Method for filling a cooling circuit of a motor vehicle with a coolant

Abstract

A method for filling a cooling circuit of a motor vehicle with a coolant may include filling the cooling circuit with ion-free water in a water filling operation, leaving the ion-free water in the cooling circuit for a water duration of action in a water operation of action, displacing the ion-free water out of the cooling circuit via filling the cooling circuit with a passivating agent in a passivating operation, rinsing the cooling circuit with ion-free water such that the ion-free water at least dilutes the passivating agent in the cooling circuit and a liquid including at least one of the ion-free water and the passivating agent remains in the cooling circuit in a rinsing operation, displacing the liquid out of the cooling circuit via filling the cooling circuit with the coolant in a coolant filling operation, and/or fluidically sealing the cooling circuit towards an outside in a sealing operation.

Claims

1. A method for filling a cooling circuit of a motor vehicle with a coolant, the method comprising: in a water filling operation, filling the cooling circuit with ion-free water; in a water operation of action, leaving the ion-free water in the cooling circuit for a water duration of action; in a passivating operation, displacing the ion-free water out of the cooling circuit via filling the cooling circuit with a passivating agent; in a rinsing operation, rinsing the cooling circuit with ion-free water such that the ion-free water at least dilutes the passivating agent in the cooling circuit and a liquid including at least one of the ion-free water and the passivating agent remains in the cooling circuit; in a coolant filling operation, displacing the liquid out of the cooling circuit via filling the cooling circuit with the coolant; in a sealing operation, fluidically sealing the cooling circuit filled with the coolant towards an outside.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, at least one of the water filling operation and the rinsing operation, include introducing the ion-free water with a temperature of at least 80° C. into the cooling circuit.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ion-free water in at least one of the water filling operation and the rinsing operation is distilled water.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the ion-free water in at least one of the water filling operation and the rinsing operation has an electric conductivity of 5 μS/cm or less.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the water filling operation, the passivating operation, the rinsing operation, and the coolant filling operations includes sucking one of the ion-free water, the passivating agent, and the coolant into the cooling circuit via generating an under pressure on a downstream side of the cooling circuit.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, during the water operation of action, the water duration of action is 30 seconds to 15 minutes.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, in a passivating operation of action performed after the passivating operation and prior to the coolant filling operation, leaving the liquid in the cooling circuit for a passivating duration of action.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, during the passivating operation of action, the passivating duration of action is 30 seconds to 15 minutes.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the passivating operation includes introducing the passivating agent with a temperature of at least 80° C. into the cooling circuit.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the coolant filling operation includes introducing the coolant with a temperature of under 80° C. into the cooling circuit.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the coolant filling operation includes introducing the coolant into the cooling circuit and draining the coolant out of the cooling circuit until the drained coolant has an electric conductivity that is below a specified limit value.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising generating a vacuum in the cooling circuit prior to the water filling operation, and wherein the water filling operation includes filling the cooling circuit with the ion-free water when the cooling circuit is evacuated.

13. A system for filling a cooling circuit of a motor vehicle with coolant, the system comprising: an inlet connection for admitting fluid into the cooling circuit, the inlet connection configured to releasably connect to an inlet of the cooling circuit when filling the cooling circuit; an outlet connection for draining fluids out of the cooling circuit, the outlet connection configured to releasably connect to an outlet of the cooling circuit when filling the cooling circuit; a suction pump arranged downstream of the outlet connection, the suction pump configured to, during operation, suck fluid through the cooling circuit via sucking fluid through the inlet connection and the outlet connection; a water tank arranged upstream of the inlet connection and configured to hold ion-free water; a passivating agent tank arranged upstream of the inlet connection and configured to hold passivating agent; a coolant tank arranged upstream of the inlet connection and configured to hold coolant; a valve device arranged between the inlet connection and the water tank, the passivating agent tank, and the coolant tank, the valve device configured to selectively and individually fluidically connect and disconnect the water tank, the passivating agent tank, and the coolant tank to/from the inlet connection; and a control device communicatingly connected to the valve device and the suction pump, the control device configured to operate the system in accordance with the method of claim 1 to fill the cooling circuit when the inlet connection and the outlet connection are connected to the cooling circuit.

14. The system according to claim 13, further comprising a heater through which fluid is flowable, wherein: the heater is arranged between the inlet connection and at least one of the water tank, the passivating agent tank, and the coolant tank; and the heater is configured to, during operation, heat fluid flowing therethrough.

15. The system according to claim 14, further comprising: a first feeding path disposed upstream of the inlet connection, the first feeding path structured and arranged to feed at least one of the ion-free water and the passivating agent to the inlet connection through the heater; and a second feeding path disposed upstream of the inlet connection, the second feeding path structured and arranged to feed the coolant to the inlet connection outside of the heater.

