BACKGROUND
A conventional cooling system that is integrated with a motor and uses a vacuum pump to remove air from a cooling fluid may experience priming issues. The conventional cooling system may have a high part count, be process intensive, and require significant labor to produce. The conventional cooling system may introduce potential leak points at each sealing plate that is utilized.
SUMMARY
Disclosed is a self-priming fluid transfer system having an integral siphon line that draws trapped air bubbles out of a fluid over time and fluid cycles. The self-priming fluid transfer system may include a body structure, a siphon line, and a priming inlet. The body structure may include a chamber inlet and a chamber outlet that are positioned at a bottom wall of the body structure, and a main fluid chamber that receives and outputs fluid from the chamber inlet and the chamber outlet, respectively. The main fluid chamber may include fins and pins that the fluid flows therebetween and around. The siphon line may be positioned along the main fluid chamber and may include a siphon inlet and a siphon outlet that are positioned at the chamber inlet and the chamber outlet, respectively. The siphon inlet and the siphon outlet may receive and output the fluid at the chamber inlet and the chamber outlet, respectively. The priming inlet may be positioned at a top wall of the body structure and may receive air bubbles from the main fluid chamber and may output the air bubbles at the siphon outlet.
The features, functions, and advantages that have been discussed above or will be discussed below can be achieved independently in various embodiments, or may be combined in other embodiments, further details of which can be seen with reference to the following description and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The use of the same reference number in different figures indicates similar or identical items.
FIG. 1 is an illustration of a block diagram of a vehicle that uses the various embodiments of a self-priming fluid transfer system.
FIG. 2 is an illustration of a block diagram of a self-priming fluid transfer system that uses the various embodiments of a self-priming cooling jacket described in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is an illustration of a bottom, front, and right-side elevational view of an exemplary self-priming cooling jacket, such as that illustrated in FIG. 1, where a siphon line is manufactured by way of shape-based molding in accordance with various embodiments.
FIG. 4 is an illustration of a front view of an exemplary self-priming cooling jacket illustrated in FIG. 3, showing a main fluid chamber and a siphon line at a body structure of the self-priming cooling jacket in accordance with various embodiments.
FIG. 5 is an illustration of a bottom, front, and right-side elevational view of an exemplary self-priming cooling jacket, such as that illustrated in FIG. 2, where a siphon line is manufactured by drilling and/or machining, in accordance with various embodiments.
FIG. 6 is an illustration of a bottom, front, and right-side elevational view of an exemplary self-priming cooling jacket, such as that illustrated in FIG. 5, where a body structure of the self-priming cooling jacket is partially cut-off to show the siphon line, in accordance with various embodiments.
FIG. 7 is an illustration of a front view of an exemplary self-priming cooling jacket illustrated in FIG. 6, in accordance with various embodiments.
FIG. 8 is an illustration of a front view of an exemplary self-priming cooling jacket illustrated in FIG. 2, showing a siphon line at a sealing plate of the self-priming cooling jacket in accordance with various embodiments.
FIG. 9 is an illustration of a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process for using the exemplary embodiments of the self-priming cooling jacket shown in the preceding figures, in accordance with various embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present disclosure is directed to a self-priming fluid transfer system having an integral siphon line that draws trapped air bubbles out of a fluid over time and fluid cycles.
Many specific details of certain embodiments are set forth in the following description and in FIGS. 1-9 to provide a thorough understanding of such embodiments. The present disclosure may have additional embodiments or may be practiced without one or more of the details described below.
Referring more particularly to the drawings, embodiments of this disclosure may be described in the context of a vehicle 100 having a self-priming cooling jacket 120, such as that shown in FIG. 1. The vehicle 100 can include, but is not limited to, the following components—hydrogen fuel tank 102, power module 104, converter/controller 110, and electric engine 112, each of which can be implemented with a self-priming cooling jacket 120A-D, respectively. The self-priming cooling jacket 120 is further shown and explained in the succeeding FIGS.
