at high ambient temperatures. The use of the cooling device can lead to an increase in the efficiency and performance of the cooling system.

The motor vehicle can also be an electrically driven motor vehicle. The cooling device can e.g. B. contribute to improved cooling during fast charging. When fast charging while stationary, the driving air is missing as cooling air for cooling the vehicle batteries and the other components that need to be cooled. Evaporative cooling using the cooling device can significantly increase the cooling performance. Ferry operations produce significantly lower amounts of waste heat than fast charging. The cooling device allows the design of the components of the vehicle-side cooling system to be reduced and thereby made cheaper. The entire cooling system of the motor vehicle can therefore be made smaller. As a water source, e.g. B. for filling a reservoir for the evaporative cooling fluid, z. B. a stationary water connection at charging stations. According to a further general aspect of the invention, a control device (e.g. a vehicle control unit) for a cooling device designed to cool a cooling fluid (for cooling a cooling fluid by means of air and evaporative cooling), e.g. B. the cooling device as disclosed herein of a motor vehicle. Air-coolable cooling elements, e.g. B. the cooling elements as disclosed herein can also be wetted with an evaporative cooling fluid for an increased cooling effect.

The control device is designed to adjust an air mass flow of cooling air flowing along the cooling elements and a fluid mass flow of the evaporative cooling fluid to wet the cooling elements in order to cool the cooling fluid to a target temperature.

The control device can basically be used for any cooling device designed to cool a cooling fluid using air and evaporative cooling, e.g. B. the cooling device as disclosed herein.

The term “control device” can usefully refer to electronics (e.g. with microprocessor(s) and data memory) which, depending on its training, can take on control tasks and/or regulation tasks and/or processing tasks. Even if the terms “setting” and/or “control” are used here, they can also appropriately include or mean “rules” or “control with feedback” and/or “processing”.

The present disclosure thus provides a solution with improved cooling, in particular a more efficient use of evaporative cooling by wetting with the evaporative cooling fluid. In particular, a control device is provided which can implement an evaporative cooling operating strategy for distributing and dispensing the evaporative cooling fluid as efficiently as possible.

The air mass flow and the fluid mass flow can be adjusted simultaneously, in particular depending on one another, in such a way that the necessary cooling performance is achieved in order to cool the cooling fluid to the target temperature.

Furthermore, the simultaneous adjustment of the air mass flow and the fluid mass flow leads to an increased evaporation rate, which describes the ratio of the evaporative cooling fluid applied to the evaporating amount of the evaporative cooling fluid. The evaporative cooling fluid can be used for targeted water evaporation with higher efficiency.

The control device can also be designed to set the target temperature, e.g. B. depending on an operating state of the motor vehicle, to be determined and / or selected from several stored target temperatures. The operating state can include ferry operation of the motor vehicle, preferably with additional consideration of the vehicle speed. The operating state can include charging operation of the (electrically driven) motor vehicle (while stationary).

According to a special embodiment, the control device can further be designed to determine a target air mass flow to which the air mass flow is to be adjusted based on, for. B. in a memory of the control device, to determine stored maps depending on a specific fluid mass flow of the evaporative cooling fluid. The maps can (in a manner known to those skilled in the art) e.g. B. through simulations and/or experiments, e.g. B. test drives with the motor vehicle. This makes it possible to first determine the necessary amount of evaporative cooling fluid for wetting the cooling elements in order to then determine the air mass flow that is necessary for the most optimized possible evaporative cooling or the most optimized combination of air and evaporative cooling.

According to one embodiment, the control device can further be designed to further determine the target air mass flow as a function of at least one of the following variables: a vehicle speed of the motor vehicle, an air speed of a cooling air before entering the cooling device and / or after exiting the cooling device, a Humidity of the cooling air before entering the cooling device and/or after exiting the cooling device, and/or an air temperature of the cooling air before entering the cooling device and/or after exiting the cooling device.

This can z. B. take into account how much evaporated evaporative cooling fluid can be absorbed by the cooling air and / or to what extent an active adjustment of the air mass flow is necessary or necessary. According to a further special embodiment variant, the control device can further be designed to determine a target fluid mass flow to which the fluid mass flow is to be adjusted, depending on an outlet temperature of the cooling fluid when it exits the cooling device and the target temperature. Accordingly, it can be taken into account how much evaporative cooling fluid is necessary to cool the cooling fluid down to the desired target temperature.

According to one embodiment, the control device can further be designed to additionally determine the target fluid mass flow as a function of at least one of the following variables: an inlet temperature of the cooling fluid when entering the cooling device; a level of an evaporative cooling fluid reservoir; and/or an operating state of the motor vehicle.

