Electric vehicle battery with series and parallel fluid flow

Abstract

A fluid cooled series/parallel battery pack is provided with a fluid flow system. A plurality of prismatic battery cells are arranged in parallel in two or more rows. Fluid flows in a series flow configuration from an upstream row of batteries to a downstream row of batteries. A bypass passageway provides additional fluid flow to an inner plenum located between the rows of batteries to reduce pressure drop and provide more uniform temperatures within the rows of battery cells.

Description

technical field [0001] The present disclosure relates to controlling the temperature and pressure differential of batteries used in electric vehicles. Background technique [0002] High-voltage battery packs composed of prismatic cells, such as lithium-ion cells, can be arranged in arrays that require cooling to operate efficiently. The battery pack can be arranged in a variety of ways, including a parallel configuration in which all of the prismatic battery cells are aligned parallel to each other. The parallel fluid cooling arrangement has a common inlet chamber that provides fluid to each battery cell and fluid into a common outlet chamber without passing through other battery cells. In a parallel arrangement, all of the cells are uniformly cooled to minimize cell-to-cell temperature differences. Parallel arrangements are difficult to package because they lead to an ever-increasing build length as the required voltage increases. Additionally, exhaust requirements can m...

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Problems solved by technology

[0006] Proposed continuous/parallel bypass configuration of heat transfer flui

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