US20240084821A1 - Self-priming cooling jacket - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a self-priming fluid transfer system having an integral siphon line that draws trapped air bubbles out of a main fluid chamber 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 main fluid chamber having a chamber inlet and a chamber outlet. 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 or near the chamber inlet and the chamber outlet, respectively. The priming inlet may be positioned at or near a top wall of the body structure and may receive air bubbles from the main fluid chamber and output the air bubbles at the siphon outlet. Other examples may be described and claimed.

Description

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 inFIG.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 inFIG.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 inFIG.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 inFIG.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 inFIG.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 inFIG.6, in accordance with various embodiments.
• FIG.8 is an illustration of a front view of an exemplary self-priming cooling jacket illustrated inFIG.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 inFIGS.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 avehicle100 having a self-priming cooling jacket120, such as that shown inFIG.1. Thevehicle100 can include, but is not limited to, the following components—hydrogen fuel tank102,power module104, converter/controller110, andelectric engine112, each of which can be implemented with a self-priming cooling jacket120A-D, respectively. The self-priming cooling jacket120 is further shown and explained in the succeeding FIGS.
• Thehydrogen fuel tank102 supplies hydrogen to afuel cell108 that generates electricity. Theelectric engine112 can be powered by thebattery106 and/or thefuel cell108 via the converter/controller110. Thebattery106 can be recharged by the generated electricity from thefuel cell108. It should be noted that thevehicle100 is shown as a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle, but thevehicle100 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-primingfluid transfer system200 having the self-priming cooling jacket120B shown inFIG.1. The self-primingfluid transfer system200 includes afluid module202 that may include apump224, aradiator222, and areservoir220. Thepump224 may circulate the fluid through the self-primingfluid transfer system200. Thereservoir220 contains the fluid that is circulated back from thepump224. Theradiator222 intakes the fluid from thereservoir220 and transfers heat from the fluid to outside air. The fluid exits from theradiator222 and back into thepump224.
• The fluid atline204 flows from thepump224 to the converter/controller110 via afluid inlet206 that outputs the fluid atline208 to acooling jacket120B, which includes amain fluid chamber210 and asiphon line212 for the fluid and air bubbles to pass through. The fluid and air bubbles exit out of thecooling jacket120B atline214 into afluid outlet216, which passes the fluid and air bubbles atline218 to thereservoir220. Thecooling jacket120 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 thesystem200 and circulate with the fluid. The self-priming cooling jacket120B can remove the air bubbles from the cooling jacket and circulate the air bubbles to thereservoir220 or another device that removes the air bubbles from thesystem200. Removing the air bubbles from thecooling jacket120 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/controller110.
• FIG.3 is an illustration of a bottom, front, and right-side elevational view of an exemplary self-priming cooling jacket120, such as that illustrated inFIG.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 jacket120 may include abody structure302 having achamber inlet206 and achamber outlet216 that may be positioned at abottom wall322 of thebody structure302. Both chamber inlet andoutlet206,216 may be used interchangeably as an inlet or an outlet. In this example, thechamber inlet206 is illustrated as an inlet, and thechamber outlet216 is illustrated as an outlet.