According to one embodiment, the control device can further be designed to activate or deactivate a supply of the evaporative cooling fluid depending on at least the outlet temperature of the cooling fluid. This means that evaporative cooling can be switched on as required or the cooling device can only be operated with air cooling if this is sufficient for the necessary cooling.

According to an embodiment variant, the control device can further be designed to adjust the fluid mass flow of the evaporative cooling fluid by means of a control, preferably by means of a PI control.

According to a further general aspect of the invention, a cooling system is provided. The cooling system includes the control device as disclosed herein, and a cooling device for cooling a cooling fluid, comprising air-coolable cooling elements that are thermally coupled to one or more channels for the cooling fluid and are additionally wettable with an evaporative cooling fluid for an increased cooling effect. The cooling device can e.g. B. the cooling device as disclosed herein and the cooling elements may be the cooling elements as disclosed herein. The one or more channels for the cooling fluid may correspond to the first channel of the at least one cooling module as disclosed herein.

According to one embodiment, the cooling device can further have a plurality of dispensing devices for dispensing the evaporative cooling fluid and wetting the Have cooling elements to which the fluid mass flow adjustable by the control device can be divided. The plurality of delivery devices may include the second channel and the third channel (and preferably the fourth channel) of the at least one cooling module as disclosed herein. It is Z. B. also possible that the arrangement of the third feed line, the fourth feed line and the third channels of the plurality of cooling modules as disclosed herein corresponds to a first delivery device, the arrangement of the first feed line, the second feed line and the second channels of the plurality of cooling modules as disclosed herein discloses corresponds to a second delivery device, and preferably the arrangement of the fifth feed line, the sixth feed line and the fourth channels of the plurality of cooling modules as disclosed herein corresponds to a third delivery device.

According to one embodiment, the plurality of delivery devices can be arranged one behind the other in the flow direction of the cooling air flowing along the cooling elements.

According to an embodiment variant, the control device can further be designed to set a plurality of, preferably at least partially different, partial fluid mass flows of the evaporative cooling fluid for the plurality of delivery devices for wetting the cooling elements. The multiple partial fluid mass flows can each be supplied to one of the multiple delivery devices. As a result, the control device can be used to implement an optimal distribution of the amount of evaporation cooling fluid to the individual delivery devices and positions for evaporation.

According to one embodiment, the control device can further be designed to provide a first target partial fluid mass flow, to which a partial fluid mass flow for one of the plurality of application devices is to be set, based on at least one stored fluid characteristic map as a function of an air humidity and/or an air temperature Determine entry into the cooling device. Data for the at least one fluid map can (in a manner known to those skilled in the art) e.g. B. through simulations and/or experiments, e.g. B. test drives with the motor vehicle. One of the several delivery devices can z. B. correspond to a frontmost delivery device of the plurality of delivery devices in the flow direction of the cooling air flowing along the cooling elements. This allows the application rate of evaporative cooling fluid to be optimized, e.g. B. the accessible surfaces of the To wet cooling elements as evenly as possible and at the same time not to exceed a maximum evaporable amount of evaporative cooling fluid (or an upper limit of air humidity). An application rate that is too high would lead to a higher film height of the evaporative cooling fluid and thus to an increased pressure loss on the cooling air side and to a lower cooling performance.

According to one embodiment, the control device can further be designed to distribute, preferably uniformly, a remaining fluid mass flow reduced by the first target partial fluid mass flow among the remaining of the plurality of delivery devices.

According to an embodiment variant, the control device can further be designed to reduce a first partial fluid mass flow of one of the plurality of delivery devices by a constant value, for example by 5%, if the humidity of the cooling air after exiting the cooling device is above a set threshold, e.g. B: a relative humidity of 95%. The control device can further be designed to reduce a respective partial fluid mass flow of the remaining of the plurality of application devices, preferably uniformly, until the air humidity is below the stored threshold. This can z. B. an excessively high application rate of evaporative cooling fluid can be prevented.

According to one embodiment, the cooling system may further include an evaporative cooling fluid reservoir and an evaporative cooling fluid delivery device, which is arranged (with respect to an evaporative cooling fluid flow and/or fluidically) between the evaporative cooling fluid reservoir and the cooling device and can be controlled by the control device for adjusting the fluid mass flow, include. The evaporative cooling fluid conveying device can, for. B. each have a conveyor device, in particular a pump, a valve and / or a pressure reducer, between the evaporative cooling fluid reservoir and one of several delivery devices of the cooling device. The evaporative cooling fluid reservoir may be designed to provide the evaporative cooling fluid unheated and/or at a temperature of between (typically) 25 and 45°C.

