Thermal management method and system of energy storage device

Abstract

The invention provides a thermal management method and system of an energy storage device, the energy storage device comprises a plurality of battery modules and at least one exhaust fan, each battery module comprises a plurality of single cells, and the thermal management method is characterized by comprising the following steps: judging whether the plurality of battery modules are in a working state or not through a control center; if the control center judges that the plurality of battery modules are in the working state, the control center continues to obtain the working states of the plurality of battery modules; and if the control center judges that the plurality of battery modules are not in the working state, the control center starts thermal management on the plurality of battery modules. According to the thermal management method and system of the energy storage device, the power consumption of the whole machine can be reduced, and the service life of the single battery cells in the battery module is prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application mainly relates to the field of battery technology, and in particular to a thermal management method and system for an energy storage device. Background Art

[0002] The thermal management solutions in the energy storage industry are mainly divided into air cooling and liquid cooling. Conventional liquid cooling and air conditioning air cooling solutions have relatively complex temperature control strategies and require more data to be monitored. Conventional liquid cooling or air conditioning air cooling solutions perform thermal management during the battery charging and discharging process. This method will cause poor temperature consistency, which will further affect the life of the battery cell. The cost of cold or air conditioning air cooling solutions is relatively high. Liquid cooling solutions require chillers, pipelines, and cold plates, while air conditioning air cooling requires auxiliary components such as air conditioners, air ducts, and cooling fans, which are relatively expensive. Summary of the invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present application is to provide a thermal management method and system for an energy storage device, which can reduce the power consumption of the entire device and increase the service life of a single cell in a battery module.

[0004] To solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a thermal management method for an energy storage device, which is applicable to a thermal management system of an energy storage device, wherein the thermal management system includes an energy storage device and a control center, wherein the energy storage device includes multiple battery modules and at least one exhaust fan, and the battery module includes multiple single cells. The thermal management method includes the following steps: judging by the control center whether the multiple battery modules are in a working state; if the control center judges that the multiple battery modules are in the working state, the control center continues to obtain the working state of the multiple battery modules; and if the control center judges that the multiple battery modules are not in the working state, the control center starts thermal management of the multiple battery modules.

[0005] Optionally, the step of starting thermal management of the multiple battery modules includes: obtaining the cell temperature of each of the single battery cells, and uploading the multiple cell temperatures to the control center; obtaining the maximum temperature value among the multiple cell temperatures through the control center, and obtaining the external ambient temperature of the energy storage device during the operation of the exhaust fan, and uploading the external ambient temperature to the control center; and determining whether to turn off the exhaust fan based on the difference between the external ambient temperature and the maximum temperature value.

[0006] Optionally, the thermal management method also includes: acquiring the maximum temperature value among the multiple monomer temperatures through the control center, and comparing the maximum temperature value with a first temperature threshold, and when the maximum temperature value is greater than or equal to the first temperature threshold, turning on the exhaust fan through the control center.

[0007] Optionally, the thermal management method also includes: after turning on the exhaust fan, continuously obtaining the maximum temperature value through the control center, and comparing the maximum temperature value with a second temperature threshold, the second temperature threshold is less than the first temperature threshold, wherein when the maximum temperature value is less than or equal to the second temperature threshold, shutting down the exhaust fan through the control center, otherwise obtaining the external ambient temperature of the energy storage device, and uploading the external ambient temperature to the control center; and comparing the maximum temperature value with the external ambient temperature through the control center, and when the absolute value of the difference between the maximum temperature value and the external ambient temperature is less than a third temperature threshold, shutting down the exhaust fan through the control center.

[0008] Optionally, the first temperature threshold is greater than or equal to 55°C, the second temperature threshold is less than or equal to 28°C, and the third temperature threshold is less than or equal to 2°C.

[0009] Optionally, the thermal management method also includes, after turning on the exhaust fan, continuously obtaining the maximum temperature value through the control center, and comparing the maximum temperature value with a second temperature threshold, the second temperature threshold being less than the first temperature threshold, wherein when the maximum temperature value is less than or equal to the second temperature threshold, shutting down the exhaust fan through the control center, otherwise obtaining the exhaust operation time of the exhaust fan, and uploading the exhaust operation time to the control center; and comparing the exhaust operation time with a time threshold through the control center, and shutting down the exhaust fan through the control center when the exhaust operation time is greater than the time threshold.

