JP7029754B2 - Coolant and cooling device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a coolant and a cooling device.

Conventionally, an antifreeze solution containing ethylene glycol as a main component has been used as a cooling material for cooling a prime mover (for example, an engine) mounted on a vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The performance required as a coolant includes having a freezing point of −30 ° C. or lower. An antifreeze solution containing ethylene glycol as a main component has this performance.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-179756

However, conventional cooling materials, that is, antifreeze containing ethylene glycol as a main component, are highly toxic and may have an adverse effect on the human body.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a coolant and a cooling device capable of reducing an adverse effect on the human body.

In order to solve the above problems, the coolant according to the present invention is
It is a coolant for cooling the prime mover mounted on the vehicle.
Without containing ethylene glycol
It is characterized by containing a polyol ester, which is a lubricating oil having a freezing point of −70 ° C. or lower, as a main component.

In the above coolant
A magnetically functional material is dispersed in the polyol ester.
It is preferable that the magnetically functional material has an average particle size of 10 μm or less and has a temperature-sensitive property in which magnetization decreases as the temperature rises in the normal temperature range.

In order to solve the above problems, the cooling device according to the embodiment of the present invention is
It is a cooling device for cooling the prime mover mounted on the vehicle.
A coolant containing a polyol ester, which is a lubricating oil with a freezing point of -70 ° C or lower, without containing ethylene glycol.
The coolant flow path that circulates the coolant and the coolant flow path.
A pump for flowing the coolant in the coolant flow path,
Equipped with
The pump is characterized by being a gear pump in which the coolant is flowed by gears.

In order to solve the above problems, the cooling device according to another embodiment of the present invention is provided.
It is a cooling device for cooling the prime mover mounted on the vehicle.
It does not contain ethylene glycol, contains a polyol ester that is a lubricating oil with a freezing point of -70 ° C or lower, has an average particle size of 10 μm or less, and has a temperature-sensitive characteristic in which magnetization decreases as the temperature rises in the normal temperature range. Cooling material in which magnetic functional materials are dispersed, and
The coolant flow path that circulates the coolant and the coolant flow path.
A cooling unit provided in the coolant flow path to cool the coolant, and
It is characterized by comprising a magnetic field generating portion for generating a magnetic field in a first region in the cooling portion and a second region outside the cooling portion adjacent to the first region.

The above cooling device
A pump for flowing the coolant in the coolant flow path is further provided.
The pump can be configured to be a gear pump in which the coolant is flowed by gears.

The above cooling device
It can be configured not to include a pump for flowing the coolant in the coolant flow path.

In the above cooling device
The prime mover comprises the motor and an inverter that drives the motor.
The cooling unit is provided adjacent to the inverter and is provided adjacent to the inverter.
The magnetic field generating unit can be configured to generate a magnetic field in the inverter which is the second region.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a coolant and a cooling device capable of reducing an adverse effect on the human body.

It is a figure which shows the cooling device for an engine which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the cooling device for a motor which concerns on 1st Embodiment. (A) is a figure for demonstrating the magnetic drive effect in a flow path. (B) is a distribution diagram of a magnetic field and magnetization in the flow path of (A). It is a figure which shows the cooling device for an engine which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the cooling device for a motor which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the coolant and the cooling device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[First Embodiment]
(Coolant)
The coolant according to the present embodiment is for cooling a prime mover (for example, an engine or a motor) mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile. The cooling material according to the present embodiment is an antifreeze solution containing a polyol ester (POE), which is a lubricating oil having a freezing point of −70 ° C. or lower, as a main component (for example, containing 60% by volume or more) without containing ethylene glycol. As such a polyol ester, for example, neopentyl glycol diester can be used.