According to one embodiment variant, the cooling system can further comprise an air conveying device, preferably a fan. A parameter of the air delivery device, preferably a rotation speed, can be used to adjust the air mass flow the control device can be controlled. The control device can further be designed to determine the parameter of the air delivery device as a function of the air mass flow and to control the air delivery device to set the specific parameter.

The cooling system can further comprise at least one cooling fluid sensor device, which is arranged at a cooling fluid inlet and/or cooling fluid outlet of the cooling device and is connected in terms of signals to the control device for detecting an inlet temperature and/or outlet temperature of the cooling fluid.

The cooling system can further comprise at least one air sensor device which is arranged in front of and/or behind the cooling device and is connected in terms of signals to the control device for detecting air humidity and/or air temperature.

According to a further general aspect of the invention, a motor vehicle, preferably a commercial vehicle, is provided with the cooling system as disclosed herein. The cooling device of the cooling system can preferably be arranged on a vehicle front of the motor vehicle. In this way, air that flows past the cooling elements can be used as cooling air.

The previously described embodiments, variants and features of the invention can be combined with one another in any way. In particular, the previously described embodiments, variants and features of the cooling device and the control device can be combined with one another in any way, but the cooling device and the control device should also be able to be used independently of one another. Further details and advantages of the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show it:

Figure 1 shows a schematic sectional view of cooling modules of a cooling device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 2 shows a schematic oblique view of the cooling device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figures 3-5 schematic sections of the cooling device with different perforation configurations; Figures 6-10 show schematic oblique sections of the cooling device according to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure;

Figure 11 shows a schematic representation of a control device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 12 shows a schematic representation of a cooling system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 13 shows schematic representations of various exemplary embodiments of an evaporative cooling fluid conveying device;

Figure 14 shows a schematic representation of characteristic maps for determining a first target partial fluid mass flow;

Figure 15 shows a schematic representation of an exemplary control for adjusting the fluid mass flow; and

Figure 16 shows schematic arrangements of the control device, the cooling device and sensor devices according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

The exemplary embodiments shown in the figures are at least partially the same, so that similar or identical parts are provided with the same reference numbers and for their explanation reference is also made to the description of the other exemplary embodiments or figures in order to avoid repetitions. For simplified comparison, the cooling devices 10, 10A-10D or cooling device 150 shown are aligned in the same way in the figures with respect to the indicated X, Y and Z directions.

Figure 1 shows two cooling modules 20 arranged one above the other of a cooling device 10 for cooling a cooling fluid by means of air and evaporative cooling in a sectional view. The cooling device 10 comprises at least one cooling module 20, preferably several cooling modules 20.

Each cooling module 20 has a first channel 22 for the cooling fluid and a second channel 24 for an evaporative cooling fluid. The first channel 22 and the second channel 24 can in particular run parallel to one another and/or in the same plane. The first Channel 22 can be formed by a first tube, in particular a flat tube. The second channel 24 can be formed by a second tube, in particular a round tube.

Each cooling module 20 also has air-coolable cooling elements 50, preferably cooling fins. The cooling elements 50 are arranged on the first channel 22 for thermal coupling, preferably in the longitudinal direction.

The second channel 24 has a perforation 60 for discharging the evaporative cooling fluid and for wetting the cooling elements 50 with the evaporative cooling fluid. Furthermore, the second channel 24 is integrated and/or arranged within the first channel 22, in particular in such a way that the second channel 24 has an outer wall section common to the first channel 22, which faces the cooling elements 50 and on which the perforation 60 is formed.

The common outer wall section can in particular be formed by an outer wall section of the second channel 24 and an outer wall section of the first channel 22, which are adjacent to one another, e.g. B. are arranged overlapping and have common passages to form the perforation 60. The perforation 60 can extend in particular in the longitudinal direction of the second channel 24.

If the cooling device 10 comprises a plurality of cooling modules 20, these several cooling modules 20 can be arranged adjacent to one another, in particular in such a way that the cooling elements 50 of one of the plurality of cooling modules 20 are arranged in addition to the thermal coupling on the first channel 22 of another of the plurality of cooling modules 20.

The plurality of cooling modules 20 are in particular aligned parallel to one another in a plane. The first channels 22 of the plurality of cooling modules can be fluidly connected to one another. Furthermore, the second channels 24 of the plurality of cooling modules can be fluidly connected to one another.

Each cooling module 20 may have additional channels for the evaporative cooling fluid, e.g. B. a third channel 26 and/or a fourth channel 28.