[0010] Optionally, the thermal management method also includes the following steps: obtaining the combustible gas concentration and / or smoke concentration inside the energy storage device, and uploading the combustible gas concentration and / or the smoke concentration to a control center; comparing the combustible gas concentration with a first concentration threshold and / or comparing the smoke concentration with a second concentration threshold through the control center, wherein when the combustible gas concentration is greater than or equal to the first concentration threshold and / or the smoke concentration is greater than or equal to the second concentration threshold, turning on the exhaust fan through the control center; after turning on the exhaust fan, continuously obtaining the combustible gas concentration and / or the smoke concentration to determine whether the combustible gas concentration is less than or equal to a third concentration threshold and / or to determine whether the smoke concentration is less than or equal to a fourth concentration threshold, the first concentration threshold is greater than the third concentration threshold, and the second concentration threshold is greater than the fourth concentration threshold, and if the judgment result is yes, turning off the exhaust fan through the control center.

[0011] Optionally, the first concentration threshold is in a range of greater than 250 PPM, the second concentration threshold is greater than 0.5%, the third concentration threshold is less than 240 PPM, and the fourth concentration threshold is less than 0.4%.

[0012] Optionally, the thermal management method also includes the following steps: obtaining the minimum temperature value among the multiple single cell temperatures through the control center, and comparing the minimum temperature value with a fourth temperature threshold, and when the minimum temperature value is less than the fourth temperature threshold, heating the battery module; and after heating the battery module, continuously obtaining the minimum temperature value through the control center, and comparing the minimum temperature value with a fifth temperature threshold, and when the minimum temperature value is greater than or equal to the fifth temperature threshold, stopping heating the battery module.

[0013] Optionally, the fourth temperature threshold is less than or equal to 10°C, and the fifth temperature threshold is greater than or equal to 15°C.

[0014] To solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a thermal management system for an energy storage device, comprising: an energy storage device, comprising multiple battery modules and at least one exhaust fan, the battery module comprising multiple single cells; a control center, located inside the energy storage device, the control center configured to determine whether the multiple battery modules are in a working state; if the control center determines that the multiple battery modules are in the working state, the control center continues to obtain the working state of the multiple battery modules; and if the control center determines that the multiple battery modules are not in the working state, the control center initiates thermal management of the multiple battery modules.

[0015] Optionally, the control center is also configured to turn on and off the exhaust fan according to the single cell temperature and the external ambient temperature, and the thermal management system also includes: a first temperature sensor, used to obtain the single cell temperature of each single cell; a second temperature sensor, used to obtain the external ambient temperature of the energy storage device; and a BMS, which is interconnected with the control center, the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor, and the BMS is used to receive the single cell temperature and the external ambient temperature and upload the single cell temperature and the external ambient temperature to the control center.

[0016] Optionally, the control center is configured to: obtain a maximum temperature value among the multiple monomer temperatures, and compare the maximum temperature value with a first temperature threshold, and when the maximum temperature value is greater than or equal to the first temperature threshold, turn on the exhaust fan through the control center.

[0017] Optionally, the control center is also configured to: after turning on the exhaust fan, continuously obtain the maximum temperature value, and compare the maximum temperature value with a second temperature threshold, the second temperature threshold is less than the first temperature threshold, wherein when the maximum temperature value is less than or equal to the second temperature threshold, turn off the exhaust fan, otherwise obtain the external ambient temperature; and compare the maximum temperature value with the external ambient temperature, when the absolute value of the difference between the maximum temperature value and the external ambient temperature is less than a third temperature threshold, turn off the exhaust fan.

[0018] Optionally, the thermal management system further includes a high-voltage box, and the control center is configured to turn on or off the exhaust fan through the high-voltage box.

[0019] Optionally, the thermal management system also includes a concentration sensor interconnected with the BMS, the concentration sensor is configured to obtain the combustible gas concentration and / or smoke concentration inside the energy storage device, and the BMS is also configured to receive the combustible gas concentration and / or smoke concentration and upload the combustible gas concentration and / or smoke concentration to the control center.

