Cool Solution—Erev cooling

[Sockdoc]

I was intrigued by the Motortrend interview with Scott Keogh. He highlighted a “cool solution” which was “smart and well thought out” for cooling the erev engine. Using some AI to educate myself I think it would be cool and smart to have a duel loop liquid hearing management system with a single radiator and a heat exchanger between the loops.

The second loop and heat exchanger would not be necessary for the pure bev model.

For the harvester:

-allow for the erev to precondition the batteries during cold weather (when unable to plug in).
-simplify the manufacturing process by making the erev and secondary components modular.
- reduce extra loops and plumbing between the rear of the vehicle and the radiator (which are usually up front)
- reduce the need for a second radiator in the rear.

See my copied ai generated answer in the next post for more details. I am not a mechanic or engineer so I cannot validate the “truthiness” of this AI response. Curious for those of you with more experience to your thoughts.

 

[Sockdoc]

Yes, it is possible for an Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV) to have a single radiator with a heat exchanger between two cooling loops. This design is feasible and can be quite effective in managing the temperature of both the internal combustion engine (ICE) and the electric vehicle (EV) components (such as the battery pack and electric motors) in a way that simplifies the cooling system and reduces complexity.

Key Components:
1. Single Radiator: The vehicle would use a single physical radiator located in the front or another strategic location. This radiator is used to dissipate heat into the air through airflow.
2. Two Cooling Loops:
ICE Cooling Loop: One cooling loop is dedicated to the internal combustion engine (ICE) and its associated components (e.g., engine block, coolant reservoir, exhaust manifold).

EV Cooling Loop: The second cooling loop is for the electric components, such as the battery pack, electric motor, and possibly the inverter or power electronics.

3. Heat Exchanger Between the Loops: A heat exchanger would be placed between these two cooling circuits. The purpose of the heat exchanger is to allow heat transfer between the two coolant systems without them directly mixing. This can be used to share thermal energy between the two systems, ensuring that both the engine and the battery pack stay within their optimal temperature ranges.

For example, the battery pack may need to be kept cool, but it can also be beneficial to pre-heat the engine coolant in cold conditions (such as in winter) to bring the ICE to its optimal operating temperature more quickly. The heat exchanger allows for this transfer of thermal energy without directly mixing the coolants.

Benefits of a Single Radiator with Heat Exchanger:
1. Simplified Cooling System: Reduces the number of radiators and cooling circuits in the vehicle, which can save space, weight, and complexity in the cooling system.
2. Improved Efficiency: By using a heat exchanger, you can recover waste heat from one system (e.g., the ICE) to help manage the temperature of the other system (e.g., the battery or electric motor), improving overall energy efficiency.
3. Cost Savings: With fewer cooling components (such as radiators, pumps, and hoses), manufacturing costs may be reduced.
4. Enhanced Thermal Management: The heat exchanger allows for better control of the temperature in each system, helping to keep both the engine and the battery within their ideal operating temperatures.

Challenges:
1. Temperature Management Complexity: Managing the temperatures of the two cooling systems within their respective ranges could require a more sophisticated thermal management system to ensure the ICE and electric components don’t overheat or operate inefficiently.
2. Space and Design Constraints: There would need to be sufficient space in the vehicle to accommodate the heat exchanger and ensure effective heat transfer between the two systems.
3. Coolant Compatibility: The two cooling loops need to use compatible coolants or be engineered in such a way that the coolants do not cross-contaminate. This means the heat exchanger must be designed to handle different properties of the coolants in each loop (e.g., different flow rates or temperature tolerances).

Implementation Example:
• A Chevy Volt (which is an EREV) uses separate cooling loops for its ICE and electric components. While it doesn’t use a heat exchanger between these loops, the design concept is similar, where there is a dedicated system for each powertrain.

• In a single radiator, dual-loop EREV system with a heat exchanger, the electric motor and battery pack would benefit from the waste heat of the engine during colder weather, which can improve the battery’s efficiency by pre-warming it before charging or use, while also helping the engine warm up faster.

How the Heat Exchanger Works:
The coolants in each system circulate through the heat exchanger where they transfer thermal energy without mixing directly. This allows, for example, excess heat from the ICE cooling loop to flow into the EV loop, helping to warm up the battery or motor if needed (in cold weather), or helping the ICE warm up faster in a cold start situation.

Thermal control valves would likely be used to regulate which cooling loop needs more heat or needs to reject heat to the radiator, ensuring the vehicle stays within safe operating temperatures for both the engine and electric systems.

 

[AZ-TCB-Jeep]

Thought provoking post, thanks. I have not read how the Scout will be heating the cabin and the battery pack. Heat Pump or resistance heat.

Here is southern AZ cooling in the summer is priority. Our Tesla when parked in the summer and in the sun will have the Heat Pump running almost nonstop. Keeping the battery cool and cabin if we are pre cooling before driving and also if in Dog Mode or something else is on.

The size of the Extender motor is still a secret unless I missed that post. I'm hoping it will be used so in frequently that the oil will need to be change on time and not hours/miles.

 

[Sockdoc]

Thought provoking post, thanks. I have not read how the Scout will be heating the cabin and the battery pack. Heat Pump or resistance heat.

Here is southern AZ cooling in the summer is priority. Our Tesla when parked in the summer and in the sun will have the Heat Pump running almost nonstop. Keeping the battery cool and cabin if we are pre cooling before driving and also if in Dog Mode or something else is on.

The size of the Extender motor is still a secret unless I missed that post. I'm hoping it will be used so in frequently that the oil will need to be change on time and not hours/miles.

In this idea I imagine the heat pump for cabin heating/cooling would be integrated into this coolant system similar to Tesla.

I think it was revealed as a 4 cylinder engine—speculating around 80-100kw power based on current engines such as the EA211 with turbo and perhaps direct injection removed.

With the EA211 as an erev you could theoretically use the engine heat to heat the cabin more quickly than via a traditional heat pump as well as the battery.