The further channels can in particular be arranged outside the first channel 22, preferably adjacent. If the cooling module 20 has the third channel 26 and the fourth channel 28, the two channels 26, 28 can rest in particular on two opposite outer surfaces of the first channel 22. The channels 26, 28 arranged outside on the first channel 22 can also each have a perforation 62, 64 facing the cooling elements 50 for discharging the evaporative cooling fluid and for wetting the cooling elements 50 with the evaporative cooling fluid. The perforation 62 can extend in the longitudinal direction of the third channel 26 and the perforation 64 can extend in the longitudinal direction of the fourth channel 28.

The other channels, e.g. B. the third channel 26 and the fourth channel 28, and the second channel 24 can be designed to be fluidly separated from one another and/or run parallel to one another. Furthermore, the further channels can be designed analogously to the second channel 24, i.e. H. each be formed by a round tube and/or have the same dimensions as the second channel 24.

During operation of the cooling device 10, the cooling fluid is supplied to the first channel 22 and the evaporative cooling fluid to the second channel 24, and optionally additionally to the third and fourth channels 26, 28. Heat from the cooling fluid is transferred via heat conduction to the cooling elements 50, which in turn are cooled by the cooling air flowing along the surfaces of the cooling elements 50. The flow direction of the cooling air, which is indicated by the arrow in Figure 1, runs in particular perpendicular to the flow direction of the cooling fluid in the first channel. Furthermore, the evaporative cooling fluid is discharged through the perforation(s) to wet the cooling elements 50. As a result, in addition to the air cooling of the cooling elements 50, cooling is carried out by evaporative cooling by transferring the heat to the evaporative cooling fluid until it evaporates.

The cooling device 10 z. B. can be installed in a motor vehicle to cool vehicle components, in particular a fuel cell arrangement. In this case, the cooling device 10 can be arranged in particular on a vehicle front of the motor vehicle in order to use the wind as cooling air.

Figure 2 shows the cooling device 10 according to an exemplary embodiment.

The cooling device 10 may further include a first supply line 32 and a second supply line 34 for the evaporative cooling fluid. The second channel 24 of each cooling module 20 may have a first end fluidly connected to the first supply line 32 and a second end fluidly connected to the second supply line 32. The first feed line 32 and/or the second feed line 34 can be arranged at least in sections at the end on the first channel 22. The first supply line 32 can be arranged on a first end side of the first channel 22 and the second supply line 34 can be arranged on a second end side of the first channel 22 opposite the first end side.

The first feed line 32 and the second feed line 34 can run parallel to one another at least in sections and can run perpendicular to the second channel 22 at least in sections. In particular, the first supply line 32, the second supply line 34 and the second channels 24 of the plurality of cooling modules 20 can form a ladder-shaped line arrangement (i.e. in the form of a ladder with rungs and two bars) for the evaporative cooling fluid.

If each cooling module 20 includes the third channel 26, the cooling device 10 may further comprise a third supply line 36 and a fourth supply line 38 for the evaporative cooling fluid. The third channel 26 may have a first end fluidly connected to the third supply line 36 and a second end fluidly connected to the fourth supply line 38.

If each cooling module 20 includes the fourth channel 28, the cooling device 10 may further comprise a fifth supply line 40 and a sixth supply line 42 for the evaporative cooling fluid. The fourth channel 28 may have a first end fluidly connected to the fifth supply line 40 and a second end fluidly connected to the sixth supply line 42.

The further supply lines 36, 38, 40, 42 can also be arranged at least in sections at the ends of the first channel 22. Furthermore, the third feed line 36 and the fourth feed line 38 can run parallel to one another at least in sections and can run perpendicular to the third channel 26 at least in sections. The fifth feed line 40 and the sixth feed line 42 can run parallel to one another at least in sections and can run perpendicular to the fourth channel 28 at least in sections. In particular, the further supply lines 36, 38, 40, 42 can be arranged such that the third supply line 36, the fourth supply line 38 and the third channels 26 of the plurality of cooling modules 20 form a second ladder-shaped line arrangement for the evaporative cooling fluid and/or the fifth supply line 40 , the fourth Supply line 42 and the fourth channels 28 of the plurality of cooling modules 20 form a third ladder-shaped line arrangement for the evaporative cooling fluid.

Figures 3-5 show schematic sections of the cooling device 10 with different perforation configurations, for example the perforation 62 of the third channel 26. The perforation can be arranged in such a way that it corresponds to the cooling elements 50 arranged above it (Figure 3) or the cooling elements arranged below it 50 (Figure 4) are facing for wetting. Furthermore, the perforation 62 can also have two rows of openings in order to be able to wet the cooling elements 50 above and below.