[0020] Optionally, the control center is further configured to: compare the combustible gas concentration with a first concentration threshold and / or compare the smoke concentration with a second concentration threshold, wherein when the combustible gas concentration is greater than or equal to the first concentration threshold and / or the smoke concentration is greater than or equal to the second concentration threshold, turn on the exhaust fan; after turning on the exhaust fan, continuously obtain the combustible gas concentration and / or the smoke concentration to determine whether the combustible gas concentration is less than or equal to a third concentration threshold and / or determine whether the smoke concentration is less than or equal to a fourth concentration threshold, the first concentration threshold is greater than the third concentration threshold, and the second concentration threshold is greater than the fourth concentration threshold, and if the judgment result is yes, turn off the exhaust fan.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the present application can save the power consumption of the entire energy storage device and increase the service life of the single cells in the battery module by cooling down the battery module after the charging and discharging. Further, the difference between the external environment temperature and the maximum temperature value of the single cell is used to determine whether to turn off the exhaust fan, which simplifies the thermal management strategy and further improves the thermal management efficiency. The thermal management method provided by the present application can also determine whether to dissipate heat from the energy storage device based on the smoke concentration and / or combustible gas concentration inside the energy storage device, which can improve the reliability of thermal management and ensure that the energy storage device can operate safely. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present application. They are included and constitute a part of the present application. The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of the present application and together with the present specification serve to explain the principles of the present application. In the accompanying drawings:

[0023] Figure 1 is a schematic flow chart of a thermal management method for an energy storage device in one embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 2 It is a module schematic diagram of a thermal management system of an energy storage device in one embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 3 is a logic schematic diagram of a thermal management method for an energy storage device in one embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 4 is a schematic flow chart of a thermal management method for an energy storage device in one embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart of a thermal management method for an energy storage device in another embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 6 It is a flow chart of a thermal management method for an energy storage device in another embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some examples or embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, the present application can also be applied to other similar scenarios based on these drawings without creative work. Unless it is obvious from the language environment or otherwise explained, the same reference numerals in the figures represent the same structure or operation.

[0030] As shown in this application and claims, unless the context clearly indicates an exception, the words "a", "an", "an" and / or "the" do not refer to the singular and may also include the plural. Generally speaking, the terms "include" and "comprise" only indicate the inclusion of the steps and elements that have been clearly identified, and these steps and elements do not constitute an exclusive list. The method or device may also include other steps or elements.

[0031] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions and numerical values ​​of the parts and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present application. At the same time, it should be understood that, for ease of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the accompanying drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship. The technology, method and equipment known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant field may not be discussed in detail, but in appropriate cases, the technology, method and equipment should be considered as a part of the authorization specification. In all examples shown and discussed here, any specific value should be interpreted as being merely exemplary, rather than as a limitation. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters represent similar items in the following drawings, so that once a certain item is defined in an accompanying drawing, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0032] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the directions or positional relationships indicated by directional words such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "lateral, vertical, perpendicular, horizontal" and "top, bottom" are usually based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise specified, these directional words do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction or be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present application; the directional words "inside and outside" refer to the inside and outside relative to the contours of each component itself.

[0033] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "above", "above", "on the upper surface of", "above", etc. may be used here to describe the spatial positional relationship between a device or feature and other devices or features as shown in the figure. It should be understood that spatially relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation described in the figure. For example, if the device in the accompanying drawings is inverted, the device described as "above other devices or structures" or "above other devices or structures" will be positioned as "below other devices or structures" or "below other devices or structures". Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below". The device can also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptions used here are interpreted accordingly.

[0034] In addition, it should be noted that the use of words such as "first" and "second" to define components is only for the convenience of distinguishing the corresponding components. If not otherwise stated, the above words have no special meaning and cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of this application. In addition, although the terms used in this application are selected from well-known and commonly used terms, some terms mentioned in the specification of this application may be selected by the applicant at his or her discretion, and their detailed meanings are explained in the relevant parts of the description of this article. In addition, it is required to understand this application not only by the actual terms used, but also by the meaning implied by each term.

[0035] This application refers to Figure 1 A thermal management method 10 for an energy storage device (hereinafter referred to as "thermal management method 10") is proposed. A flow chart is used in the present application to illustrate the operations performed by the system according to an embodiment of the present application. It should be understood that the previous or following operations are not necessarily performed precisely in order. Instead, various steps may be processed in reverse order or simultaneously. At the same time, other operations may be added to these processes, or one or more operations may be removed from these processes.

[0036] In order to better understand the thermal management method 10, now refer to Figure 2 A thermal management system 40 for an energy storage device (hereinafter referred to as "thermal management system 40") using a thermal management method 10 for thermal management is introduced. The thermal management system 40 for an energy storage device includes an energy storage device and a control center, the control center is located inside the energy storage device, and the control center is configured to determine whether a plurality of battery modules are in a working state. The energy storage device 100 includes a plurality of battery modules and at least one exhaust fan, and the battery module includes a plurality of single cells.