• The fluid/air bubbles may enter thecooling jacket120 atline204 into thefluid inlet206, which may be coupled to achamber inlet306 of thebody structure302. The fluid/air bubbles may enter thechamber inlet306 and flow into amain fluid chamber210. Themain fluid chamber210 may receive the fluid/air bubbles from thechamber inlet306 and circulate the fluid/air bubbles between and aroundfins310 andpins312 that are positioned in themain fluid chamber210. Themain fluid chamber210 may have a U-shape configuration as shown in the figures. The fluid/air bubbles may exit from themain fluid chamber210 through achamber outlet308, which may be coupled to thefluid outlet216. The fluid/air bubbles exit out thefluid outlet216 atline218. Apriming inlet316 may be positioned at or near atop wall324 of thebody structure302 and may receive air bubbles from themain fluid chamber210 and may output the air bubbles at asiphon outlet413, as shown inFIG.4.
• Themain fluid chamber210 has a topleft protrusion318, abottom protrusion314, and a topright protrusion320 that aids in collecting and directing the air bubbles toward and into thepriming inlet316, which is positioned between the topleft protrusion318 and the topright protrusion320. The air bubbles can be trapped between theprotrusions318,320 and can be pushed up byprotrusion314, resulting in the air bubbles entering thepriming inlet316. The flow of fluid and air bubbles in themain fluid chamber210 and thesiphon line212 are further described in succeeding figures. Asealing plate304 may cover and seal thebody structure302.
• FIG.4 is an illustration of a front view of an exemplary self-priming cooling jacket120 illustrated inFIG.3, showing amain fluid chamber210 and asiphon line212 at abody structure302 in accordance with various embodiments. In this example, the mainfluid chamber210 has a U-shape configuration that includes aleft section420 that is fluidly connected to the chamber inlet306 (FIG.3), aright section422 that is fluidly connected to the chamber outlet308 (FIG.3), and abase section424 that is positioned at or near thetop wall324 of thebody structure302 and fluidly connects theleft section420 to theright section422. In this example, the siphonline212 has a U-shape configuration that includes aleft section407 that is fluidly connected to the chamber inlet306 (FIG.3), aright section411 that is fluidly connected to the chamber outlet308 (FIG.3), and abase section409 that is positioned at or near thetop wall324 of thebody structure302 and fluidly connects theleft section407 to theright section411. The fluid/air bubbles may enter the fluid inlet206 (and a siphon inlet405) and flow into theleft section420 of the mainfluid chamber210 in the direction ofarrows406,408. The fluid/air bubbles may enter a siphoninlet405 and flow into theleft section407 of the siphonline212. The fluid/air bubbles may travel up theleft section420 of the main fluid chamber and theleft section407 of the siphon line into thebase section409 in the direction ofarrows410 and404, respectively, and into thebase section424. The air bubbles may travel up theleft sections407,420 into thebase section424 due to, for example, momentum of the fluid (when thepump224 is operating) and buoyancy of the air bubbles, which naturally float toward thebase section424 where thepriming inlet316 is located. Thepriming inlet316 may be positioned above (e.g., at a higher elevation) than thefluid inlet206. Thebase section424 may be fluidly connected to thepriming inlet316 at or near the top wall of thebody structure302, where the fluid/air bubbles may enter the siphonline212 from thebase section424 and then travel through theright section411 towards theoutlets413,216. Theprotrusion314 may redirect the fluid/air bubbles toward and into thepriming inlet316. The fluid (typically not the air bubbles) may travel down through theright section422 of the mainfluid chamber210 in the direction ofarrows412,414.
