DE102018005828A1 - Tank for a motor vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a tank (10) for a motor vehicle, comprising a heating device (16) for heating a medium that can be introduced into the tank (10), in particular a reducing agent that can be introduced into the tank (10) for an exhaust aftertreatment device of the motor vehicle. The heating device (16) comprises a plurality of wall elements (18) arranged in the tank (10), which are designed to emit heat in a heating operation of the heating device (16). The wall elements (18) are further adapted to hinder movements of the medium within the tank (10).

Description

The invention relates to a tank for a motor vehicle, comprising a heating device for heating a medium which can be introduced into the tank.

The DE 10 2011 112 326 A1 describes a device for providing liquid reducing agent, which has a tank with an interior. In the interior of a container is arranged, in which a conveyor unit is located. The container is surrounded by a permeable particle screen. The particle screen can be designed as a heater or provided with a heater. Furthermore, elements may be arranged on the particle screen which have a heating and serve to calm and to retain reducing agent.

Furthermore, tanks, such as are used for receiving a reducing agent for the exhaust aftertreatment in a motor vehicle, have separate auxiliary heaters in the interior of the tank. Due to such additional heaters, however, on the one hand tank volume is lost. On the other hand, when the booster heater is operated and the reductant in the tank is frozen, only the area around the booster heater is thawed.

As additional heating, a surface heating can be provided which is attached to a bottom of the tank. In such an arrangement, a portion of the heat given off by the heater is released through the container bottom into the environment and is thus lost. In addition, such surface heating must be redesigned and designed depending on the shape of the tank. This is very expensive.

Object of the present invention is therefore to provide a tank of the type mentioned, which has improved or enhanced functionality.

This object is achieved by a tank having the features of patent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments with expedient developments of the invention are specified in the dependent claims.

The tank according to the invention for a motor vehicle comprises a heating device for heating a medium which can be introduced into the tank. The medium may in particular be a reducing agent for an exhaust aftertreatment device of the motor vehicle which can be introduced into the tank. The heating device comprises a plurality of wall elements arranged in the tank, which are designed to emit heat in a heating operation of the heating device. Furthermore, the wall elements are designed to hinder movements of the medium within the tank.

The wall elements are arranged in the tank such that movements of the medium within the tank are particularly largely prevented. As a result, the tank has improved functionality. For on the one hand can be thawed on the at least two wall elements around the respective wall element around the medium by the heater is placed in the heating mode. In addition, the sloshing behavior of the medium stored in the tank is reduced by the geometric design of the wall elements. The medium can therefore only to a very small extent slosh in the tank back and forth or move back and forth. It can thereby be dispensed within the tank on the provision of additional baffles to prevent or obstruct such a slosh. In other words, the wall elements of the heater can at the same time provide the function of such baffles.

In particular, such a particularly fast and efficient thawing of a large amount of medium in the tank or container can be achieved. As a result, a quick operational readiness of a system can be achieved, to which the medium is to be supplied. This system can in particular be an exhaust aftertreatment device of the motor vehicle, to which a reducing agent for the exhaust gas aftertreatment is to be supplied. In particular, an aqueous urea solution can be used as such a reducing agent. In the hot exhaust gas, ammonia is liberated from the urea, which then converts nitrogen oxides from the exhaust gas to nitrogen and water in an exhaust gas aftertreatment device designed as an SCR catalytic converter in a selective catalytic reduction reaction (SCR).

The provision of the wall elements in the tank also means that despite the provision of the heater only a very little to no loss of volume is given in the tank. Because serving as heat sources wall elements are arranged or integrated in the tank so that the wall elements take over the function of reducing the Schwappverhaltens of the medium. It is therefore preferably not claimed more space than by this function accepting baffles.

Due to the arrangement of the wall elements within the tank and a heat loss to the Environment avoided. The wall elements can thus deliver the heat optimally to the medium.

In addition, the wall elements as often and flexibly in tanks, which have different geometries, can be used as needed. So it can also be equipped with different numbers of wall elements, depending on the power and geometry of different containers or tanks, from which heat can be delivered to the respective medium to be stored in the tank.

Furthermore, similarly designed wall elements can be used for different tanks. As a result, the costs for providing the heating device in the form of the wall elements can be kept particularly low, since a large number of wall elements can be obtained for equipping tanks.

The serving as a heat source wall elements can also be used flexibly in any tank, even across different series of the motor vehicle away. In addition, the heating power of the heater can be adjusted as required and / or depending on the size of the tank, for example by the number of wall elements used and / or their size is selected accordingly. In particular, can be achieved by the arrangement of the wall elements in the tank, a uniform thawing of the medium in the entire tank or container.

Preferably, the wall elements are fixed to at least one wall of the tank, wherein the wall may be formed in particular as the bottom of the tank.

The wall elements may have a foot region, which may in particular be designed as a flange. In the foot area then the respective wall element is fixed to the at least one wall of the tank. The fixing of the wall element to the wall of the tank can take place via a cohesive connection and / or a non-positive connection and / or a positive connection.

The wall elements may each comprise at least one heat source and at least one heat-conducting body, which is in contact with the at least one heat source. In particular, the heat-conducting body can enclose the heat source. This makes it possible to achieve a particularly large-area release of heat via the wall element to the medium. A wall element may also comprise a plurality of heat sources and a plurality of heat conducting bodies. The heat sources can preferably be controlled separately. Thus, in particular with a low level of the medium in the tank, only a region of the wall elements surrounded by the medium can be heated.

