Methods and systems are provided for operating a climate control system. In one example, a method for operating a vehicle climate control system includes modeling a pressure in a heat pump downstream of an exterior heat exchanger an upstream of an expansion valve. The method also includes operating the expansion valve to cool a vehicle cabin using the modeled pressure in conjunction with a temperature from a sensor positioned upstream of the expansion valve and downstream of the exterior heat exchanger.

A heat pump system, comprising a compressor, a first heat exchanger, a second heat exchanger, a third heat exchanger, an intermediate heat exchanger, a first throttling element and a first valve member, wherein the intermediate heat exchanger comprises a first heat exchange portion and second heat exchange portion that may carry out heat exchange; a first port of the first heat exchange portion communicates with an inlet of the compressor; a second port of the first heat exchange portion may communicate with at least one among an outlet of the second heat exchanger and a second port of the third heat exchanger; and a first port of the second heat exchange portion may communicate with a first port of the third heat exchanger.

A system for a vehicle includes a cooling apparatus including a radiator, a first water pump, a first valve, and a reservoir tank which are connected through a coolant line, the cooling apparatus configured to circulate a coolant in the coolant line to cool at least one electrical component, a battery cooling apparatus including a battery coolant line connected to the coolant line through a second valve, and a second water pump and a battery module which are connected through the battery coolant line, a heating apparatus including a heating line connected to the coolant line through a third valve, a third water pump provided on the heating line, and a heater, an air conditioner including a condenser that is connected to the heating line, and a chiller provided in the battery coolant line between the second valve and the battery module.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a refrigerant management system (10) in a heat flux management system (1) for an electric vehicle (150) and a method of refrigerant management, the system comprising a vehicle air conditioning circuit comprising a heat pump circuit (4) with a heating function and a refrigeration cycle refrigerant circuit (6), the air conditioning circuit comprising a heat pump condenser (17) in thermal communication with a heat source (19), a refrigerant evaporator (25) in thermal communication with the heat source (19), an evaporator (31) associated with an expansion valve (29), and a refrigerant compressor (11), wherein the components are fluidly connected to one another by a refrigerant line (9), an accumulator (37) fluidly coupled in the refrigerant line downstream of the heat pump condenser (17), the refrigerant evaporator (25) and evaporator (31) and upstream of the refrigerant compressor (11),

wherein the air conditioning circuit is switchable between a heating mode in which the heat pump circuit (4) is in fluid communication with the compressor (11) and the heat pump condenser (17) is isolated from fluid communication with the compressor (11) and a cooling mode wherein the refrigerant circuit (6) is in fluid communication with the compressor by actuation of at least one valve (15, 21, 41, 47);
wherein the air conditioning circuit comprises a sensor (39) at the compressor inlet (239) operable to monitor refrigerant temperature and pressure; and
wherein when the system is in the heating mode, a shut off valve 41 in line between the heat pump condenser (17) and the accumulator (37) is operable to open to initiate a cold start mode in which a temporary fluid communication is provided between the heat pump condenser (17) and the accumulator in the heat pump circuit when:
the sensor (39) detects one or both of: a superheated refrigerant at the compressor inlet (239) and a temperature gradient of more than 3 Kelvin between ambient (T3) and the compressor inlet (239).

A heat pump system for a vehicle utilizes one chiller in which a coolant and a refrigerant are heat-exchanged to adjust a temperature of a battery module, and utilizes a sub-centralized energy module with waste heat of an electrical component in a heating mode of the vehicle to improve heating efficiency.

An integrated thermal management module may include a first pump for flowing coolant of an indoor heating line for connecting a first heat exchanger heat-exchanged with a condenser of a refrigerant line and an indoor air-conditioning heating core, a second pump for flowing coolant of an indoor cooling line for connecting a second heat exchanger heat-exchanged with an evaporator of a refrigerant line and an indoor air-conditioning cooling core, a fourth pump for flowing coolant of a battery line for connecting a high-voltage battery core and a third radiator, a first valve simultaneously connected to a second radiator line for connecting the first heat exchanger and a second radiator, the indoor heating line, and the battery line to change flow direction of the coolant, and a second valve simultaneously connected to the indoor cooling line and the battery line to change flow direction of the coolant.

A thermal management system includes a refrigerant line including a compressor, a water-cooled condenser, and a cooling core for indoor air conditioning connected to the water-cooled condenser such that refrigerant emerging from the water-cooled condenser is introduced into the cooling core for indoor air conditioning, and a battery line including a high-voltage battery heat exchanging module and a heater core for indoor air conditioning. The battery line is connected to the refrigerant line through the water-cooled condenser in a heat exchangeable manner such that the high-voltage battery heat exchanging module and the heater core for indoor air conditioning are connected in parallel to the water-cooled condenser via a first valve to cause cooling water heated while passing through the water-cooled condenser to be selectively introduced into the high-voltage battery heat exchanging module or the heater core for indoor air conditioning.

An air-conditioning system for a motor vehicle may include at least two indirect heat exchangers through each of which both water and air is flowable. The water and the air may be fluidically separated from one another such that heat is transferable therebetween. The system may also include a warm water supply, a cold water supply, and at least two temperature-control devices each including a respective indirect heat exchanger of the at least two indirect heat exchangers. The warm and/or cold water supply may be in fluid communication with the at least two indirect heat exchangers. At least one indirect heat exchanger of the at least two indirect heat exchangers may communicate with the warm water supply and the cold water supply via an adjustable and controllable valve device such that a mixing ratio of a mixture of the warm water and the cold water introduced therein is adjustable.

In a situation where a temperature in a motor compartment is higher than a temperature of outside air, an inside air introduction rate increasing control is performed in which an inside air introduction rate is changed to be increased on a condition that there is no request for warming an inside of the vehicle cabin, the air conditioner is off, and air is being blown in an outside air introduction mode, and on the other hand, the inside air introduction rate increasing control is prohibited on a condition that there is a request for warming the inside of the vehicle cabin, the vehicular air conditioner is off, and air is being blown in the outside air introduction mode. In this way, heating efficiency can be improved by effectively utilizing the heat in the motor compartment to contribute to warming the inside of the vehicle cabin.

A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system of a vehicle increases air-conditioning efficiency by inhibiting a waste of cooling/heating energy by individually performing air-conditioning for seats, depending on whether there are passengers sitting in the seats and then increases the range of an electric vehicle due to the increase in air-conditioning efficiency.