KR-20260063326-A - Thermal management system for electric vehicle chargers

KR20260063326AKR 20260063326 AKR20260063326 AKR 20260063326AKR-20260063326-A

Abstract

A thermal management system for an electric vehicle charger is disclosed, which can maintain the cooling water for cooling the charging cable at a constant temperature without being affected by the ambient temperature, and can perform a combination of thermal management of the cooling water for cooling the charging cable and thermal management of the inside of the charger enclosure. A thermal management system for an electric vehicle charger includes an air-cooled temperature control unit that controls the temperature inside the charger enclosure by exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing inside and the outside air, and a water-cooled temperature control unit that controls the temperature of the charging cable by exchanging heat between the cooling water flowing inside and the refrigerant flowing in the air-cooled temperature control unit.

Inventors

조영문
권미혜

Assignees

주식회사 에스씨에스

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20241030

Claims (10)

An air-cooled temperature control unit that controls the temperature inside the charger's housing by exchanging heat with the outside air of the refrigerant flowing inside; and A temperature control system for an electric vehicle charger comprising: a water-cooled temperature control unit that controls the temperature of a charging cable by exchanging heat between the cooling water flowing inside and the refrigerant flowing in the air-cooled temperature control unit.
In paragraph 1, A temperature control system for an electric vehicle charger, wherein the air-cooled temperature control unit operates in a cooling mode or a heating mode by selectively varying the flow path of the refrigerant, and is configured to selectively control the cooling mode or the heating mode of the water-cooled temperature control unit.
In paragraph 2, The above air-cooled temperature control unit is, A compressor that compresses a low-pressure, medium-temperature gaseous refrigerant to form a high-temperature, high-pressure state; A four-way valve that guides the high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant compressed by the above compressor into a first path during cooling mode; A condenser that converts high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant into high-temperature, high-pressure liquid refrigerant by exchanging heat with external air during cooling mode; An expansion valve that converts high-temperature, high-pressure liquid refrigerant into low-temperature, low-pressure liquid-gas refrigerant during cooling mode and heating mode, respectively; An evaporator that cools the interior of the charger housing by converting a low-temperature, low-pressure liquid-gas refrigerant into a low-pressure, medium-temperature gaseous refrigerant through heat exchange with air flowing into the interior of the charger housing during cooling mode; and A temperature control system for an electric vehicle charger comprising: a chiller that cools the cooling water by exchanging heat between the low-temperature, low-pressure liquid-gas refrigerant and the cooling water flowing through the water-cooled temperature control unit during cooling mode, thereby converting the liquid-gas refrigerant into a low-pressure, medium-temperature gaseous refrigerant.
In paragraph 3, The above-mentioned four-way valve guides the high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant compressed by the compressor into a second path during the temperature increase mode, and The above condenser converts low-temperature, low-pressure liquid-gas refrigerant into low-pressure, medium-temperature gaseous refrigerant by exchanging heat with external air during the heating mode, and The above evaporator heats the interior of the charger's enclosure by exchanging heat with the air flowing into the interior of the charger's enclosure during the heating mode, converting the high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant into a high-temperature, high-pressure liquid refrigerant. The above chiller is a temperature control system for an electric vehicle charger that, during a temperature increase mode, heats the cooling water by exchanging heat between the high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant and the cooling water flowing through the water-cooled temperature control unit to convert it into a high-temperature, high-pressure liquid refrigerant.
In paragraph 4, An accumulator that separates liquid refrigerant from low-pressure medium-temperature gaseous refrigerant during cooling mode and heating mode; and A temperature control system for an electric vehicle charger, further comprising: a refrigerant line through which refrigerant flows, connecting the compressor, the four-way valve, the condenser, the expansion valve, the evaporator, the chiller, and the accumulator.
In paragraph 4, The above condenser is, Condensing panel through which refrigerant flows; A condensation fan positioned at the rear of the condensation panel and forcibly circulating external air to spray it onto the condensation panel; and A hood comprising: a structure in which the condensation panel is accommodated inside, the condensation fan is positioned at an end, and the width is formed to gradually increase along the direction of air flow so that air sprayed from the condensation fan is guided to the condensation fan; A temperature control system for an electric vehicle charger, wherein the above condensation panels are arranged in a multi-row structure along the direction of air flow sprayed from the condensation fan.
In paragraph 6, The above condensation panel is, A first condensation panel disposed in front of the above-mentioned condensation fan; and A temperature control system for an electric vehicle charger comprising: a second condensation panel disposed between the first condensation panel and the condensation fan, wherein the refrigerant remains for a relatively longer period of time compared to the first condensation panel.
In paragraph 5, The above expansion valve is, A first expansion valve that converts a high-temperature, high-pressure liquid refrigerant into a low-temperature, low-pressure liquid-gas refrigerant between the condenser and the evaporator; and A temperature control system for an electric vehicle charger comprising: a second expansion valve that converts a high-temperature, high-pressure liquid refrigerant into a low-temperature, low-pressure liquid-gas refrigerant between the condenser and the chiller.
In paragraph 8, The above refrigerant line is, A first refrigerant flow pipe connecting the compressor and the four-way valve; A second refrigerant flow pipe connecting the above-mentioned four-way valve and the above-mentioned condenser; A third refrigerant flow pipe connecting the condenser and the first expansion valve; A fourth refrigerant flow pipe connecting the third refrigerant flow pipe and the second expansion valve; A fifth refrigerant flow pipe connecting the first expansion valve and the evaporator; A sixth refrigerant flow pipe connecting the second expansion valve and the chiller; A seventh refrigerant flow pipe connecting the above evaporator and the above four-way valve; An eighth refrigerant flow pipe connecting the above chiller and the above seventh refrigerant flow pipe; A ninth refrigerant flow pipe connecting the above four-way valve and the above accumulator; and A temperature control system for an electric vehicle charger comprising: a 10th refrigerant flow pipe connecting the accumulator and the compressor.
In paragraph 4, The above-mentioned water-cooled temperature control unit is, A cooling water pump that generates a pressure difference to circulate cooling water in one direction; A reservoir tank disposed between the coolant pump and the charging cable, in which the coolant discharged from the charging cable is stored; A first cooling water flow pipe connecting the reservoir tank and the cooling water pump, and guiding the cooling water stored in the reservoir tank to the cooling water pump; A second cooling water flow pipe connecting the cooling water pump and the chiller, and guiding the cooling water discharged from the cooling water pump to the chiller; A third cooling water flow pipe connecting the above chiller and the above charging cable, and guiding the cooling water that has heat-exchanged with the refrigerant in the chiller to the above charging cable; and A temperature control system for an electric vehicle charger comprising: a fourth coolant flow pipe that connects the charging cable and the reservoir tank and guides the coolant discharged from the charging cable to the reservoir tank.