It is furthermore advantageous if the heat-conducting body and / or the heat source is surrounded by a protective layer. This is particularly advantageous if the medium is a comparatively aggressive medium, for example in the form of the aqueous urea solution.

Preferably, at least two wall elements and a conveyor module designed for conveying the medium are arranged in the tank. In particular, the wall elements in this case surround the delivery module.

Further advantages, features and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment and from the drawings. The features and feature combinations mentioned above in the description as well as the features and feature combinations mentioned below in the description of the figures and / or in the figures alone can be used not only in the respectively specified combination but also in other combinations or in isolation, without the scope of To leave invention.

• 1 stark schematisiert einen Tank für ein Kraftfahrzeug, welcher als Behälter zum Aufnehmen einer wässrigen Harnstofflösung ausgebildet ist, wobei in dem Tank eine Mehrzahl von Wandelementen angeordnet ist, welche in einem Heizbetrieb Wärme an die Harnstofflösung beziehungsweise ein solches Medium abgeben können;
• 2 eines der Wandelemente in einer schematischen Seitenansicht; und
• 3 eine Schnittansicht eines der Wandelemente entlang einer Linie III-III in 2.

Showing:

• 1 highly schematically a tank for a motor vehicle, which is designed as a container for receiving an aqueous urea solution, wherein in the tank a plurality of wall elements is arranged, which can deliver heat in a heating operation to the urea solution or such a medium;
• 2 one of the wall elements in a schematic side view; and
• 3 a sectional view of one of the wall elements along a line III-III in 2 ,

In 1 is highly schematized a tank 10 of a motor vehicle, which may be designed in particular for receiving a medium, such as an aqueous urea solution for the exhaust aftertreatment. The Tank 10 However, it can also be designed to receive, for example, a washing liquid for a windshield wiper system of the motor vehicle or to receive another medium to be heated or thawed.

The Tank 10 includes a floor 12 and other walls in the form of side walls 14 , Furthermore, inside the tank 10 a heating device 16 provided, which present a plurality of wall elements 18 includes. The number and the arrangement of the wall elements 18 in the tank 10 is in 1 only schematically and by way of example. During operation or heating operation of the heater 16 give the respective wall elements 18 Heat to the wall elements 18 surrounding (not shown) from medium. By the distribution of wall elements 18 inside the tank 10 That can be in the tank 10 be thawed medium particularly quickly and efficiently.

The in the tank 10 or container inserted wall elements 18 For example, they can be positioned such that the wall elements 18 a conveyor module 20 surrounded, which is designed to convey the medium. The present example on the ground 12 of the tank 10 fixed wall elements 18 may additionally or alternatively also on at least one of the side walls 14 and / or on a blanket 30 of the tank 10 be arranged.

The wall elements 18 have beyond the heating or thawing of the medium addition, another function or functionality. Because the wall elements 18 In addition, prevent movement of the medium in the form of sloshing of the medium when it is thawed. Accordingly, due to the provision of the wall elements 18 in the tank 10 on separate, inside the tank 10 arranged baffles are dispensed with.

In particular from 2 it can be seen that the respective wall element 18 a foot area 22 may have, which is formed for example as a flange. About this flange, the wall element 18 on the respective wall of the tank, in this case for example on the ground 12 be determined. Here, a cohesive connection and / or a non-positive connection and / or a positive connection are possible.

From the sectional view in 3 is clearly visible that within the respective wall element 18 a heat source 24 is arranged, which may be formed, for example, as an electrical, for example meandering laid heating wire or as an electric heating plate or the like. The heat source 24 can be from a heat conducting body 26 be enclosed.

Finally, the heat-conducting body 26 from a protective layer 28 be surrounded, which a direct contact of the medium with the heat-conducting body 26 prevented. However, it can also be provided that the protective layer 28 the heat source 24 directly surrounds or that the heat conduction body 26 or the heat source 24 no protective layer 28 having.

The wall elements 18 can in particular as standardized components in any quantity and in a variable geometric arrangement in the respective container or tank 10 can be arranged or used without any adaptation of the wall elements 18 to the geometry of the tank 10 is required. This makes the wall elements 18 particularly flexible.

QUOTES INCLUDE IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of the documents listed by the applicant has been generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• DE 102011112326 A1 [0002]

Claims (7)

Tank for a motor vehicle, comprising a heating device (16) for heating a medium that can be introduced into the tank (10), in particular a reducing agent for an exhaust aftertreatment device of the motor vehicle that can be introduced into the tank (10), characterized in that the heating device (16) has a plurality of wall elements (18) arranged in the tank (10), which are designed to emit heat in a heating operation of the heating device (16), wherein the wall elements (18) are further adapted to prevent movements of the medium within the tank (10). to hinder. Tank after Claim 1 , characterized in that the wall elements (18) on at least one wall (12, 14, 30) of the tank (10) are fixed. Tank after Claim 2 , characterized in that the at least one wall as the bottom (12) of the tank (10) is formed. Tank after Claim 2 or 3 , characterized in that the wall elements (18) have a, in particular designed as a flange, foot region (22) in which the respective wall element (18) on the at least one wall (12, 14, 30) of the tank (10) is fixed , Tank after one of the Claims 1 to 4 , characterized in that the wall elements (18) each comprise at least one heat source (24) and at least one heat conducting body (26) which is in contact with the at least one heat source (24), in particular enclosing the heat source (24). Tank after Claim 5 , characterized in that the heat-conducting body (26) and / or the heat source (24) is surrounded by a protective layer (28). Tank after one of the Claims 1 to 6 , characterized in that in the tank (10) at least two wall elements (18) and designed for conveying the medium conveying module (20) are arranged.

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