The perforation 60, which is formed in the second channel 24 and in the first channel 22, and the perforation 64 of the fourth channel 28 can be designed or aligned analogously to the perforation 62. The lines leading out of the openings of the perforation 62 in Figures 3-5 represent only an example of an application direction of the evaporative cooling fluid.

Figures 6-10 show further exemplary embodiments of the cooling device. The respective front sides of the cooling devices 10A-10E shown show vertical lines to illustrate the cooling elements 50, with the modular division into cooling modules and thus the arrangement of the cooling elements 50 between two first channels 22 not being shown merely for the sake of simplified representation.

Cooling device 10A (Figure 6) has fewer channels for the evaporative cooling fluid than cooling device 10. For this purpose, cooling device 10A includes z. B. in addition to the cooling modules 20 there are also cooling modules that only have the first channel 20 and no channels for the evaporative cooling fluid. These differently designed cooling modules can be arranged in such a way that, for. B. only every second cooling module has the second channel 24 and optionally the further channels 26, 28 for the evaporative cooling fluid.

The cooling devices 10B (Figure 7) and 10C (Figure 8) have channels for the evaporative cooling fluid in only one area. All you need is one, e.g. B. a lower or upper section of the cooling devices 10B, 10C is formed from the cooling modules 20, while the cooling devices 10B, 10C further comprise cooling modules which only have the first channel 20 and no channels for the evaporative cooling fluid. For simplified representation, Figures 7 and 8 only show the third channels 26 with the corresponding supply lines 36, 38. The cooling devices 10B, 10C additionally include the second channels 24 and optionally the fourth channels 28, which are designed analogously to the third channels 26.

The cooling devices 10D (Figure 9) and 10E (Figure 10) have channels for the evaporative cooling fluid, which are only in sections, e.g. B. one half, extend in the respective cooling modules. In the cooling device 10D, the channels 24, 26, 28 are fluidly connected to the respective supply line 32, 36, 40 only at the respective first end and can therefore only be acted upon by the evaporative cooling fluid on one side. In the cooling device 10E, the respective second end of the channels 24, 26, 28 is additionally fluidly connected to a branch line of the respective supply line 34, 38, 42. This can be done, for example: B. the third and fourth supply lines 36, 38 can be fluidly connected via the intermediate line 38A, at which the branch line 38B, which is fluidly connected to the respective second end of the third channels 26, branches off. Branch lines for the second channels 24 and optionally the fourth channels 28 can be designed analogously to the branch line 38B.

Figure 11 shows schematically a control device 100 for a cooling device 150 designed to cool a cooling fluid, in particular for the cooling device 10, of a motor vehicle.

The control device 100 is designed to adjust an air mass flow of cooling air flowing along the cooling elements and a fluid mass flow of the evaporative cooling fluid for wetting the cooling elements in order to cool the cooling fluid to a target temperature.

The control device 100 can take into account different input variables for the air mass flow and the fluid mass flow as output variables.

Thus, the control device 100 can further be designed to determine a target fluid mass flow to which the fluid mass flow is to be adjusted, depending on a cooling fluid temperature, in particular an outlet temperature of the cooling fluid when it exits the cooling device 150, and the target temperature. The target fluid mass flow can e.g. B. additionally depend on an inlet temperature of the cooling fluid when entering the cooling device 150, a motor vehicle operating state and / or a fill level of an evaporative cooling fluid reservoir 70.

The control device 100 can further be designed to have a target air mass flow to which the air mass flow is to be set, depending on a specific one Fluid mass flow of the evaporative cooling fluid and preferably additionally as a function of an air temperature, speed and / or humidity of the cooling air before entering the cooling device 150 and / or after exiting the cooling device 150. Furthermore, a motor vehicle operating state, e.g. B. a vehicle speed of the motor vehicle can be taken into account. The target air mass flow can be determined in particular using stored maps depending on the parameters mentioned.

Figure 12 shows schematically a cooling system 200, which includes the control device 100 and a cooling device 150, e.g. B. the cooling device 10, for cooling a cooling fluid. The cooling device 150 has air-coolable cooling elements, e.g. B. the cooling elements 50, which are thermally coupled to one or more channels for the cooling fluid and can also be wetted with an evaporative cooling fluid for an increased cooling effect.

The cooling system 200 may further include an evaporative cooling fluid reservoir 70 and an evaporative cooling fluid conveyor 72, which is arranged between the evaporative cooling fluid reservoir and the cooling device 150 and is controllable by the control device 100 to adjust the fluid mass flow. For this purpose, the control device 100 and the evaporative cooling fluid conveying device 72 can be connected in terms of signals via the signal connection 102.

