US 12,084,993 B1
Thermal accumulator assembly
Matthew T Bartlett, Northville, MI (US); Michael Wiland, Washington, MI (US); and Tim Scott, Charlottesville, VA (US)
Assigned to FCA US LLC, Auburn Hills, MI (US)
Filed by FCA US LLC, Auburn Hills, MI (US)
Filed on Mar. 30, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/192,784.
Int. Cl. F01K 9/00 (2006.01); F01K 3/10 (2006.01); F01K 11/02 (2006.01); F01K 25/14 (2006.01); F01K 27/02 (2006.01)
CPC F01K 9/00 (2013.01) [F01K 3/10 (2013.01); F01K 11/02 (2013.01); F01K 25/14 (2013.01); F01K 27/02 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A thermal accumulator assembly (TAA) for a vehicle waste heat recovery system (WHRS) utilizing a two-phase coolant, the TAA comprising:
a hermetically sealed housing having a separator plate dividing an interior of the housing into a higher pressure first chamber and a lower pressure second chamber; and
an expander generator disposed between the first and second chambers and including an expander operably coupled to a motor generator,
wherein the first chamber is configured as a reservoir for the two-phase coolant,
wherein the expander is configured to receive a flow of vapor coolant from the first chamber to generate power via the motor generator, and
wherein an inlet port is connected to the first chamber and configured to receive a first supply of coolant from a heat generating component of the WHRS.