[0037] Specifically, the thermal management method 10 includes the following steps: S1: judging whether the multiple battery modules are in working state through the control center; S21: if the control center judges that the multiple battery modules are in working state, the control center continues to obtain the working state of the multiple battery modules; S22: if the control center judges that the multiple battery modules are not in working state, the control center starts thermal management of the multiple battery modules. Exemplarily, the working state can be the state that the battery module is charging and discharging.

[0038] In this embodiment, the thermal management method 10 works only when the battery module is not in working state, which can effectively reduce the power consumption of the whole machine inside the energy storage device. Since the battery module is not in working state, the temperature difference inside the energy storage cabinet is small. Performing thermal management under the condition of small temperature difference can reduce the impact on the battery cell monomer inside the battery module and further extend the life of the battery cell monomer.

[0039] Reference Figure 3 , Figure 3The logic diagram of the thermal management method 10 is shown. The thermal management method 10 performs thermal management of the energy storage device through two independent judgment logics. One is to judge whether to perform thermal management on the energy storage device by comparing the combustible gas concentration and / or smoke concentration inside the energy storage device with a pre-set concentration logic judgment value; the other is to judge whether to perform thermal management on the energy storage device by comparing the maximum temperature value Tmax of the single cell in the battery module inside the energy storage device with a pre-set temperature logic judgment value. When any one of the combustible gas concentration and / or smoke concentration and the maximum temperature value Tmax exceeds the corresponding pre-set logic judgment value, the control center LC controls the high-voltage box to power the exhaust fan and turn on the exhaust fan to perform thermal management of the energy storage device.

[0040] In this embodiment, an ammeter can be set in front of the exhaust fan, which can reflect the power consumption of the exhaust fan and whether there is any abnormality in its operation. The exhaust fan can adopt a two-wire system, which is more energy-efficient and can further save the cost of thermal management.

[0041] In other embodiments of the present application, the thermal management method of the energy storage device may only use one of the above-mentioned judgment logics to perform thermal management of the energy storage device, and the present application is not limited thereto.

[0042] Specifically, refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4 A specific implementation flow chart of the thermal management method 10 is shown. When the thermal management method 10 determines whether to perform thermal management by the combustible gas concentration and / or smoke concentration inside the energy storage device, the combustible gas concentration and / or smoke concentration inside the energy storage device can be first obtained by the concentration sensor, and the combustible gas concentration and / or smoke concentration can be uploaded to the control center by the sensor; the combustible gas concentration is compared with the first concentration threshold α1 and / or the smoke concentration is compared with the second concentration threshold β1 by the control center, wherein, when any one of the combustible gas concentration is greater than or equal to the first concentration threshold α1 and the smoke concentration is greater than or equal to the second concentration threshold β1 is satisfied, the control center controls the high-pressure box to turn on the exhaust fan, and the exhaust fan discharges the combustible gas and / or smoke inside the energy storage gas into the energy storage device to prevent fire inside the energy storage device.

[0043] Further, after the exhaust fan is turned on, the control center continuously obtains the combustible gas concentration and / or smoke concentration, and when any one of the combustible gas concentration is less than or equal to the third concentration threshold α2 and the smoke concentration is less than or equal to the fourth concentration threshold β2 is satisfied, the control center controls the high-pressure box to turn off the fan. Exemplarily, the range of the first concentration threshold is greater than 250PPM, the second concentration threshold is greater than 0.5%, the third concentration threshold is less than 240PPM, and the fourth concentration threshold is less than 0.4%.

[0044] In this embodiment, when the thermal management method 10 determines whether to perform thermal management by the maximum temperature value Tmax of the single cell in the battery module of the energy storage device, the single cell temperature of each single cell in the battery module can be obtained by the first temperature sensor inside the energy storage device, and all single cell temperatures are transmitted to the control center through the BMS. The control center obtains the maximum temperature value Tmax among multiple single cell temperatures, and compares the maximum temperature value Tmax with the first temperature threshold. When the maximum temperature value Tmax is greater than or equal to the first temperature threshold, the exhaust fan is turned on by the control center. The first temperature threshold is greater than or equal to 55°C, and in this embodiment, it is preferably 55°C.

[0045] Furthermore, after the exhaust fan is turned on, the maximum temperature value Tmax is continuously obtained through the control center, and the maximum temperature value Tmax is compared with a pre-set temperature threshold. For example, the pre-set temperature is 45°C. When the maximum temperature value Tmax is less than 45°C, the exhaust fan can be turned off by the control center.

