Development of an Electrically Adjustable Mixing Valve

Development of an electrically adjustable mixing valve

Project brief

Pumps that are typically mechanically connected to combustion engines cannot ensure demand-based control. Intelligent control of media flow is becoming more and more important. Modern pump systems are characterized by a demand-based control of the pump drive. We designed control electronics with a CAN-Bus-interface for an oil pump with BLDC motor so that the oil circuit of a hybrid vehicle could be controlled in an efficient and demand-based manner.

Task – A complex control algorythm

Extremely high switching speed combined with high switching cycles, high volume flow (> 60 l/min) and a complex control algorithm are an integral part of the overall concept in the course of the complex cooling circuits. This also includes the narrow installation space in which the valve must be installed.

Challenge – Minimum pressure loss

The products available on the market cannot meet the customer’s expectations in terms of performance and functions. A complex control algorithm often contradicts the expected pressure drop of the product. Furthermore, the pumps should fit harmoniously into an existing architecture without affecting the packaging. The control must be a LIN protocol. Since the valve must react quickly to temperature changes of the medium, it is important to achieve high acceleration values.

Procedure – From concept to solution

– Development of an electrically adjustable mixing valve for the specific requirements
– Design optimization of volume flows and pressure loss by CFD analysis
– Control via customer-specific LIN protocols
– Validation of the concept on the test bench
– Construction and delivery of customer-specific units

Final Delivery

With the electrically adjustable mixing valve developed by SOBEK, the customer can meet the high requirements for intelligent control of the volume flows of the cooling circuit.