16. The system according to claim 13, further comprising a neutralisation device disposed downstream of the outlet connection, the neutralization device configured to neutralise fluid flowing out of the cooling circuit.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein, at least one of the water filling operation and the rinsing operation, include introducing the ion-free water with a temperature of at least 90° C. into the cooling circuit.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein, during the water operation of action, the water duration of action is 1 minute to 10 minutes.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein the passivating operation includes introducing the passivating agent with a temperature of at least 90° C. into the cooling circuit.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein the coolant filling operation includes introducing the coolant into the cooling circuit and draining the coolant from the cooling circuit until the drained coolant has an electric conductivity that is 5 μS/cm or less.

Description

(1) Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings and are explained in more detail in the following description, wherein same reference numbers relate to same or similar or functionally same components.

(2) It shows

(3) FIG. 1 a greatly simplified circuit diagram-like representation of a system for filling a cooling circuit with a coolant;

(4) FIG. 2 a flow diagram for explaining a method for filling the cooling circuit with coolant.

(5) With a system 1, as is exemplarily shown in FIG. 1, a cooling circuit 2 of a motor vehicle 3 which is not otherwise shown is filled with coolant 4. For this purpose, the system 1 comprises an inlet connection 5 for admitting a fluid into the cooling circuit 2, which is releasably connected to an inlet 6 of the cooling circuit 2. Furthermore, the system 1 comprises an outlet connection 7 via which fluid is drained out of the cooling circuit 2, wherein the outlet connection 7 is releasably connected to an outlet 8 of the cooling circuit 2. Furthermore, the system 1 comprises a suction pump 9, in particular a vacuum suction pump 10, which during the operation sucks fluid out of the inlet connection 5 in the direction of the outlet connection 7 and thus in the state connected to the cooling circuit 2, through the cooling circuit 2. Here, the suction pump 9 is arranged downstream of the outlet connection 7. Upstream of the inlet connection 5, the system 1 comprises a coolant tank 11 for holding the coolant 4, which in particular is a water-based coolant 4. In addition, the system 1 comprises a water tank 12 upstream of the inlet connection 5 for holding ion-free water 13 in particular distilled water 14, which preferably has an electric conductivity of less than 5 μS/cm. The coolant 4 held in the coolant tank 11 has an electric conductivity which in the following is also referred to as original electric conductivity. The original electric conductivity of the coolant 4 preferentially amounts to less than 5 μS/cm. Upstream of the inlet connection 5, the system 1 furthermore comprises a passivating agent tank 15 that is separate from the water tank 12 for holding a passivating agent 16, which can comprise dicarboxylic acids and/or aminic wetting agents and/or zirconium-containing solutions. The passivating agent 16 can comprise for example dicarboxylic acids, in particular tartaric acid, in a concentration between 1 and 10%, a zirconium solution in a concentration of 0.1 to 5% as well as aminic wetting agents, in particular triethanolamine, in a concentration between 0.3 and 5%. Furthermore, the system 1 comprises a valve device 17 which is arranged between the inlet connection 5 and the tanks 11, 12, 15 and configured in such a manner that it can individually connect the respective tank 11, 12, 15 with the inlet connection 5 and thus the cooling circuit 3, so that from the respective tank 11, 12, 15 ion-free water 13, passivating agent 16 as well as coolant 4 can be individually sucked into the cooling circuit 3. In the shown exemplary embodiment, the system 1 additionally comprises a heating device 18 with which the ion-free water 13 flowing out of the water tank 12 in the direction of the inlet connection 5 and the passivating agent 16 flowing out of the passivating agent tank 15 in the direction of the inlet connection 5 can be heated. Here, the system 1 can comprise a first feeding path 19, which leads through the heating device 18 and connects the water tank 12 and the passivating agent tank 15 via the valve device 17 with the inlet connection 5. In addition, the system 1 can comprise a second feeding path 20 which runs outside the heating device 18 and connects the coolant tank 11 via the valve device 17 with the inlet connection 5. Furthermore, the system 1 can comprise a measuring device 21 with which the electric conductivity of the fluid flowing out of the cooling circuit 2 can be determined, wherein the measuring device 21 in the shown example is arranged between the suction pump 9 and the outlet connection 7. Furthermore, the system 1 comprises a control device 22 which, as indicated with dashed lines, is communicatingly connected to the valve device 17, the suction pump 9 and the measuring device 21 and the heating device 18 and configured for operating the system 1 for filling the cooling circuit 2 with coolant 4.