• The siphonline212 can be narrower (i.e., have a smaller cross-sectional area) than the mainfluid chamber210. Thepriming inlet316 allows the air bubbles that would normally be trapped at thetop wall324 of thebody structure302 to be drawn out through an enclosed high velocity straw-like pathway of the siphonline212. The direct connection of the siphonline212 to thefluid outlet216 and the narrow-enclosed pathway of the siphonline212 can create a higher draw than the mainfluid chamber210 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/outlet405,413 directly to the fluid inlet/outlet206,216 that results in a push-pull mechanism where the siphoninlet405 can push the fluid forward from theleft section407 of the siphonline212, and the siphonoutlet413 can draw the fluid out of the siphonline212. Positioning thepriming inlet316 at or near the top of the mainfluid chamber210 can allow the air bubbles to naturally collect at thepriming inlet316 due to buoyancy of the air bubbles and be carried away in theright section411 of the siphonline212 having a smaller cross-sectional area (i.e., narrower flow path) than theright section422 of the mainfluid chamber210.
• In this example, the siphonline212 is positioned along the outer peripheral of the the mainfluid chamber210. In another embodiment, the siphonline212 can be positioned in front or back of the mainfluid chamber210. In another embodiment, the siphonline212 can be positioned in front of the mainfluid chamber210 on the sealing plate304 (FIG.3), which is further described inFIG.8.
• FIG.5 is an illustration of a bottom, front, and right-side elevational view of an exemplary self-primingcooling jacket120, such as that illustrated inFIG.2, where a siphonline212 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/outlet206,216, chamber inlet/out306,308, mainfluid chamber210,fins310, pins312,protrusion314, priminginlet316, bottom andtop walls322,324,body structure302, and sealingplate304.
• The self-primingcooling jacket120 ofFIG.5 is configured to further include drilledopenings506a,506bpositioned on the right-side wall502, drilled opening506cpositioned on the left-side wall504, and drilledopenings506d,506e,506fpositioned on thetop wall324. The drilled openings506a-findicate the location of the siphonline212, which is further shown and described inFIGS.6-7. The drilled openings506a-fcan be sealed with plugs508a-f, respectively. It should be noted that the self-primingcooling jacket120 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-primingcooling jacket120, such as that illustrated inFIG.5, where abody structure302 of the self-primingcooling jacket120 is partially cut-off to expose the siphon line, in accordance with various embodiments. The siphonline212 inFIG.6 has a U-shape configuration that includes aleft section407 that is coupled to the chamber inlet306 (FIG.3), aright section411 that is coupled to the chamber outlet308 (FIG.3), and abase section409 that is positioned at thetop wall324 of thebody structure302 and fluidly connects theleft section407 to theright section411.
• Theright section411 of the siphonline212 may be created by drilling a right-bottom pathway from the drilledopening506binto thechamber outlet308 and by drilling a right-side pathway from the drilledopening506fto the right-bottom pathway. Similarly, theleft section407 of the siphonline212 may be created by drilling a left-bottom pathway from the drilledopening506cinto the chamber inlet306 (FIG.3) and by drilling a left-side pathway from the drilledopening506dto the left-bottom pathway. Thebase section409 of the siphonline212 may be created by drilling a top pathway from the drilled opening506ato the left-side pathway. Thepriming inlet316 may be created by drilling from the drilledopening506ethrough the top pathway and into the mainfluid chamber210. The drilled pathways of theleft section407,right section411, andbase section409 are further shown inFIG.7.
• FIG.7 is an illustration of a front view of an exemplary self-primingcooling jacket120 illustrated inFIG.6, in accordance with various embodiments. The fluid/air bubbles enter thefluid inlet206 and a siphoninlet405 flowing into theleft section420 of the mainfluid chamber210 in the direction ofarrows406,408 and theleft section407 of the siphon line212 (no fluid line shown). The fluid/air bubbles travel up theleft sections407,424 into thebase section409 and into thebase section424 in the direction ofarrows404,410. Thebase section424 is coupled to thepriming inlet316 at the top wall of thebody structure302, where the fluid/air bubbles may enter the siphonline212 in the direction ofarrow412 and flow in the direction ofarrow416 as the fluid/air bubbles travel toward theoutlets413,216. Theprotrusion314 can redirect the fluid/air bubbles toward and into thepriming inlet316. The fluid (typically not the air bubbles) may travel down through theright section422 of the mainfluid chamber210 in the direction ofarrows412,414.