Description

Thermal management system for electric vehicle chargers The present invention relates to a thermal management system for an electric vehicle charger, and more specifically, to a thermal management system for an electric vehicle charger capable of maintaining a constant temperature of the cooling water that cools the interior of the electric vehicle charger housing and the charging cable. In general, the use of an electric vehicle charger is essential for driving an electric vehicle. An electric vehicle charger consists of a power conversion module (charger body) that converts electrical energy during charging of an electric vehicle, a connector that connects to the inlet of the electric vehicle, and a charging cable that connects the connector and the power conversion module and supplies the power converted by the power conversion module to the electric vehicle through the connector. Meanwhile, when charging an electric vehicle, the power conversion module and charging cable heat up to a high temperature due to high voltage or high current. In particular, charging cables that transmit electricity generate a significant amount of heat. Accordingly, the electric vehicle charger is equipped with a charger cable cooling system to manage the heat of the charging cable. The charger cable cooling system is configured with an insulating oil flow line that is placed inside the charging cable and through which cooling insulating oil flows, and a radiator that is connected to the insulating oil flow line and exchanges heat with the outside air to cool the insulating oil flowing in the insulating oil flow line (Patent Document 1). However, since the radiator of a conventional charger cable cooling system is configured to cool the insulating oil by exchanging heat with the outside air, the heat exchange efficiency is negligible during hot summers or in regions where temperatures are consistently high. Consequently, the charging cable is cooled while the insulating oil is not completely cooled, resulting in a problem of very low cooling efficiency of the insulating oil. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the cooling mode of a thermal management system for an electric vehicle charger according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the temperature rise mode of a thermal management system for an electric vehicle charger according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a condenser according to an embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, embodiments are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, various modifications may be made to the embodiments, and thus the scope of the patent application is not limited or restricted by these embodiments. It should be understood that all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions to the embodiments are included within the scope of the rights. Specific structural or functional descriptions of the embodiments are disclosed for illustrative purposes only and may be modified and implemented in various forms. Accordingly, the embodiments are not limited to the specific disclosed forms, and the scope of this specification includes modifications, equivalents, or substitutions that fall within the technical concept. The features of each of the various embodiments of the present invention may be combined or combined with one another, either partially or wholly, and as will be fully understood by those skilled in the art, various technical interlocking and operation are possible, and each embodiment may be implemented independently of one another or together in an interlocking relationship. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a cooling mode of a thermal management system for an electric vehicle charger according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a heating mode of a thermal management system for an electric vehicle charger according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a temperature control system (100) for an electric vehicle charger according to an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as the 'temperature control system (100) for an electric vehicle charger') includes an air-cooled temperature control unit (1) and a water-cooled temperature control unit (2). The air-cooled temperature control unit (1) controls the temperature inside the charger's housing (H) by exchanging heat between the refrigerant flowing inside and the outside air. The air-cooled temperature control unit (1) can operate in a cooling mode or a heating mode by selectively varying the flow path of the refrigerant. Additionally, the air-cooled temperature control unit (1) can selectively control the cooling mode or the heating mode of the water-cooled temperature control unit (2). The air-cooled temperature control unit (1) may include a compressor (11), a four-way valve (12), a condenser (13),