State of the art temperature and flow control for the automotive industry.
Over the last couple of years, the demand for electric vehicles (EVs) has increased rapidly, and this development is set to continue over the next few years. In order to ensure the function and safety of the vehicle technology and batteries, various tests are required. Whether it is aging tests, safety tests or end-of-line testing, temperatures play a decisive role within each and, depending on the application, range from -45°C to 150°C.
TESTING WITH UNIMOTIVE
Peter Huber Kältemaschinenbau’s Unimotive range was developed for exactly these different types of tests. Capable of covering capacities from 14kW up to 35kW at a flow temperature of 20°C and from 0.8kW up to 8.5kW at a flow temperature of -40°C, the range is optimised for the use of water/glysantine with a mixing ration of 50/50 or 40/60.
The Unimotive XT range is specifically designed for applications in the automotive industry and is suitable for working temperatures of up to 150°C when operating with water-glycol. According to the motto “keep it simple” no external infrastructure is required to achieve the temperature. The Unimotive XT series operates with a variable system pressure and thus sets new standards. The required overpressure can be preset to a fixed value or, depending on the boiling pressure, as a ramp. Besides this function, the expansion tank is pressure-less, which simplifies the risk assessment.
The new Unimotive GL model series (Green Line) operates with the natural refrigerant carbon dioxide (CO2) and offers a 100% environmentally friendly alternative to units with synthetic refrigerants. CO2 is a natural component of air and, in contrast to synthetically produced refrigerants, has a GWP of 1. This product line is also available in the XT variant with temperatures of up to 150°C. Due to the climate-friendly refrigerant, the carbon footprint can be kept as low as possible throughout the entire production cycle.
The standard version of the Unimotive series is equipped with a TFT and the interfaces ethernet, RS232 and host. An external PT100 sensor enables an exact temperature at the test sample. The OPC-US, EtherCAT-Gatway, Profinet-Gateway and other protocols enable an easy integration into a superior control system.
THE FLOW CONTROL CUBE
In addition to temperature, flow measurement and control also play an important role when testing batteries. The Flow Control Cube (M)-FCC has been developed for testing flow measurement and control. The FCC can be placed either directly on the device or next to it on the floor. By means of an ethernet interface, integration and control via a control system is poccible. Depending on the model, a flow range from 0.2 litres per minute to 95 litres per minute can be covered. The accuracy of the flow control is up to +/-0.1 litres per minute.
AUTOMATED DRAIN AND REFILL
Using Huber’s Automated Drain and Refill (ADR) solution, it is possible to drain the application by using compressed air and to change it in a time-saving manner due to the quick coupling. The drained thermofluid is returned to the temperature control unit and reused. The application can be automatically refilled with the thermofluid and then started again.
Stefan Binz is the Strategic Product Manager at Peter Huber Kältemaschinenbau.