• The siphonline212 can be narrower (i.e., have a smaller cross-sectional area) than the mainfluid chamber210. Thepriming inlet316 may allow air bubbles that would normally be trapped at or near thetop wall324 of thebody structure302 to be drawn out through an enclosed high velocity straw-like pathway of the siphonline212. The direct connection of the siphonline212 to thefluid outlet216 and the narrow-enclosed pathway of the siphonline212 may create a higher draw than the mainfluid chamber210 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/outlet405,413 directly to the fluid inlet/outlet206,216 that results in a push-pull mechanism where the siphoninlet405 can push the fluid forward from theleft section407 of the siphonline212, and the siphonoutlet413 can draw the fluid out of the siphonline212. Positioning thepriming inlet316 at the top of the mainfluid chamber210 can allow the air bubbles to naturally be collected into thepriming inlet316 and be carried away in theright section411 of the siphonline212 having a smaller cross-sectional area (i.e., narrower flow path) than theright section422 of the mainfluid chamber210.
• In this example, the siphonline212 is positioned along the outer peripheral of the mainfluid chamber210. In another embodiment, the siphonline212 can be positioned in front or back of the mainfluid chamber210. In another embodiment, the siphonline212 can be positioned in front of the mainfluid chamber210 on the sealing plate304 (FIG.3), which is further described inFIG.8.
• FIG.8 is an illustration of a front view of an exemplary self-primingcooling jacket120 illustrated inFIG.2, showing a siphonline212 created at the sealingplate304 of the self-primingcooling jacket120 in accordance with various embodiments. The siphonline212 inFIG.8 has a U-shape configuration that includes aleft section407 that is coupled to the chamber inlet306 (FIG.3), aright section411 that is coupled to the chamber outlet308 (FIG.3), and abase section409 that is positioned at thetop wall324 of thebody structure302. Theright section411 of the siphonline212 may be created by drilling a front-right-bottom pathway from the drilledopening506binto thechamber outlet308 and by drilling a right-side pathway from the drilledopening506fto the front-right-bottom pathway.
• Similarly, theleft section407 of the siphonline212 may be created by drilling a front-left-bottom pathway from the drilledopening506cinto the chamber inlet306 (FIG.3) and by drilling a left-side pathway from the drilledopening506dto the front-left-bottom pathway. Thebase section409 of the siphonline212 may be created by drilling a top pathway from the drilled opening506ato the left-side pathway. Thepriming inlet316 may be created by drilling from the drilledopening506ethrough the top pathway and into the mainfluid chamber210. It should be noted that the siphonline212 ofFIG.8 can also be implemented at the rear side of thebody structure302 as another embodiment of the self-primingcooling jacket120.
• FIG.9 is an illustration of a flow diagram illustrating anexemplary process900 for using the exemplary embodiments of the self-primingcooling jacket120 shown in the preceding figures to remove air bubbles from the self-primingcooling jacket120. Atblock905, fluid is passed into a chamber inlet306 (FIG.3) of a main fluid chamber210 (FIG.2) that is positioned at or near a bottom wall322 (FIG.3) of a body structure302 (FIG.3). Atblock910, the fluid is passed through the mainfluid chamber210 and out a chamber outlet308 (FIG.3) that is positioned at or near the bottom wall of322 thebody structure302. Atblock915, the fluid is passed into a siphoninlet405 of a siphonline212 that is positioned at or near thechamber inlet306, wherein the siphon line is positioned along the mainfluid chamber210. The fluid is passed out of a siphonoutlet413 of the siphonline212 that is positioned at or near thechamber outlet308. Atblock920, air bubbles are passed from the mainfluid chamber210 into apriming inlet316 that is positioned at atop wall324 of thebody structure302. Atblock925, the air bubbles are passed from thepriming inlet316 out of the siphonoutlet413 where they can be carried out of the self-primingcooling jacket120 through thechamber outlet308.
• 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.