[0046] In this embodiment, it also includes obtaining the minimum temperature value Tmin among multiple monomer temperatures through the control center, and comparing the minimum temperature value Tmin with the fourth temperature threshold. When the minimum temperature value Tmin is less than the fourth temperature threshold, the battery module is heated; and after heating the battery module, the minimum temperature value Tmin is continuously obtained through the control center, and the minimum temperature value Tmin is compared with the fifth temperature threshold. When the minimum temperature value is greater than or equal to the fifth temperature threshold, the battery module is stopped from being heated. After stopping heating, the energy storage device starts the charging process, and after charging, it is left to stand, and then discharged. When the discharge is completed, it means that the energy storage device is not in a working state, and the thermal management of the energy storage device can be turned on (the specific process can be referred to Figure 5 and Figure 6 ). Exemplarily, the fourth temperature threshold is less than or equal to 10°C, preferably 10°C, and the fifth temperature threshold is greater than or equal to 15°C, preferably 15°C.

[0047] Reference Figure 5 , Figure 5 A thermal management method 20 is provided in another embodiment of the present application. Similar to the thermal management method 10, the thermal management method 20 can also perform thermal management of the energy storage device through the above two independent judgment logics. The specific process refers to the above description and numbers, and will not be elaborated here.

[0048] Exemplarily, when the thermal management method 20 determines whether to perform thermal management by using the maximum temperature value Tmax of the single cell in the battery module of the energy storage device, it can also determine whether to turn off the exhaust fan by comparing the external ambient temperature of the energy storage device with the maximum temperature value Tmax, where the external ambient temperature is the temperature of the space outside the energy storage device.

[0049] Furthermore, the thermal management method 20 includes obtaining the cell temperature of each single cell and uploading the multiple cell temperatures to the control center; obtaining the maximum temperature value Tmax among the multiple cell temperatures through the control center, and obtaining the external environment temperature of the energy storage device through a second temperature sensor arranged on the outer wall of the energy storage device during the operation of the exhaust fan, and uploading the external environment temperature to the control center; and deciding whether to turn off the exhaust fan according to the difference between the external environment temperature and the maximum temperature value Tmax.

[0050] Specifically, after the exhaust fan is turned on, the maximum temperature value Tmax is continuously obtained through the control center, and the maximum temperature value Tmax is compared with the second temperature threshold, wherein when the maximum temperature value Tmax is less than or equal to the second temperature threshold, the exhaust fan is turned off by the control center, otherwise the external environment temperature of the energy storage device is obtained, and the external environment temperature is uploaded to the control center; and the maximum temperature value Tmax is compared with the external environment temperature through the control center, and when the absolute value of the difference between the maximum temperature value Tmax and the external environment temperature is less than the third temperature threshold, the exhaust fan is turned off by the control center. Exemplarily, the second temperature threshold is less than or equal to 28°C, preferably 28°C, and the third temperature threshold is greater than or equal to 2°C, preferably 2°C. By comparing the external environment temperature with the maximum temperature value Tmax to perform thermal management of the energy storage device, the working efficiency of the exhaust fan can be more accurately controlled, and the reliability of thermal management can be improved.

[0051] Reference Figure 6 , Figure 6 The thermal management method 30 provided in another embodiment of the present application is the same as the thermal management method 10. The thermal management method 30 can also perform thermal management of the energy storage device through the above two independent judgment logics. The specific process refers to the above description and numbers, and will not be elaborated here.

[0052] Exemplarily, when the thermal management method 30 determines whether to perform thermal management based on the maximum temperature value Tmax of the single cell in the battery module of the energy storage device, it can also determine whether to shut down the exhaust fan based on the specific running time of the exhaust fan.

[0053] Specifically, it also includes that after the exhaust fan is turned on, the maximum temperature value Tmax is continuously obtained through the control center, and the maximum temperature value Tmax is compared with the second temperature threshold, wherein when the maximum temperature value is less than or equal to the second temperature threshold, the exhaust fan is turned off by the control center, otherwise the exhaust fan operation time is obtained, and the exhaust fan operation time is uploaded to the control center; and the exhaust fan operation time is compared with the time threshold through the control center, and when the exhaust fan operation time is greater than the time threshold, the exhaust fan is turned off by the control center. Exemplarily, the second temperature threshold is less than or equal to 28°C, preferably 28°C, and the time threshold ranges from 7h to 10h, preferably 8h. Figure 6 The embodiment shown performs thermal management of the energy storage device without installing a second temperature sensor for acquiring the ambient temperature outside the energy storage device, which can further save thermal management costs.

