System and method of pre-loading a two-phase cooling system for electric vehicles

1 . A cooling system for an electric vehicle, comprising:

a cooling system loop including a compressor and a refrigerant;

a first sub-loop of the cooling system loop including a condenser that receives refrigerant from the compressor, and an evaporator that receives at least a portion of the refrigerant from the condenser;

a second sub-loop and a third sub-loop of the cooling system loop configured to receive portions of the refrigerant in a liquid phase after the refrigerant exits the condenser,

wherein the second sub-loop includes a first mass flow metering device configured to receive the portion of the refrigerant in the liquid phase from the condenser, a first separator configured to receive the portion of the refrigerant in the liquid phase from the first mass flow metering device, and a first component located downstream from the first separator;

wherein the third sub-loop includes a second mass flow metering device configured to receive the portion of the refrigerant in the liquid phase from the condenser, a second separator configured to receive the portion of the refrigerant in the liquid phase from the second mass flow metering device, and a second component located downstream from the second separator;

a vehicle plug monitor circuit generating a plug monitor signal when the vehicle is coupled to an external power source; and

a controller operating the compressor in response to the plug monitor signal to communicate the portions of the refrigerant in the liquid phase to the first and second separators, the controller configured to control an amount of the portions of the refrigerant in the liquid phase that enters each of the second sub-loop and the third sub-loop,

wherein each of the first and second separators include a pressure regulation valve that permits gaseous refrigerant to exit the first and second separators and enter a fluid line that feeds the gaseous refrigerant back to the compressor.

2 . The cooling system of claim 1 , wherein each of the first sub-loop and the second sub-loop

includes a pump configured to draw the portion of the refrigerant in the liquid phase from the first and second separators, respectively, and feed the portion of the refrigerant in the liquid phase to the first component and the second component, respectively.

3 . The cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is in communication with each of the first and second mass flow metering devices, and

wherein the controller is configured to operate each of the first and second mass flow metering devices to control an amount of the refrigerant in the liquid phase that passes through the first and second mass flow metering devices, respectively, to control the amount of the refrigerant in the liquid phase that travels to the first and second separators, respectively.

4 . The cooling system of claim 3 , wherein the first and second separators each include a plurality of sensors,

a first sensor of the plurality of sensors is configured to generate a signal indicative of an amount of the refrigerant in the liquid phase contained in the first and second separators, respectively, and

based on the signals generated by the first sensor, the controller is configured to control the amount of the refrigerant that passes through the first and second mass flow metering devices in the liquid phase to the first and second separators, respectively.

5 . The cooling system of claim 2 , wherein the first component is a battery.

6 . The cooling system of claim 5 , wherein the second component is a drive assembly of the electric vehicle that includes at least one of an electric drive motor and a power inverter device.

7 . The cooling system of claim 6 , wherein the controller controls the first mass flow metering device to communicate liquid refrigerant from the compressor and condenser to the first sub-loop before the second sub-loop.

8 . The cooling system of claim 1 , further comprising a temperature sensor generating a temperature signal corresponding to a vehicle temperature, the controller configured to operate the compressor to communicate liquid refrigerant to the first and second separators in response to the plug monitor signal and the temperature signal.

9 . A method of operating the coolant system according to claim 1 , comprising:

generating a plug monitor signal when the vehicle is coupled to an external power source; and

operating, by a controller, the compressor in response to the plug monitor signal to communicate liquid refrigerant to the first and second separators.