The cooling system 200 can further include an air conveying device 90, in particular a fan. A parameter of the air delivery device 90, preferably a rotational speed, can be controllable by the control device 100 to adjust the air mass flow. For this purpose, the control device 100 and the air conveying device 90 can be connected in terms of signals via the signal connection 104.

The cooling device 150 can be in a cooling fluid circuit 122, which is used in particular to cool a drive device 120 for a motor vehicle, e.g. B. a fuel cell arrangement, and preferably other motor vehicle components, can be integrated.

The cooling device 150 can also have a plurality of delivery devices 152, 154, 156 for delivering the evaporative cooling fluid and wetting the cooling elements, to which the fluid mass flow adjustable by the control device 100 is divisible. The multiple delivery devices 152, 154, 156 can be arranged one behind the other, in particular in the flow direction of the cooling air flowing along the cooling elements.

If there are several delivery devices 152, 154, 156, the control device 100 can also be designed to set multiple partial fluid mass flows of the evaporative cooling fluid for the multiple delivery devices 152, 154, 156 for wetting the cooling elements, the multiple partial fluid mass flows each being one of the several Delivery devices 152, 154, 156 are supplied. For this purpose, the evaporative cooling fluid conveying device 72 can be designed accordingly and can be controlled by the control device 100.

To supply the respective partial fluid mass flow to the corresponding delivery device 152, 154, 156, the evaporative cooling fluid delivery device 72 can be fluidically connected to each of the plurality of delivery devices 152, 154, 156 separately via a respective partial fluid connection 74A. The division of the fluid connection 74 into the several partial fluid connections 74A can also be carried out independently of the evaporative cooling fluid conveying device 72, e.g. B. in front of the evaporative cooling fluid conveyor 72.

Figure 13 shows various exemplary embodiments of the evaporative cooling fluid conveying device 72.

So can e.g. B. a pressure reducer 72A and a valve 72B can be arranged in each of the partial fluid connections 74A. The evaporative cooling fluid can be generated by generating pressure, e.g. B. compressed air, within the evaporative cooling fluid reservoir 70 are promoted. The pressure generation can also be controlled by the control device 100. Alternatively, a pump 72C, in particular a high-pressure pump, can be arranged in each of the partial fluid connections 74A. Further alternatively, a single pump 72D may be disposed in the fluid connection 74 and a valve 72B in each of the sub-fluid connections 74A

The division of the fluid mass flow to be set into several partial fluid mass flows can, for. B. done in that a first target partial fluid mass flow, to which a partial fluid mass flow for one of the several application devices 152, 154, 156 is to be set, is stored by the control device 100 based on one or more Fluid maps are determined. Data from the fluid maps can e.g. B. via substance data, which can be determined simulatively or experimentally or from literature values. Such a determination based on the fluid characteristics is shown as an example in Figure 14. The first target partial fluid mass flow rhwasser can be determined depending on input variables such as an air temperature T _ajr and an air humidity y _ajr of the cooling air before entering the cooling device 150.

For example, an algorithm that is implemented in software on the control device can determine a cooling air inlet state at at least one delivery location of one of the multiple delivery devices 152, 154, 156, comprising the air temperature T _ajr and the air humidity y _ajr . Based on the cooling air inlet state and the fluid characteristics, the first target partial fluid mass flow rhwasser can be z. B. can be calculated by interpolation.

Furthermore, e.g. B. also an air mass flow rtiAir of a section of the cooling elements, e.g. B. a single slat can be taken into account at at least one application location. The air mass flow rh _A ir can be calculated using a stored total front area of an individual slat and the stored fluid maps to determine the entire target air mass flow.

The result based on the fluid maps can also be a maximum evaporable amount of water, from which the target partial fluid mass flow rhwasser can be determined. The actual amount of water injected should always be less than the maximum amount of water that can be evaporated.

The one of the plurality of delivery devices 152, 154, 156, for which the first target partial fluid mass flow is determined and adjusted, can in particular correspond to the foremost delivery device 152, 154, 156 in the flow direction of the cooling air flowing along the cooling elements. The remaining fluid mass flow, reduced by the first target partial fluid mass flow, can preferably be divided evenly among the remaining of the plurality of delivery devices 152, 154, 156.

This procedure can prevent an application rate that is too high. If the maximum amount of water that can be evaporated is exceeded, water would reach the cooling elements, e.g. B. in the slats, condense out immediately after the delivery locations and become one lead to increased pressure loss on the cooling air side. This would reduce the amount of cooling air entering and lead to lower cooling performance.