[0054] On the other hand, the present application provides a thermal management system 40 for an energy storage device, which is applicable to the thermal management method 10 provided in any embodiment of the present application, such as the above-mentioned thermal management method 10, thermal management method 20 and thermal management method 30. Specifically, as described above, the thermal management system 40 includes an energy storage device, including multiple battery modules and an exhaust fan, and the battery module includes multiple single cells; a control center is located outside the energy storage device, and the control center is configured to determine whether the multiple battery modules are in a working state; if the control center determines that the multiple battery modules are in a working state, the control center continues to obtain the working state of the multiple battery modules; and if the control center determines that the multiple battery modules are not in a working state, the control center starts thermal management of the multiple battery modules. In other embodiments of the present application, multiple exhaust fans can be set according to actual conditions, and the present application is not limited to this.

[0055] Furthermore, the control center is also configured to turn on and off the exhaust fan according to the single cell temperature and the external ambient temperature. The thermal management system also includes: a first temperature sensor, used to obtain the single cell temperature of each single cell; a second temperature sensor, used to obtain the external ambient temperature of the energy storage device; and a BMS, which is interconnected with the control center, the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor. The BMS is used to receive the single cell temperature and the external ambient temperature and upload the single cell temperature and the external ambient temperature to the control center.

[0056] Specifically, the control center is configured to obtain a maximum temperature value among a plurality of monomer temperatures, and compare the maximum temperature value with a first temperature threshold, and when the maximum temperature value is greater than or equal to the first temperature threshold, turn on the exhaust fan through the control center.

[0057] On the other hand, the control center is also configured to continuously obtain the maximum temperature value after the exhaust fan is turned on, and compare the maximum temperature value with a second temperature threshold, the second temperature threshold is less than the first temperature threshold, wherein when the maximum temperature value is less than or equal to the second temperature threshold, the exhaust fan is turned off, otherwise the external ambient temperature is obtained; and the maximum temperature value is compared with the external ambient temperature, and when the absolute value of the difference between the maximum temperature value and the external ambient temperature is less than a third temperature threshold, the exhaust fan is turned off.

[0058] In this embodiment, the thermal management system 40 further includes a high-voltage box, and the control center is configured to turn on or off the exhaust fan through the high-voltage box. The thermal management system 40 also includes a concentration sensor interconnected with the BMS, the concentration sensor is configured to obtain the combustible gas concentration and / or smoke concentration inside the energy storage device, and the BMS is also configured to receive the combustible gas concentration and / or smoke concentration and upload the combustible gas concentration and / or smoke concentration to the control center.

[0059] On the other hand, the control center is also configured to compare the combustible gas concentration with a first concentration threshold and / or compare the smoke concentration with a second concentration threshold, wherein when the combustible gas concentration is greater than or equal to the first concentration threshold and / or the smoke concentration is greater than or equal to the second concentration threshold, the exhaust fan is turned on; after turning on the exhaust fan, the combustible gas concentration and / or the smoke concentration is continuously obtained to determine whether the combustible gas concentration is less than or equal to a third concentration threshold and / or whether the smoke concentration is less than or equal to a fourth concentration threshold, the first concentration threshold is greater than the third concentration threshold, and the second concentration threshold is greater than the fourth concentration threshold, and if the judgment result is yes, the exhaust fan is turned off.

[0060] The present application can save the power consumption of the entire energy storage device, increase the service life of the single cells in the battery module, and further improve the performance of the battery module by cooling down the battery module after the battery module is charged and discharged. Further, the difference between the external environment temperature and the maximum temperature value of the single cell is used to determine whether to turn off the exhaust fan, which simplifies the thermal management strategy, reduces the difficulty and cost of thermal management of the energy storage device, and further improves the thermal management efficiency. The thermal management method provided in the present application can also determine whether to dissipate heat from the energy storage device based on the smoke concentration and / or combustible gas concentration inside the energy storage device. The use of dual logic to determine whether to perform thermal management on the energy storage device can improve the reliability of thermal management and ensure that the energy storage device can operate safely.

[0061] The basic concepts have been described above. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, the above application disclosure is only an example and does not constitute a limitation of the present application. Although not explicitly stated herein, those skilled in the art may make various modifications, improvements and amendments to the present application. Such modifications, improvements and amendments are suggested in the present application, so such modifications, improvements and amendments still belong to the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of the present application.

[0062] At the same time, the present application uses specific words to describe the embodiments of the present application. For example, "one embodiment", "an embodiment", and / or "some embodiments" refer to a certain feature, structure or characteristic related to at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" or "an alternative embodiment" mentioned twice or more in different positions in this specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, some features, structures or characteristics in one or more embodiments of the present application can be appropriately combined.