The hydrogen fuel tank 102 supplies hydrogen to a fuel cell 108 that generates electricity. The electric engine 112 can be powered by the battery 106 and/or the fuel cell 108 via the converter/controller 110. The battery 106 can be recharged by the generated electricity from the fuel cell 108. It should be noted that the vehicle 100 is shown as a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, but the vehicle 100 can also be a battery electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, or other type of vehicle.
FIG. 2 is an illustration of a block diagram of the self-priming fluid transfer system 200 having the self-priming cooling jacket 120B shown in FIG. 1. The self-priming fluid transfer system 200 includes a fluid module 202 that may include a pump 224, a radiator 222, and a reservoir 220. The pump 224 may circulate the fluid through the self-priming fluid transfer system 200. The reservoir 220 contains the fluid that is circulated back from the pump 224. The radiator 222 intakes the fluid from the reservoir 220 and transfers heat from the fluid to outside air. The fluid exits from the radiator 222 and back into the pump 224.
The fluid at line 204 flows from the pump 224 to the converter/controller 110 via a fluid inlet 206 that outputs the fluid at line 208 to a cooling jacket 120B, which includes a main fluid chamber 210 and a siphon line 212 for the fluid and air bubbles to pass through. The fluid and air bubbles exit out of the cooling jacket 120B at line 214 into a fluid outlet 216, which passes the fluid and air bubbles at line 218 to the reservoir 220. The cooling jacket 120 can be made of, but is not limited to, cast iron, alloy, structural steel, or aluminum alloys. It should be noted that air bubbles can also enter the system 200 and circulate with the fluid. The self-priming cooling jacket 120B can remove the air bubbles from the cooling jacket and circulate the air bubbles to the reservoir 220 or another device that removes the air bubbles from the system 200. Removing the air bubbles from the cooling jacket 120 prevents larger air pockets from forming in the cooling jacket, which could negatively impact heat transfer performance and result in inadequate cooling of the converter/controller 110.
FIG. 3 is an illustration of a bottom, front, and right-side elevational view of an exemplary self-priming cooling jacket 120, such as that illustrated in FIG. 1, where a siphon line is manufactured by way of shaped-based molding (e.g., casting and injection molding) in accordance with various embodiments. The self-priming cooling jacket 120 may include a body structure 302 having a chamber inlet 206 and a chamber outlet 216 that may be positioned at a bottom wall 322 of the body structure 302. Both chamber inlet and outlet 206, 216 may be used interchangeably as an inlet or an outlet. In this example, the chamber inlet 206 is illustrated as an inlet, and the chamber outlet 216 is illustrated as an outlet.
The fluid/air bubbles may enter the cooling jacket 120 at line 204 into the fluid inlet 206, which may be coupled to a chamber inlet 306 of the body structure 302. The fluid/air bubbles may enter the chamber inlet 306 and flow into a main fluid chamber 210. The main fluid chamber 210 may receive the fluid/air bubbles from the chamber inlet 306 and circulate the fluid/air bubbles between and around fins 310 and pins 312 that are positioned in the main fluid chamber 210. The main fluid chamber 210 may have a U-shape configuration as shown in the figures. The fluid/air bubbles may exit from the main fluid chamber 210 through a chamber outlet 308, which may be coupled to the fluid outlet 216. The fluid/air bubbles exit out the fluid outlet 216 at line 218. A priming inlet 316 may be positioned at or near a top wall 324 of the body structure 302 and may receive air bubbles from the main fluid chamber 210 and may output the air bubbles at a siphon outlet 413, as shown in FIG. 4.
The main fluid chamber 210 has a top left protrusion 318, a bottom protrusion 314, and a top right protrusion 320 that aids in collecting and directing the air bubbles toward and into the priming inlet 316, which is positioned between the top left protrusion 318 and the top right protrusion 320. The air bubbles can be trapped between the protrusions 318, 320 and can be pushed up by protrusion 314, resulting in the air bubbles entering the priming inlet 316. The flow of fluid and air bubbles in the main fluid chamber 210 and the siphon line 212 are further described in succeeding figures. A sealing plate 304 may cover and seal the body structure 302.