The control device 100 can further be designed to reduce a first partial fluid mass flow of one of the plurality of delivery devices 152, 154, 156 by a constant value, for example by 5%, if the humidity of the cooling air after exiting the cooling device 150 is above a stored threshold , e.g. B. a relative humidity of 95%. This correction can be carried out in particular after the air mass flow and the fluid mass flow have been adjusted.

If the humidity of the cooling air continues to be too high after it exits the cooling device 150, the control device 100 can also be designed to reduce a respective partial fluid mass flow of the remaining of the plurality of delivery devices 152, 154, 156, preferably evenly, until the humidity is below the stored threshold.

The control device 100 can further be designed to adjust the fluid mass flow of the evaporative cooling fluid through a control system.

An exemplary control (comprising a control strategy and system) for adjusting the fluid mass flow is shown in Figure 15. The evaporative cooling and thus the supply of the evaporative cooling fluid can be activated or deactivated depending on at least the outlet temperature of the cooling fluid. If evaporative cooling is activated, a PI controller, which is implemented in software on the control device, is activated by an activation signal, e.g. B. is output by an activation module of the control device 100, activated. The PI controller attempts to regulate a control deviation between a target temperature TKuehimittei,soii of the cooling fluid and an actual temperature TKuehimittei st after exiting the cooling device 150. The resulting manipulated variable is the fluid mass flow, referred to here as rhf _ee d.

If the cooling device 150 comprises a plurality of delivery devices 152, 154, 156 (referred to as perforated rows of tubes or m_row_of_tubes_1 to m_row_of_n) in FIG on the control device is implemented on the software side, to which several delivery devices are divided. The division can e.g. B. using the fluid maps, as described above.

As further shown in Figure 15, the fan speed at which the fan speed is to be determined can be determined via implemented maps depending on the required fluid mass flow rhf _ee d, the vehicle speed v-rruck st of the motor vehicle and the (relative) humidity and the air temperature of the cooling air in front of the cooling device Fan must be operated to provide the air mass flow required for evaporation. This size can also be incorporated into the control for adjusting the fluid mass flow.

In order to record the various parameters that are taken into account for setting the fluid and air mass flow, the control device 100 can be connected to various sensor devices for signaling purposes. Figure 16 shows possible arrangements of the control device 100, the cooling device 150 and sensor devices.

The cooling system 200 may further include at least one cooling fluid sensor device 110, 112 and at least one air sensor device 114, 116. The control device 100 can be connected via a signal connection 106A to a cooling fluid sensor device 110 at a cooling fluid inlet for detecting a temperature of the cooling fluid when it enters the cooling device 150. The control device 100 can also be connected via a signal connection 106B to a cooling fluid sensor device 112 at a cooling fluid outlet for detecting a temperature of the cooling fluid as it exits the cooling device 150.

The control device 100 can also be connected in terms of signals to the air sensor devices 114, 116 via the signal connections 108A, 108B. The air-

Sensor device 114 can be arranged in front of the cooling device 150 and designed to detect air humidity and/or air temperature of the cooling air before entering the cooling device 150. The air sensor device 116 can be arranged behind the cooling device 150 and designed to detect air humidity and/or air temperature of the cooling air after it exits the cooling device 150.

16 also shows the cooling device 150 with the cooling elements 160 in a front and side view. As in comparison with e.g. B. Figure 2 can be seen, the cooling device 150 can be the cooling device 10 with the cooling elements 50 act, the channels for the evaporative cooling fluid, e.g. B. the second channels 24, the first supply line 32 and the second supply power, have only been omitted for simplified representation, but can be present for the implementation of the cooling system 200. The invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments described above. Rather, a large number of variants and modifications are possible, which also make use of the inventive idea and therefore fall within the scope of protection. In particular, the invention also claims protection for the subject matter and features of the subclaims, regardless of the claims referred to. In particular, the individual features of the independent claims are each disclosed independently of one another. In addition, the features of the subclaims are also disclosed independently of all features of the independent claims.