Claims (20)

What is claimed is:

1. A self-priming fluid transfer system, comprising:

a body structure having:

a chamber inlet and a chamber outlet that are positioned at or near 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;

a siphon line that is positioned along the main fluid chamber and includes a siphon inlet and a siphon outlet that are positioned at the chamber inlet and the chamber outlet, respectively,

wherein the siphon inlet and the siphon outlet receive and output the fluid at the chamber inlet and the chamber outlet, respectively; and

a priming inlet that is positioned at or near a top wall of the body structure and receives air bubbles from the main fluid chamber and introduces the air bubbles into the siphon line where they can be transported to the siphon outlet.

2. The self-priming fluid transfer system ofclaim 1, wherein the chamber inlet and the chamber outlet are interchangeable in which the chamber outlet receives the fluid and the chamber inlet outputs the fluid.

3. The self-priming fluid transfer system ofclaim 1, wherein the main fluid chamber has a U-shape configuration that includes a base section, a left section, and a right section, and wherein the base section is coupled to the priming inlet at or near the top wall of the body structure, the left sections is coupled to the chamber inlet, and the right section is coupled to the chamber outlet.

4. The self-priming fluid transfer system ofclaim 3, wherein the main fluid chamber has a lump at a bottom portion of the base section that aids in inputting the air bubbles in the priming inlet that is positioned at a top portion of the base section of the main fluid chamber.

5. The self-priming fluid transfer system ofclaim 1, wherein the siphon line and the priming inlet are positioned at the body structure.

6. The self-priming fluid transfer system ofclaim 5, wherein the siphon line and the priming inlet are manufactured by way of shape-based molding.

7. The self-priming fluid transfer system ofclaim 5, wherein the siphon line and the priming inlet are manufactured by way of drilling/machining the body structure.

8. The self-priming fluid transfer system ofclaim 1, further comprising a sealing plate that covers and seals the body structure.

9. The self-priming fluid transfer system ofclaim 8, wherein the siphon line and the priming inlet are positioned at the sealing plate.

10. The self-priming fluid transfer system ofclaim 1, further comprises:

a reservoir that contains the fluid;

a radiator that transfers heat from the fluid to outside air; and

a pump that pumps the fluid in and out of the main fluid chamber and the siphon line.

11. A self-priming cooling jacket, comprising:

a body structure having:

a chamber inlet and a chamber outlet that are positioned at or near 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, wherein the main fluid chamber includes fins and pins that fluid flows therebetween and around;

a siphon line that is positioned along the main fluid chamber and includes a siphon inlet and a siphon outlet that are positioned at the chamber inlet and the chamber outlet, respectively,

wherein the siphon inlet and the siphon outlet receive and output the fluid at the chamber inlet and the chamber outlet, respectively; and

a priming inlet that is positioned at a top wall of the body structure and receives air bubbles from the main fluid chamber and outputs the air bubbles at the siphon outlet.

12. The self-priming cooling jacket ofclaim 11, wherein the chamber inlet and the chamber outlet are interchangeable in which the chamber outlet receives the fluid and the chamber inlet outputs the fluid.

13. The self-priming cooling jacket ofclaim 11, wherein the main fluid chamber has a U-shape configuration that includes a base section, a left section and a right section, of which the base section is coupled to the priming inlet at the top wall of the body structure and the left and right sections are coupled to the chamber inlet and the chamber outlet, respectively.

14. The self-priming cooling jacket ofclaim 13, wherein the main fluid chamber has a lump at a bottom portion of the base section that aids in inputting the air bubbles in the priming inlet that is positioned at a top portion of the base section of the main fluid chamber.

15. The self-priming cooling jacket ofclaim 11, wherein the siphon line and the priming inlet are positioned at the body structure.

16. The self-priming cooling jacket ofclaim 15, wherein the siphon line and the priming inlet are manufactured by way of shape-based molding.

17. The self-priming cooling jacket ofclaim 14, wherein the siphon line and the priming inlet are manufactured by way of drilling/machining the body structure.

18. The self-priming cooling jacket ofclaim 11, further comprising a sealing plate that covers and seals the body structure.

19. The self-priming cooling jacket ofclaim 18, wherein the siphon line and the priming inlet are positioned at the sealing plate.

20. A method of using a self-priming cooling jacket, comprising the steps of:

passing a fluid into a chamber inlet of a main fluid chamber that is positioned at a bottom wall of a body structure;

passing the fluid through the main fluid chamber and out a chamber outlet that is positioned at the bottom wall of the body structure;

passing the fluid into a siphon inlet of a siphon line that is positioned at the chamber inlet, wherein the siphon line is positioned along the main fluid chamber;

passing the fluid out of a siphon outlet of the siphon line that is positioned at the chamber outlet;

passing air bubbles from the main fluid chamber into a priming inlet that is positioned at a top wall of the body structure; and

passing the air bubbles from the priming inlet to and out the siphon outlet.

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