Multi-stage thermal management systems and methods

Abstract

A multi-stage thermal management system includes a fluid loop configured to supply a chilled heat transfer fluid to a plurality of thermal loads having different cooling demands. The system includes a plurality of heat rejection components arranged in stages and fluidly coupled to the fluid loop. The plurality of heat rejection components is configured to receive a return heat transfer fluid from the plurality of thermal loads and extract heat from the return heat transfer fluid to generate the chilled heat transfer fluid. A control system is configured to selectively draw the chilled heat transfer fluid from each heat rejection component individually and to direct the chilled heat transfer fluid to the plurality of thermal loads based on the different cooling demands of the plurality of thermal loads to meet each of the different cooling demands via supply of the chilled heat transfer fluid.

1 . A multi-stage thermal management system, comprising:
 a fluid loop configured to supply a chilled heat transfer fluid to a plurality of thermal loads having different cooling demands;   a plurality of heat rejection components arranged in a plurality of stages, wherein the plurality of heat rejection components is fluidly coupled to the fluid loop, wherein the plurality of heat rejection components is configured to receive a return heat transfer fluid from the plurality of thermal loads and extract heat from the return heat transfer fluid to generate the chilled heat transfer fluid; and   a control system configured to selectively draw the chilled heat transfer fluid from each heat rejection component of the plurality of heat rejection components individually and to direct the chilled heat transfer fluid to the plurality of thermal loads via the fluid loop based on the different cooling demands of the plurality of thermal loads to meet each of the different cooling demands via supply of the chilled heat transfer fluid.   
     
     
         2 . The multi-stage thermal management system of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of thermal loads comprises one or more low temperature thermal loads having a first target temperature set-point and one or more high temperature thermal loads having a second target temperature set-point different than the first target temperature set-point. 
     
     
         3 . The multi-stage thermal management system of  claim 2 , comprising a plurality of valves fluidly coupled to the plurality of heat rejection components, the one or more low temperature thermal loads, and the one or more high temperature thermal loads, wherein the control system is configured to control the plurality of valves to selectively direct chilled heat transfer fluid discharged from a first heat rejection component of the plurality of heat rejection components associated with a first selected stage of the plurality of stages to a first heat exchanger of the one or more low temperature thermal loads based on the first target temperature set-point. 
     
     
         4 . The multi-stage thermal management system of  claim 3 , wherein the control system is configured to control the plurality of valves to selectively direct chilled heat transfer fluid discharged from a second heat rejection component of the plurality of heat rejection components associated with a second selected stage of the plurality of stages to a second heat exchanger of the one or more high temperature thermal loads based on the second target temperature set-point. 
     
     
         5 . The multi-stage thermal management system of  claim 4 , wherein the first heat exchanger of the one or more low temperature thermal loads is configured to reject heat to the chilled heat transfer fluid to generate the return heat transfer fluid, wherein the control system is configured to control the plurality of valves based on the second target temperature set-point of the one or more high temperature thermal loads to direct a portion of the return heat transfer fluid discharged from the first heat exchanger of the one or more low temperature thermal loads to the second heat exchanger of the one or more high temperature thermal loads. 
     
     
         6 . The multi-stage thermal management system of  claim 1 , wherein the control system is configured to selectively activate one or more heat rejection components of the plurality of heat rejection components based on one or more efficiency parameters. 
     
     
         7 . The multi-stage thermal management system of  claim 6 , wherein the one or more efficiency parameters comprise a cost of electrical energy, a cost of water, a temperature of ambient air surrounding the multi-stage thermal management system, a humidity level of the ambient air, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The multi-stage thermal management system of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of stages comprises:
 a base stage comprising a first heat rejection component of the plurality of heat rejection components; and   a first stage comprising a second heat rejection component of the plurality of heat rejection components, and   wherein the control system is configured to:
 operate the base stage without operating the first stage to supply the chilled heat transfer fluid to the plurality of thermal loads; and 
 operate the base stage and the first stage based on a determination that the chilled heat transfer fluid discharged by the first heat rejection component does not satisfy the different cooling demands of the plurality of thermal loads. 
   
     
     
         9 . The multi-stage thermal management system of  claim 1 , comprising a plurality of skids, wherein one or more of the plurality of heat rejection components is mounted to a first skid of the plurality of skids and one or more of the plurality of thermal loads is mounted to a second skid of the plurality of skids. 
     
     
         10 . A multi-stage thermal management system, comprising:
 a fluid loop configured to supply a chilled heat transfer fluid to a plurality of thermal loads having different cooling demands, wherein each thermal load of the plurality of thermal loads comprises a respective heat exchanger configured to reject heat to the chilled heat transfer fluid to produce return heat transfer fluid;   a plurality of heat rejection components arranged in a plurality of stages, wherein the plurality of heat rejection components is fluidly coupled to the fluid loop, wherein the plurality of heat rejection components is configured to extract thermal energy from the return heat transfer fluid to produce the chilled heat transfer fluid; and   a control system configured to adjust a valve system of the fluid loop to selectively direct a portion of the return heat transfer fluid to a heat rejection component of the plurality of heat rejection components associated with a selected stage of the plurality of stages based on a return temperature of the portion of the return heat transfer fluid.   
     