Since the polyol ester of the present embodiment has a freezing point of −70 ° C. or lower as described above, it satisfies the performance required as a coolant (having a freezing point of −30 ° C. or lower). Further, the polyol ester can have a viscosity similar to that of ethylene glycol, but unlike ethylene glycol, it has a weak toxicity and there is almost no possibility of adversely affecting the human body. Further, the polyol ester is superior to ethylene glycol in lubricity, heat resistance, low temperature fluidity, flame retardancy and biodegradability.

Therefore, according to the cooling material according to the present embodiment, since ethylene glycol is not contained, the adverse effect on the human body can be reduced. Moreover, since the coolant according to the present embodiment contains a polyol ester as a main component, it is possible to realize energy saving and a long life as a coolant.

(Cooling device for engine)
Next, as a cooling device according to the present embodiment, an engine cooling device for cooling an engine mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile will be described.

FIG. 1 shows an engine cooling device 1A according to the present embodiment. The engine cooling device 1A uses the coolant according to the present embodiment to cool the engine 2. The engine cooling device 1A includes an annular coolant flow path 3 for circulating the coolant, a pump 4 for flowing the coolant in the coolant flow path 3, and a radiator 5 for cooling the coolant (in the present invention). It includes a "cooling unit") and a valve 6 that switches the flow path according to the temperature of the coolant.

The pump 4, the valve 6, and most of the coolant flow path 3 (the right portion of the valve 6) are provided in the engine 2. A part of the radiator 5 and the cooling material flow path 3 (a portion connecting the valve 6 and the radiator 5) is provided outside the engine 2.

The valve 6 includes a temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the coolant. The valve 6 switches the path so that the coolant passes through the inside and outside of the engine 2 when the coolant temperature is higher than the preset predetermined temperature, while the coolant temperature is preset to the predetermined temperature. If it is lower than, the route is switched so that the coolant circulates only in the engine 2.

The pump 4 is a gear pump in which the coolant is flowed by gears. When the cooling material is an antifreeze solution containing ethylene glycol as a main component, a turbo pump is generally used because ethylene glycol cannot be flowed by a gear pump because the lubricity of ethylene glycol is low. On the other hand, since the engine cooling device 1A according to the present embodiment uses an antifreeze liquid containing a polyol ester as a main component without containing ethylene glycol, a gear pump can be used as the pump 4.

Since the gear pump is smaller than the turbo pump, according to the engine cooling device 1A according to the present embodiment, the size of the entire device can be reduced as compared with the conventional engine cooling device using a cooling material made of ethylene glycol. It will be possible.

(Cooling device for motor)
Next, as a cooling device according to the present embodiment, a motor cooling device for cooling a motor mounted on a vehicle such as an electric vehicle and an inverter for driving the motor will be described.

FIG. 2 shows a motor cooling device 11A according to the present embodiment. The motor cooling device 11A uses the cooling material according to the present embodiment to cool the motor 12a and the inverter 12b. The motor cooling device 11A includes an annular cooling material flow path 13 for circulating the cooling material, a pump 14 for flowing the cooling material in the cooling material flow path 13, and a radiator 15 for cooling the cooling material (in the present invention). Corresponds to the "cooling unit").

The motor cooling device 11A uses a gear pump as the pump 14 as in the engine cooling device 1A described above. Therefore, according to the motor cooling device 11A according to the present embodiment, the entire device can be downsized as compared with the conventional engine cooling device using a cooling material made of ethylene glycol.

[Second Embodiment]
(Coolant)
The coolant according to the present embodiment is for cooling a prime mover (for example, an engine or a motor) mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile. The cooling material according to the present embodiment is an antifreeze liquid containing a polyol ester as a main component (for example, containing 60% by volume or more), which is a lubricating oil having a freezing point of −70 ° C. or lower, without containing ethylene glycol. It is common with one embodiment.

Therefore, according to the cooling material according to the present embodiment, since ethylene glycol is not contained, the adverse effect on the human body can be reduced. Moreover, since the coolant according to the present embodiment contains a polyol ester as a main component, it is possible to realize energy saving and a long life as a coolant.