FIG. 4 is an illustration of a front view of an exemplary self-priming cooling jacket 120 illustrated in FIG. 3, showing a main fluid chamber 210 and a siphon line 212 at a body structure 302 in accordance with various embodiments. In this example, the main fluid chamber 210 has a U-shape configuration that includes a left section 420 that is fluidly connected to the chamber inlet 306 (FIG. 3), a right section 422 that is fluidly connected to the chamber outlet 308 (FIG. 3), and a base section 424 that is positioned at or near the top wall 324 of the body structure 302 and fluidly connects the left section 420 to the right section 422. In this example, the siphon line 212 has a U-shape configuration that includes a left section 407 that is fluidly connected to the chamber inlet 306 (FIG. 3), a right section 411 that is fluidly connected to the chamber outlet 308 (FIG. 3), and a base section 409 that is positioned at or near the top wall 324 of the body structure 302 and fluidly connects the left section 407 to the right section 411. The fluid/air bubbles may enter the fluid inlet 206 (and a siphon inlet 405) and flow into the left section 420 of the main fluid chamber 210 in the direction of arrows 406, 408. The fluid/air bubbles may enter a siphon inlet 405 and flow into the left section 407 of the siphon line 212. The fluid/air bubbles may travel up the left section 420 of the main fluid chamber and the left section 407 of the siphon line into the base section 409 in the direction of arrows 410 and 404, respectively, and into the base section 424. The air bubbles may travel up the left sections 407, 420 into the base section 424 due to, for example, momentum of the fluid (when the pump 224 is operating) and buoyancy of the air bubbles, which naturally float toward the base section 424 where the priming inlet 316 is located. The priming inlet 316 may be positioned above (e.g., at a higher elevation) than the fluid inlet 206. The base section 424 may be fluidly connected to the priming inlet 316 at or near the top wall of the body structure 302, where the fluid/air bubbles may enter the siphon line 212 from the base section 424 and then travel through the right section 411 towards the outlets 413, 216. The protrusion 314 may redirect the fluid/air bubbles toward and into the priming inlet 316. The fluid (typically not the air bubbles) may travel down through the right section 422 of the main fluid chamber 210 in the direction of arrows 412, 414.
The siphon line 212 can be narrower (i.e., have a smaller cross-sectional area) than the main fluid chamber 210. The priming inlet 316 allows the air bubbles that would normally be trapped at the top wall 324 of the body structure 302 to be drawn out through an enclosed high velocity straw-like pathway of the siphon line 212. The direct connection of the siphon line 212 to the fluid outlet 216 and the narrow-enclosed pathway of the siphon line 212 can create a higher draw than the main fluid chamber 210 which flows at a much slower relative velocity due to difference in cross-sectional areas between the flow paths. A constant fluid loop can be created by attaching siphon inlet/outlet 405, 413 directly to the fluid inlet/outlet 206, 216 that results in a push-pull mechanism where the siphon inlet 405 can push the fluid forward from the left section 407 of the siphon line 212, and the siphon outlet 413 can draw the fluid out of the siphon line 212. Positioning the priming inlet 316 at or near the top of the main fluid chamber 210 can allow the air bubbles to naturally collect at the priming inlet 316 due to buoyancy of the air bubbles and be carried away in the right section 411 of the siphon line 212 having a smaller cross-sectional area (i.e., narrower flow path) than the right section 422 of the main fluid chamber 210.
In this example, the siphon line 212 is positioned along the outer peripheral of the the main fluid chamber 210. In another embodiment, the siphon line 212 can be positioned in front or back of the main fluid chamber 210. In another embodiment, the siphon line 212 can be positioned in front of the main fluid chamber 210 on the sealing plate 304 (FIG. 3), which is further described in FIG. 8.