     
         11 . The multi-stage thermal management system of  claim 10 , wherein the control system is configured to:
 receive, from a first sensor, data indicative of the return temperature;   receive, from a second sensor, data indicative of a first temperature of chilled heat transfer fluid discharged from the heat rejection component associated with the selected stage of the plurality of stages via a conduit; and   adjust the valve system to direct the portion of the return heat transfer fluid along the fluid loop and into the conduit in response to a determination that the return temperature is less than the first temperature.   
     
     
         12 . The multi-stage thermal management system of  claim 11 , wherein the control system is configured to:
 receive, from a third sensor, data indicative of a second temperature of chilled heat transfer fluid discharged from an additional heat rejection component of the plurality of heat rejection components associated with an additional stage of the plurality of stages and directed into the heat rejection component associated with the selected stage via an additional conduit; and   adjust the valve system to direct the portion of the return heat transfer fluid along the fluid loop and into the additional conduit in response to a determination that the return temperature is greater than the first temperature and less than the second temperature.   
     
     
         13 . The multi-stage thermal management system of  claim 10 , wherein the plurality of thermal loads comprises:
 a low temperature thermal load having one or more first heat exchangers; and   a high temperature thermal load having one or more second heat exchangers,   wherein the control system is configured to adjust the valve system to:
 direct a first amount of return heat transfer fluid discharged from the one or more first heat exchangers along the fluid loop to the selected stage as the portion of the return heat transfer fluid; and 
 direct a second amount of return heat transfer fluid discharged from the one or more first heat exchangers along the fluid loop to the one or more second heat exchangers. 
   
     
     
         14 . The multi-stage thermal management system of  claim 13 , wherein the control system is configured to adjust flow of the second amount of return heat transfer fluid to the one or more second heat exchangers based on the return temperature, an additional temperature of mixed heat transfer fluid directed toward the one or more second heat exchangers, and a target temperature set-point of the one or more second heat exchangers. 
     
     
         15 . The multi-stage thermal management system of  claim 10 , wherein the control system is configured to selectively activate at least one heat rejection component of one or more stages of the plurality of stages based on the different cooling demands of the plurality of thermal loads, wherein the one or more stages comprise the selected stage. 
     
     
         16 . A multi-stage thermal management system, comprising:
 a fluid loop configured to supply chilled heat transfer fluid to a plurality of heat exchangers, wherein the plurality of heat exchangers is configured to reject heat to the chilled heat transfer fluid to produce and discharge a return heat transfer fluid;   a plurality of stages of heat rejection components fluidly coupled to the fluid loop, wherein the plurality of stages of heat rejection components is configured to extract thermal energy from the return heat transfer fluid to generate the chilled heat transfer fluid; and   a control system configured to adjust a valve system of the fluid loop to selectively direct a portion of the return heat transfer fluid to a selected stage of the plurality of stages of heat rejection components based on a return temperature of the portion of the return heat transfer fluid and respective temperatures of chilled heat transfer fluid discharged from the plurality of stages of heat rejection components.   
     
     
         17 . The multi-stage thermal management system of  claim 16 , wherein the plurality of stages of heat rejection components comprises:
 a base stage configured to receive a first flow of return heat transfer fluid from the plurality of heat exchangers and to discharge a second flow of chilled heat transfer fluid; and   a first stage configured to receive the second flow of chilled heat transfer fluid,   wherein the control system is configured to adjust the valve system to mix the portion of the return heat transfer fluid with the first flow of return heat transfer fluid in response to a determination that the return temperature exceeds a corresponding temperature of the second flow of chilled heat transfer fluid.   
     
     
         18 . The multi-stage thermal management system of  claim 17 , wherein the control system is configured to adjust the valve system to mix the portion of the return heat transfer fluid with the second flow of chilled heat transfer fluid in response to a determination that the return temperature is less than or equal to the corresponding temperature of the second flow of chilled heat transfer fluid. 
     
     
         19 . The multi-stage thermal management system of  claim 16 , wherein plurality of stages of heat rejection components comprises a heat recovery heat exchanger, a dry economizer, a wet economizer, and a chiller system. 
     
     
         20 . The multi-stage thermal management system of  claim 19 , wherein, in response to a determination that the heat recovery heat exchanger does not satisfy a cooling demand of the plurality of thermal loads, the control system is configured to activate one or more of the dry economizer, the wet economizer, and the chiller system based on one or more efficiency parameters of the multi-stage thermal management system to generate the chilled heat transfer fluid.