On the other hand, the coolant according to the present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the magnetically functional material is dispersed in the polyol ester. The magnetically functional material of the present embodiment has a magnetic particle having an average particle size of 10 μm or less and having a temperature-sensitive property in which magnetization decreases as the temperature rises in the normal temperature range (for example, 5 ° C to 35 ° C) (for example). , Manganese-zinc ferrite). The magnetically functional material may be a magnetic fluid in which the magnetic particles are dispersed in a mother liquor (for example, water).

Magnetically functional materials behave as magnetized substances when a magnetic field is applied. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when a symmetrical magnetic field H is applied using a magnet, the magnetically functional material has a magnetization M corresponding to the magnetic field H. Here, when one region of the magnetic field H (the region on the left side of FIG. 3) is cooled by the cooling unit, the magnetic functional material of the present embodiment has a temperature-sensitive characteristic, so that the magnetization M of the magnetic functional material is changed. In the region on one side of the cooled magnetic field H, it becomes larger than the region on the other side (the region on the right side in FIG. 3). As a result, the magnetic body force F1 in the region on one side becomes larger than the magnetic body force F2 in the region on the other side, and a driving force (magnetic driving effect) from the left side to the right side in FIG. 3 is generated.

Therefore, since the coolant according to the present embodiment contains a magnetically functional material having a temperature-sensitive characteristic, the fluidity of the coolant can be improved by utilizing the magnetic driving effect.

(Cooling device for engine)
Next, as a cooling device according to the present embodiment, an engine cooling device for cooling an engine mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile will be described.

FIG. 4 shows the engine cooling device 1B according to the present embodiment. The engine cooling device 1B uses the coolant according to the second embodiment. The engine cooling device 1B is an engine cooling device 1A according to the first embodiment to which a magnet 7 (corresponding to the “magnetic field generating portion” of the present invention) is added.

As the magnet 7, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a pair of permanent magnets arranged in parallel with different poles can be used. The magnet 7 is provided so as to generate a magnetic field in a first region inside the radiator 5 and a second region outside the radiator 5 adjacent to the first region.

Specifically, the magnet 7 includes a radiator 5 and a cooling material flow path 3 connecting the radiator 5 and the pump 4 (in FIG. 4, a cooling material flow path 3 connecting the radiator 5 and the valve 6). , Are provided above and / or below both so as to generate a magnetic field. By providing the magnet 7 in this way, the magnetization M of the magnetically functional material becomes larger in the region inside the radiator 5 than in the region inside the cooling material flow path 3 outside the radiator 5. As a result, the magnetic body force in the region inside the radiator 5 becomes larger than the magnetic body force in the region inside the cooling material flow path 3 outside the radiator 5, and the driving force toward the pump 4 from the radiator 5 (magnetic drive effect). Occurs.

Therefore, according to the engine cooling device 1B according to the present embodiment, since the fluidity of the coolant can be improved by utilizing the magnetic drive effect, a gear pump smaller than that of the first embodiment is used as the pump 4. can do. Further, depending on the required fluidity, it is possible to omit the pump 4 and realize an engine cooling device without the pump 4.

(Cooling device for motor)
Next, as a cooling device according to the present embodiment, a motor cooling device for cooling a motor mounted on a vehicle such as an electric vehicle and an inverter for driving the motor will be described.

FIG. 5 shows a motor cooling device 11B according to the present embodiment. The motor cooling device 11B uses the coolant according to the second embodiment. The motor cooling device 11B changes the position of the radiator 15 of the motor cooling device 11A according to the first embodiment to the vicinity of the upstream side of the inverter 12b, and adds a magnet 17 (corresponding to the "magnetic field generator" of the present invention). It was done.

By arranging the radiator 15 and the inverter 12b in this order along the flow direction of the cooling material, the cooling material in the radiator 15 is cooled, while the cooling material in the inverter 12b is heated by the heat of the inverter 12b. This causes a non-uniform temperature distribution.