FIG. 5 is an illustration of a bottom, front, and right-side elevational view of an exemplary self-priming cooling jacket 120, such as that illustrated in FIG. 2, where a siphon line 212 is manufactured by drilling and/or machining, in accordance with various embodiments. Like features are labeled with the same reference numbers, such as the fluid inlet/outlet 206, 216, chamber inlet/out 306, 308, main fluid chamber 210, fins 310, pins 312, protrusion 314, priming inlet 316, bottom and top walls 322, 324, body structure 302, and sealing plate 304.
The self-priming cooling jacket 120 of FIG. 5 is configured to further include drilled openings 506a, 506b positioned on the right-side wall 502, drilled opening 506c positioned on the left-side wall 504, and drilled openings 506d, 506e, 506f positioned on the top wall 324. The drilled openings 506a-f indicate the location of the siphon line 212, which is further shown and described in FIGS. 6-7. The drilled openings 506a-f can be sealed with plugs 508a-f, respectively. It should be noted that the self-priming cooling jacket 120 can be manufactured, individually or in combination, using any shape-based molding, drilling/machining method, and 3D printing, among others.
FIG. 6 is an illustration of a bottom, front, and right-side elevational view of an exemplary self-priming cooling jacket 120, such as that illustrated in FIG. 5, where a body structure 302 of the self-priming cooling jacket 120 is partially cut-off to expose the siphon line, in accordance with various embodiments. The siphon line 212 in FIG. 6 has a U-shape configuration that includes a left section 407 that is coupled to the chamber inlet 306 (FIG. 3), a right section 411 that is coupled to the chamber outlet 308 (FIG. 3), and a base section 409 that is positioned at the top wall 324 of the body structure 302 and fluidly connects the left section 407 to the right section 411.
The right section 411 of the siphon line 212 may be created by drilling a right-bottom pathway from the drilled opening 506b into the chamber outlet 308 and by drilling a right-side pathway from the drilled opening 506f to the right-bottom pathway. Similarly, the left section 407 of the siphon line 212 may be created by drilling a left-bottom pathway from the drilled opening 506c into the chamber inlet 306 (FIG. 3) and by drilling a left-side pathway from the drilled opening 506d to the left-bottom pathway. The base section 409 of the siphon line 212 may be created by drilling a top pathway from the drilled opening 506a to the left-side pathway. The priming inlet 316 may be created by drilling from the drilled opening 506e through the top pathway and into the main fluid chamber 210. The drilled pathways of the left section 407, right section 411, and base section 409 are further shown in FIG. 7.
FIG. 7 is an illustration of a front view of an exemplary self-priming cooling jacket 120 illustrated in FIG. 6, in accordance with various embodiments. The fluid/air bubbles enter the fluid inlet 206 and a siphon inlet 405 flowing into the left section 420 of the main fluid chamber 210 in the direction of arrows 406, 408 and the left section 407 of the siphon line 212 (no fluid line shown). The fluid/air bubbles travel up the left sections 407, 424 into the base section 409 and into the base section 424 in the direction of arrows 404, 410. The base section 424 is coupled to the priming inlet 316 at the top wall of the body structure 302, where the fluid/air bubbles may enter the siphon line 212 in the direction of arrow 412 and flow in the direction of arrow 416 as the fluid/air bubbles travel toward the outlets 413, 216. The protrusion 314 can redirect the fluid/air bubbles toward and into the priming inlet 316. The fluid (typically not the air bubbles) may travel down through the right section 422 of the main fluid chamber 210 in the direction of arrows 412, 414.