[0063] Similarly, it should be noted that in order to simplify the description of the disclosure of this application and thus help understand one or more application embodiments, in the above description of the embodiments of this application, multiple features are sometimes merged into one embodiment, figure or description thereof. However, this disclosure method does not mean that the features required by the object of this application are more than the features mentioned in the claims. In fact, the features of the embodiments are less than all the features of the single embodiment disclosed above.

[0064] In some embodiments, numbers describing the number of components and attributes are used. It should be understood that such numbers used in the description of the embodiments are modified by the modifiers "about", "approximately" or "substantially" in some examples. Unless otherwise specified, "about", "approximately" or "substantially" indicate that the numbers are allowed to vary by ±20%. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters used in the specification and claims are approximate values, which may change according to the required features of individual embodiments. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should take into account the specified significant digits and adopt the general method of retaining digits. Although the numerical domains and parameters used to confirm the breadth of their range in some embodiments of the present application are approximate values, in specific embodiments, the setting of such numerical values ​​is as accurate as possible within the feasible range.

[0065] Although the present application has been described with reference to the current specific embodiments, ordinary technicians in this technical field should recognize that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the present application, and various equivalent changes or substitutions may be made without departing from the spirit of the present application. Therefore, as long as the changes and modifications to the above embodiments are within the essential spirit of the present application, they will fall within the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A thermal management method for an energy storage device, applicable to a thermal management system for an energy storage device, wherein the thermal management system comprises an energy storage device and a control center, wherein: The energy storage device comprises a plurality of battery modules and at least one exhaust fan, wherein the battery module comprises a plurality of single cells, and the thermal management method comprises the following steps: Determining, by the control center, whether the multiple battery modules are in a working state; If the control center determines that the multiple battery modules are in the working state, the control center continues to obtain the working states of the multiple battery modules; and If the control center determines that the multiple battery modules are not in the working state, the control center starts thermal management of the multiple battery modules.

2. The thermal management method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of starting thermal management of the plurality of battery modules comprises: Acquire the cell temperature of each of the cell batteries, and upload the multiple cell temperatures to the control center; Acquiring the maximum temperature value among the plurality of monomer temperatures through the control center, acquiring the external environment temperature of the energy storage device during the operation of the exhaust fan, and uploading the external environment temperature to the control center; and Whether to turn off the exhaust fan is determined according to the difference between the external environment temperature and the maximum temperature value.

3. The thermal management method according to claim 2, characterized in that: Also includes: The maximum temperature value among the multiple monomer temperatures is obtained through the control center, and the maximum temperature value is compared with a first temperature threshold. When the maximum temperature value is greater than or equal to the first temperature threshold, the exhaust fan is turned on through the control center.

4. The thermal management method according to claim 3, characterized in that: Also includes: After the exhaust fan is turned on, the maximum temperature value is continuously obtained through the control center, and the maximum temperature value is compared with a second temperature threshold, and the second temperature threshold is less than the first temperature threshold, wherein when the maximum temperature value is less than or equal to the second temperature threshold, the exhaust fan is turned off through the control center, otherwise the external environment temperature of the energy storage device is obtained, and the external environment temperature is uploaded to the control center; as well as The maximum temperature value is compared with the external environment temperature by the control center, and when the absolute value of the difference between the maximum temperature value and the external environment temperature is less than a third temperature threshold, the exhaust fan is turned off by the control center.

5. The thermal management method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The first temperature threshold is greater than or equal to 55° C., the second temperature threshold is less than or equal to 28° C., and the third temperature threshold is less than or equal to 2° C.

6. The thermal management method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The method further includes, after the exhaust fan is turned on, continuously obtaining the maximum temperature value through the control center, and comparing the maximum temperature value with a second temperature threshold, the second temperature threshold being less than the first temperature threshold, wherein when the maximum temperature value is less than or equal to the second temperature threshold, turning off the exhaust fan through the control center, otherwise obtaining the exhaust operation time of the exhaust fan, and uploading the exhaust operation time to the control center; and The exhaust fan operation time is compared with a time threshold by the control center, and when the exhaust fan operation time is greater than the time threshold, the exhaust fan is turned off by the control center.

