METHOD FOR FILLING A COOLING CIRCUIT OF A MOTOR VEHICLE WITH A COOLANT

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for filling a cooling circuit (2) of a motor vehicle (3) with a coolant (4). A simple filling of the cooling circuit (2) with coolant (4) and an increased operational safety are achieved in that the cooling circuit (2) is initially filled with ion-free water (13) and thereafter with a passivating agent (16), and wherein thereafter the cooling circuit (2) is rinsed with ion-free water (13) and subsequently filled with the coolant (4).

The invention, furthermore, relates to a system (1) for filling a cooling circuit (2) of a motor vehicle (3) with coolant (4).

Claims

1. A method for filling a cooling circuit (2) of a motor vehicle (3) with a coolant (4), having the following method measures: in a water filling operation (23), the cooling circuit (2) is filled with ion-free water (13), in a water operation of action (24), the water (13) is left in the cooling circuit (2) for a water duration of action, in a passivating operation (25), the cooling circuit (2) is filled with a passivating agent (16) in such a manner that the passivating agent (16) displaces the water (13) out of the cooling circuit (2), in a rinsing operation (26) the cooling circuit (2) is rinsed with ion-free water (13) in such a manner that the water (13) at least dilutes the passivating agent (16) in the cooling circuit (2) and a liquid of water (13) and/or passivating agent (16) remains in the cooling circuit (2) in a coolant filling operation (28), the cooling circuit (2) is filled with the coolant (4) in such a manner that the coolant (4) displaces the liquid of water (13) and/or passivating agent (16) out of the cooling circuit (2), in a sealing operation (30), the cooling circuit (2) filled with the coolant (4) is fluidically sealed towards the outside.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that during the water filling operation (23) and/or during the rinsing operation (26) ion-free water (13) with a temperature of at least 80° C., in particular of at least 90° C. is introduced into the cooling circuit (2).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that during the water filling operation (23) and/or during the rinsing operation (23) distilled water (14) is introduced into the cooling circuit (2).

4. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that during the water filling operation (23) and/or during the rinsing operation (26) ion-free water (13) with an electric conductivity of less than 5 μS/cm is used.

5. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 4, characterized in that during at least one of the operations (23, 25, 26, 28) the fluid introduced into the circuit (2) is sucked into the circuit (2) by generating an under pressure on the downstream side of the circuit (2).

6. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that during the water operation of action (24) the water (13) is left in the cooling circuit (2) for a water duration of action of between 30 seconds and 15 minutes, in particular between 1 minute and 10 minutes.

7. The method according to any one of the steps 1 to 6, characterized in that after the passivating operation (25) and prior to the coolant filling operation (28) the liquid of passivating agent (16) and/or water (13) is left in the cooling circuit (2) for a passivating duration of action during a passivating operation of action (27).

8. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 7, characterized in that during the passivating operation (25) passivating agent (16) with a temperature of at least 80° C., in particular of at least 90° C. is used.

9. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 8, characterized in that during the coolant filling operation (28) coolant (4) with a temperature of under 80° C., in particular with normal temperature, is introduced into the cooling circuit (2).

10. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 9, characterized in that during the coolant filling operation (29) coolant (4) is introduced into the cooling circuit (2) and drained out of the cooling circuit (2) until the drained coolant (4) has an electric conductivity that is below a specified limit value.

11. The method according to any one of the claims 1 to 10, characterized in that in the cooling circuit (2) prior to the water filling operation (23) a vacuum is generated and during the water filling operation (23) the water is filled into the evacuated cooling circuit (2).

12. A system (1) for filling a cooling circuit (2) of a motor vehicle (3) with coolant (4), having an inlet connection (5) for admitting fluid into the cooling circuit (2), which during the filling of the cooling circuit (2) is releasably connected to an inlet (6) of the cooling circuit (2), having an outlet connection (7) for draining fluids out of the cooling circuit (2), which during the filling of the cooling circuit (2) is releasably connected to an outlet (8) of the cooling circuit (2), having a suction pump (9) arranged downstream of the outlet connection (7), which during the operation sucks fluid through the inlet connection (5) and the outlet connection (7) and thus through the cooling circuit (2), having a water tank (12) arranged upstream of the inlet connection (5) for holding ion-free water (13), having a passivating agent tank (15) arranged upstream of the inlet connection (5) for holding passivating agent (16), having a coolant tank (11) arranged upstream of the inlet connection (5) for holding coolant (4), having a valve device (17) arranged between the inlet connection (5) and the tanks (11, 12, 15), which is configured in such a manner that it fluidically connects and disconnects the respective tank (11, 12, 15) individually to/from the inlet connection (5), having a control device (22) which is communicatingly connected to the valve device (17) and the suction pump (9) and configured in such a manner that it fills a cooling circuit (2) connected to the system (1) in accordance with the method according to any one of the claims 1 to 11.

13. The system according to claim 12, characterized in that between the inlet connection (5) and at least one of the tanks (11, 12, 15) a heating device (18) is arranged, which during the operation of the heating device (18) heats the fluid flowing through the heating device (18).

14. The system according to claim 13, characterized in that the system (1), upstream of the inlet connection (5), comprises a first feeding path (19) for feeding in water (13) and passivating agent (16) and a second feeding path (20) for feeding in coolant (4), in that the first feeding path (19) leads through the heating device (18) and the second feeding path (20) runs outside the heating device (18).

15. The system according to any one of the claims 12 to 14, characterized in that the system (1) comprises a neutralisation device (32) downstream of the outlet connection (7) which is configured in such a manner that it neutralises the fluid flowing out of the cooling circuit (2).

Description

[0042] 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.

[0043] It shows

[0044] FIG. 1 a greatly simplified circuit diagram-like representation of a system for filling a cooling circuit with a coolant;

[0045] FIG. 2 a flow diagram for explaining a method for filling the cooling circuit with coolant.

[0046] 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.

[0047] 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.

[0048] 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.

[0049] 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.

[0050] 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.