(6) According to the flow diagram shown in FIG. 2, the cooling circuit 2 can be filled with coolant 4. Here, ion-free water 13 out of the water tank 2 is sucked into the circuit 2 in a water filling operation 23, so that the circuit 2 is completely filled with the water 13. Preferentially, the ion-free water 13 when introduced into the cooling circuit 2, preferentially has, with the help of the heating device 18, a temperature of at least 80° C., preferentially of at least 90° C. In a following water operation of action 24, the water, with which the cooling circuit 2 is filled, is left in the cooling circuit 2 for a specified duration of action, for example between 1 minute and 10 minutes. During the water operation of action 24, the water 13 thus interacts with the interior of the cooling circuit 2 in order to free the interior of the cooling circuit 2 of dirt, contaminations and the like. At the same time, ions and/or salts from the interior of the cooling circuit 2 are absorbed in the water. In a following passivating operation 25, the water 13, which can now be ion-containing, is sucked out of the cooling circuit 2 and passivating agent 16 additionally sucked into the cooling circuit 2, so that the passivating agent 16 displaces the water 13 out of the cooling circuit 2 and the cooling circuit 2 is completely filled with the passivating agent 16. Preferably, when being introduced into the cooling circuit 2, the passivating agent 16, has, with the help of the heating device 18, an increased temperature of at least 80° C., preferentially of at least 90° C. In a following rinsing operation 26, ion-free water 13, preferentially with a temperature of at least 80° C., preferably of at least 90° C., is introduced into the cooling circuit 2 in such a manner that the passivating agent 16 present in the cooling circuit 2 is preferentially diluted. Accordingly, passivating agent 16 is simultaneously sucked out of the cooling circuit during the rinsing operation 26, wherein the inflowing ion-free water 13 partly displaces the passivating agent 16 already present in the cooling circuit 2. Following the rinsing operation 26, the cooling circuit 2 is preferably filled with a liquid of passivating agent 16 and water 13. Preferably, following the rinsing operation 26, the liquid present in the cooling circuit 2 is left, in a passivating operation of action 27, in the cooling circuit 2 for a passivating duration of action, wherein the passivating duration of action can amount to between 1 minute and 10 minutes. In a following coolant filling operation 28, coolant 4 is sucked, preferentially at ambient or normal temperature, into the cooling circuit 2 and simultaneously the liquid present in the circuit 2 sucked out in such a manner that the coolant 4 sucked into the cooling circuit 2 displaces the liquid present in the cooling circuit 2.

(7) Preferably, the coolant operation 28 is monitored in a monitoring operation 29. During the monitoring operation 29, the electric conductivity of the coolant 4 flowing out of the cooling circuit 2 is monitored. This means that during the monitoring operation 29 after the complete filling of the cooling circuit 2 with coolant 4, coolant 4 continues to be sucked into the cooling circuit 2 and the coolant 4 sucked out of the cooling circuit 2 monitored with the measuring device 21 with respect to the electric conductivity. When the coolant 4 sucked out of the cooling circuit 2 has an electric conductivity that is above a specified limit of for example 5 μS/cm, coolant 4 continues to be sucked into the cooling circuit 2. When the determined electric conductivity of the coolant 4 sucked out of the cooling circuit 2 by contrast is below the specified electric conductivity, in particular below 5 μS/cm, the cooling circuit 2 is fluidically sealed in a sealing operation 30, so that the cooling circuit 2 is filled with coolant 4 and no longer exchanges any fluid, in particular so that the inlet 6 and the outlet 8 of the cooling circuit 2 are fluidically closed.

(8) As is evident from FIG. 2, an underpressure, in particular a vacuum, can be generated prior to the water filling operation 23 during an evacuating operation 31 in the cooling circuit 2, wherein for this purpose the suction pump 9 is again employed. This means that prior to introducing the ion-free water 13 into the cooling circuit 2, fluid, in particular air, is sucked out of the cooling circuit 2 during the water filling operation 23. Preferably, ion-free water 13 is sucked during the water filling operation 23 into the cooling circuit 2 subjected to the under pressure, in particular the vacuum.

(9) As is evident from FIG. 1 furthermore can comprise a neutralisation device 32 with which the fluid sucked out of the cooling circuit 2, i.e. the water and/or the passivating agent and/or the liquid and/or the coolant is neutralised. During the neutralisation, the ion-concentration of the fluid in particular is at least reduced. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the neutralisation device 32 is arranged downstream of the suction pump 9. Here, the neutralisation device 32 can comprise a packing 33 which comprises in particular calcium and/or magnesium carbonate and/or magnesium hydroxide.