7. The thermal management method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The following steps are also included: Obtaining the combustible gas concentration and / or smoke concentration inside the energy storage device, and uploading the combustible gas concentration and / or smoke concentration to a control center; The control center compares the combustible gas concentration with a first concentration threshold and / or compares the smoke concentration with a second concentration threshold, wherein when the combustible gas concentration is greater than or equal to the first concentration threshold and / or the smoke concentration is greater than or equal to the second concentration threshold, the control center turns on the exhaust fan; After turning on the exhaust fan, continuously obtain the combustible gas concentration and / or the smoke concentration, determine whether the combustible gas concentration is less than or equal to a third concentration threshold and / or determine whether the smoke concentration is less than or equal to a fourth concentration threshold, the first concentration threshold is greater than the third concentration threshold, and the second concentration threshold is greater than the fourth concentration threshold. If the judgment result is yes, turn off the exhaust fan through the control center.

8. The thermal management method according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first concentration threshold is in the range of greater than 250 PPM, the second concentration threshold is greater than 0.5%, the third concentration threshold is less than 240 PPM, and the fourth concentration threshold is less than 0.4%.

9. The thermal management method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The following steps are also included: Acquiring a minimum temperature value among the plurality of monomer temperatures through the control center, and comparing the minimum temperature value with a fourth temperature threshold, and heating the battery module when the minimum temperature value is less than the fourth temperature threshold; as well as After heating the battery module, the control center continuously obtains the minimum temperature value and compares the minimum temperature value with a fifth temperature threshold. When the minimum temperature value is greater than or equal to the fifth temperature threshold, heating the battery module is stopped.

10. The thermal management method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The fourth temperature threshold is less than or equal to 10°C, and the fifth temperature threshold is greater than or equal to 15°C.

11. A thermal management system for an energy storage device, characterized in that: include: An energy storage device, comprising a plurality of battery modules and at least one exhaust fan, wherein the battery module comprises a plurality of single cells; A control center, located inside the energy storage device, the control center is configured to determine whether the multiple battery modules are in a working state; If the control center determines that the multiple battery modules are in the working state, the control center continues to obtain the working states of the multiple battery modules; as well as If the control center determines that the multiple battery modules are not in the working state, the control center starts thermal management of the multiple battery modules.

12. The thermal management system according to claim 11, characterized in that: The control center is further configured to turn on and off the exhaust fan according to the monomer temperature and the external environment temperature, and the thermal management system further includes: A first temperature sensor is used to obtain the cell temperature of each cell; A second temperature sensor, used to obtain the external environment temperature of the energy storage device; as well as The BMS is interconnected with the control center, the first temperature sensor, and the second temperature sensor. The BMS is used to receive the monomer temperature and the external environment temperature and upload the monomer temperature and the external environment temperature to the control center.

13. The thermal management system according to claim 12, characterized in that: The control center is configured to obtain a maximum temperature value among the multiple monomer temperatures, and compare the maximum temperature value with a first temperature threshold, and when the maximum temperature value is greater than or equal to the first temperature threshold, turn on the exhaust fan through the control center.

14. The thermal management system according to claim 13, wherein: The control center is also configured to: After turning on the exhaust fan, continuously obtaining the maximum temperature value, and comparing the maximum temperature value with a second temperature threshold, the second temperature threshold being less than the first temperature threshold, wherein when the maximum temperature value is less than or equal to the second temperature threshold, turning off the exhaust fan, otherwise obtaining the external environment temperature; and The maximum temperature value is compared with the external environment temperature, and when the absolute value of the difference between the maximum temperature value and the external environment temperature is less than a third temperature threshold, the exhaust fan is turned off.

15. The thermal management system according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that: A high-voltage box is also included, and the control center is configured to turn on or off the exhaust fan through the high-voltage box.

16. The thermal management system according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that: It also includes a concentration sensor interconnected with the BMS, wherein the concentration sensor is configured to obtain the combustible gas concentration and / or smoke concentration inside the energy storage device, and the BMS is also configured to receive the combustible gas concentration and / or smoke concentration and upload the combustible gas concentration and / or smoke concentration to the control center.

17. The thermal management system according to claim 16, wherein: The control center is also configured to: Comparing the combustible gas concentration with a first concentration threshold and / or comparing the smoke concentration with a second concentration threshold, wherein when the combustible gas concentration is greater than or equal to the first concentration threshold and / or the smoke concentration is greater than or equal to the second concentration threshold, turning on the exhaust fan; After turning on the exhaust fan, continuously obtain the combustible gas concentration and / or the smoke concentration, determine whether the combustible gas concentration is less than or equal to a third concentration threshold and / or determine whether the smoke concentration is less than or equal to a fourth concentration threshold, the first concentration threshold is greater than the third concentration threshold, and the second concentration threshold is greater than the fourth concentration threshold. If the judgment result is yes, turn off the exhaust fan.

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