Reference symbol list

10 cooling device

20 cooling module

22 First channel

24 Second channel

26 Third Channel

28 Fourth channel

32 First feed line

34 Second supply line

36 Third feed line

38, 38A, 38B Fourth feed line

40 Fifth feed line

42 Sixth feed line

50 air-coolable cooling elements

60, 62, 64 perforations

70 evaporative cooling fluid reservoir

72 evaporative cooling fluid conveyor

72A, 72B, 72C conveyor

74 fluid connection

74A partial fluid connection

90 air conveyor

100 control device

102, 104 signal connection

106A, 106B signal connection

108A, 108B signal connection

110, 112 Cooling fluid sensor device

114, 116 air sensor device

120 drive device

122 cooling fluid circuit

150 cooling device

152, 154, 156 delivery device

150 cooling elements

200 cooling system

Claims

Patent claims

1 . Cooling device (10) for cooling a cooling fluid by means of air and evaporative cooling, comprising at least one cooling module (20), which has: a first channel (22) for the cooling fluid; a second channel (24) for an evaporative cooling fluid; and air-coolable cooling elements (50), preferably cooling fins, which are arranged on the first channel (22) for thermal coupling; wherein the second channel (24) has a perforation (60) for discharging the evaporative cooling fluid and for wetting the cooling elements (50) with the evaporative cooling fluid, and wherein the second channel (24) is integrated and/or arranged within the first channel (22). and has an outer wall section common to the first channel (22), which faces the cooling elements (50) and on which the perforation (60) is formed.

2. Cooling device (10) according to claim 1, wherein the common outer wall section is formed by an outer wall section of the second channel (24) and an outer wall section of the first channel (22), which are arranged adjacent to one another and have common passages for forming the perforation (60). exhibit.

3. Cooling device (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first channel (22) is formed by a first tube, in particular a flat tube, and / or the second channel (24) is formed by a second tube, in particular a round tube is.

4. Cooling device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one cooling module (20) comprises a plurality of cooling modules (20) which are arranged adjacent to one another, in particular in such a way that the cooling elements (50) of one of the plurality of cooling modules (20) additionally are arranged for thermal coupling on the first channel (22) of another one of the plurality of cooling modules (20).

5. Cooling device (10) according to claim 4, wherein the first channels (22) of the plurality of cooling modules (20) are fluidly connected to one another and / or the second channels (24) of the plurality of cooling modules (20) are fluidly connected to one another.

6. Cooling device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising: a first supply line (32) for the evaporative cooling fluid; and a second supply line (34) for the evaporative cooling fluid, the second channel (24) having a first end which is fluidly connected to the first supply line (32) and a second end which is fluidly connected to the second supply line (32), having.

7. Cooling device (10) according to claim 4 and 6, wherein the first supply line (32), the second supply line (34) and the second channels (24) of the plurality of cooling modules (20) form a ladder-shaped line arrangement for the evaporative cooling fluid.

8. Cooling device (10) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the first supply line (32) and / or the second supply line (34) are/is arranged at least in sections at the end of the first channel (22), and / or the first supply line (32 ) and the second feed line (34) run parallel to one another at least in sections, and/or the first feed line (32) and the second feed line (34) run at least in sections perpendicular to the second channel (22).

9. Cooling device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the perforation (60) extends in the longitudinal direction of the second channel (24) and / or the cooling elements are arranged substantially in the longitudinal direction of the first channel (22).

10. Cooling device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the first channel (22) and the second channel (24) run parallel to one another and/or in the same plane.

11. Cooling device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one cooling module (20) has a third channel (26, 28) for the evaporative cooling fluid.

12. Cooling device (10) according to claim 11, wherein the third channel (26, 28) is arranged outside the first channel (22), preferably adjacent, and a perforation (62, 66) facing the cooling elements (50) for discharging the evaporative cooling fluid and for wetting the cooling elements (50) with the evaporative cooling fluid.

13. Cooling device (10) according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the third channel (26, 28) and the second channel (24) are fluidically separated and / or run parallel to each other.

14. Cooling device (10) according to one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the third channel (26, 28) is formed by a round tube and / or has the same dimensions as the second channel (24).

15. Cooling device (10) according to one of claims 11 to 14, further comprising: a third supply line (36, 40) for the evaporative cooling fluid; and a fourth supply line (38, 42) for the evaporative cooling fluid, the third channel (26, 28) having a first end fluidly connected to the third supply line (36, 40) and a second end fluidly connected to the fourth supply line (38, 40) is fluidly connected.

16. A method for cooling a cooling fluid, comprising: a) providing a cooling device (10) according to one of the preceding claims; b) supplying the cooling fluid into the first channel (22) of the at least one cooling module (20) of the cooling device (10), c) supplying an evaporative cooling fluid into the second channel (24) of the at least one cooling module (20) of the cooling device (10); d) Dispensing the evaporative cooling fluid by means of the perforation of the cooling device and wetting the cooling elements (50) of the cooling device (10) with the evaporative cooling fluid.

17. Motor vehicle, preferably commercial vehicle, with a cooling device (10) according to one of claims 1 to 15, preferably wherein the cooling device (10) is arranged on a vehicle front of the motor vehicle.

18. Motor vehicle according to claim 17, wherein the cooling device (10), in particular the first channel (22) of the at least one cooling module (20), is integrated in a cooling circuit for a fuel cell arrangement.