The siphon line 212 can be narrower (i.e., have a smaller cross-sectional area) than the main fluid chamber 210. The priming inlet 316 may allow air bubbles that would normally be trapped at or near the top wall 324 of the body structure 302 to be drawn out through an enclosed high velocity straw-like pathway of the siphon line 212. The direct connection of the siphon line 212 to the fluid outlet 216 and the narrow-enclosed pathway of the siphon line 212 may create a higher draw than the main fluid chamber 210 which flows at a much slower relative velocity due to difference in cross-sectional area between the flow paths. A constant fluid loop can be created by attaching siphon inlet/outlet 405, 413 directly to the fluid inlet/outlet 206, 216 that results in a push-pull mechanism where the siphon inlet 405 can push the fluid forward from the left section 407 of the siphon line 212, and the siphon outlet 413 can draw the fluid out of the siphon line 212. Positioning the priming inlet 316 at the top of the main fluid chamber 210 can allow the air bubbles to naturally be collected into the priming inlet 316 and be carried away in the right section 411 of the siphon line 212 having a smaller cross-sectional area (i.e., narrower flow path) than the right section 422 of the main fluid chamber 210.
In this example, the siphon line 212 is positioned along the outer peripheral of the main fluid chamber 210. In another embodiment, the siphon line 212 can be positioned in front or back of the main fluid chamber 210. In another embodiment, the siphon line 212 can be positioned in front of the main fluid chamber 210 on the sealing plate 304 (FIG. 3), which is further described in FIG. 8.
FIG. 8 is an illustration of a front view of an exemplary self-priming cooling jacket 120 illustrated in FIG. 2, showing a siphon line 212 created at the sealing plate 304 of the self-priming cooling jacket 120 in accordance with various embodiments. The siphon line 212 in FIG. 8 has a U-shape configuration that includes a left section 407 that is coupled to the chamber inlet 306 (FIG. 3), a right section 411 that is coupled to the chamber outlet 308 (FIG. 3), and a base section 409 that is positioned at the top wall 324 of the body structure 302. The right section 411 of the siphon line 212 may be created by drilling a front-right-bottom pathway from the drilled opening 506b into the chamber outlet 308 and by drilling a right-side pathway from the drilled opening 506f to the front-right-bottom pathway.
Similarly, the left section 407 of the siphon line 212 may be created by drilling a front-left-bottom pathway from the drilled opening 506c into the chamber inlet 306 (FIG. 3) and by drilling a left-side pathway from the drilled opening 506d to the front-left-bottom pathway. The base section 409 of the siphon line 212 may be created by drilling a top pathway from the drilled opening 506a to the left-side pathway. The priming inlet 316 may be created by drilling from the drilled opening 506e through the top pathway and into the main fluid chamber 210. It should be noted that the siphon line 212 of FIG. 8 can also be implemented at the rear side of the body structure 302 as another embodiment of the self-priming cooling jacket 120.
FIG. 9 is an illustration of a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process 900 for using the exemplary embodiments of the self-priming cooling jacket 120 shown in the preceding figures to remove air bubbles from the self-priming cooling jacket 120. At block 905, fluid is passed into a chamber inlet 306 (FIG. 3) of a main fluid chamber 210 (FIG. 2) that is positioned at or near a bottom wall 322 (FIG. 3) of a body structure 302 (FIG. 3). At block 910, the fluid is passed through the main fluid chamber 210 and out a chamber outlet 308 (FIG. 3) that is positioned at or near the bottom wall of 322 the body structure 302. At block 915, the fluid is passed into a siphon inlet 405 of a siphon line 212 that is positioned at or near the chamber inlet 306, wherein the siphon line is positioned along the main fluid chamber 210. The fluid is passed out of a siphon outlet 413 of the siphon line 212 that is positioned at or near the chamber outlet 308. At block 920, air bubbles are passed from the main fluid chamber 210 into a priming inlet 316 that is positioned at a top wall 324 of the body structure 302. At block 925, the air bubbles are passed from the priming inlet 316 out of the siphon outlet 413 where they can be carried out of the self-priming cooling jacket 120 through the chamber outlet 308.
While embodiments have been illustrated and described above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, the scopes of the embodiments are not limited by the disclosure. Instead, the embodiments of the disclosure should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.
Patent Application
20240084821