As the magnet 17, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a pair of permanent magnets arranged in parallel with different poles can be used. The magnet 17 is provided on the upper side and / or the lower side of both so as to generate a magnetic field in the first region in the radiator 15 and the second region in the inverter 12b adjacent to the first region.

By providing the magnet 17 in this way, the magnetization M of the magnetically functional material becomes larger in the region in the radiator 15 than in the region in the inverter 12b. As a result, the magnetic body force in the region inside the radiator 15 becomes larger than the magnetic body force in the region inside the inverter 12b, and a driving force (magnetic drive effect) from the radiator 15 toward the inverter 12b is generated.

Therefore, according to the motor cooling device 11B according to the present embodiment, since the fluidity of the coolant can be improved by utilizing the magnetic drive effect, a gear pump smaller than that of the first embodiment is used as the pump 14. can do. Further, depending on the required fluidity, the pump 14 can be omitted to realize a motor cooling device without a pump.

Although the embodiments of the coolant and the cooling device according to the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to each of the above embodiments.

For example, the configuration, arrangement, and number of magnets 7 and 17 can be appropriately changed. For example, in the above embodiment, a permanent magnet is used, but an electromagnet may be used. Further, in the above embodiment, one magnet 7 and 17 is used, but two or more magnets 7 and 17 may be used.

Further, the cooling material according to the present invention is a cooling material for cooling a prime mover mounted on a vehicle, and is mainly composed of a polyol ester which is a lubricating oil having a freezing point of −70 ° C. or lower without containing ethylene glycol. If so, the configuration can be changed as appropriate.

If the coolant using the coolant according to the first embodiment includes a coolant flow path and a gear pump, the configuration can be appropriately changed. If the coolant using the coolant according to the second embodiment includes a coolant flow path, a coolant for cooling the coolant, and a magnetic field generating unit, the configuration may be appropriately changed. can.

1A, 1B Engine cooling device 2 Engine 3 Cooling material flow path 4 Pump 5 Radiator 6 Valve 7 Magnet 11A, 11B Motor cooling device 12a Motor 12b Inverter 13 Cooling material flow path 14 Pump 15 Radiator 17 Magnet

Claims (5)

It is a coolant for cooling the prime mover mounted on the vehicle.
Without containing ethylene glycol
The main component is a polyol ester, which is a lubricating oil with a freezing point of -70 ° C or lower.
A magnetically functional material is dispersed in the polyol ester.
The magnetically functional material has an average particle size of 10 μm or less, and has a temperature-sensitive property in which magnetization decreases as the temperature rises in the normal temperature range.
A coolant characterized by that. It is a cooling device for cooling the prime mover mounted on the vehicle.
It does not contain ethylene glycol, contains a polyol ester that is a lubricating oil with a freezing point of -70 ° C or lower, has an average particle size of 10 μm or less, and has a temperature-sensitive characteristic in which magnetization decreases as the temperature rises in the normal temperature range. Cooling material in which magnetic functional materials are dispersed, and
The coolant flow path that circulates the coolant and the coolant flow path.
A cooling unit provided in the coolant flow path to cool the coolant, and
A cooling device comprising: a magnetic field generating unit for generating a magnetic field in a first region in the cooling unit and a second region outside the cooling unit adjacent to the first region. A pump for flowing the coolant in the coolant flow path is further provided.
The cooling device according to claim 2 , wherein the pump is a gear pump in which the coolant is flowed by gears. The cooling device according to claim 2 , further comprising no pump for flowing the coolant in the coolant flow path. The prime mover comprises the motor and an inverter that drives the motor.
The cooling unit is provided adjacent to the inverter and is provided adjacent to the inverter.
The cooling device according to claim 2 , wherein the magnetic field generating unit generates a magnetic field in the inverter which is the second region.

Images