Battery rack and energy storage device including the battery rack

Abstract

A battery rack according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a plurality of battery modules, each of the battery modules including a battery cell; a battery rack housing in which the plurality of battery modules are accommodated; a fire extinguishing water supply unit connected to the plurality of battery modules; and a bracket unit configured to cover the fire extinguishing water supply unit and disposed at the rear of the battery rack housing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery rack and an energy storage system including the battery rack.

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0142927, filed on November 8, 2019, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] Secondary batteries are highly applicable to various products and exhibit excellent electrical characteristics such as high energy density, so they are commonly used not only in portable devices but also in electric vehicles (EV) or hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) driven by power supplies. Since secondary batteries can greatly reduce the use of fossil fuels and do not produce byproducts during energy consumption, they are attracting attention as a new energy source that improves environmental friendliness and energy efficiency.

[0004] Currently widely used secondary batteries include lithium-ion batteries, lithium polymer batteries, nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, etc. The operating voltage of a unit secondary battery cell, i.e., a unit battery cell, is about 2.5V to 4.5V. Therefore, if a higher output voltage is required, a plurality of battery cells can be connected in series to form a battery pack. In addition, according to the required charge / discharge capacity of the battery pack, a plurality of battery cells can be connected in parallel to form a battery pack. Thus, the number of battery cells included in the battery pack can be set differently according to the required output voltage or the required charge / discharge capacity.

[0005] Meanwhile, when a plurality of battery cells are connected in series or in parallel to form a battery pack, a battery module including at least one battery cell is generally first formed, and then a battery rack is constructed by using at least one battery module and adding other components. Here, according to various voltage and capacity requirements, the energy storage system may be configured to include at least one battery rack including at least one battery module.

[0006] In a conventional battery rack, if abnormal heating occurs in a battery cell of at least one battery module, causing the temperature to continue to rise, thermal runaway may occur when a certain temperature is exceeded and propagate to surrounding battery modules, which may cause serious safety issues.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need to find a technology to provide a battery rack that can quickly prevent heat from spreading to surrounding battery modules due to thermal runaway, and an energy storage system including such a battery rack. Summary of the invention

[0008] Technical issues

[0009] The present disclosure is directed to providing a battery rack that can quickly prevent heat from spreading to surrounding battery modules due to thermal runaway, and an energy storage system including such a battery rack.

[0010] In addition, the present disclosure is also intended to provide a battery rack that can ensure overall rigidity and protect a nozzle, etc. from external impact through a double bracket structure, and an energy storage system including such a battery rack.

[0011] Technical Solutions

[0012] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a battery rack is provided, comprising: a plurality of battery modules, each of the plurality of battery modules having at least one battery cell; a battery rack housing, the battery rack housing being configured to accommodate the plurality of battery modules; a fire extinguishing water supply unit, the fire extinguishing water supply unit being disposed at a rear portion of the battery rack housing and being connected to the plurality of battery modules; and a bracket unit, the bracket unit being configured to cover the fire extinguishing water supply unit and being disposed at a rear portion of the battery rack housing.

[0013] The fire extinguishing water supply unit may include: a fire extinguishing water pipe arranged along the height direction of the battery rack housing; and a plurality of fire extinguishing water nozzles connected to the fire extinguishing water pipe and installed to pass through the plurality of battery modules.

[0014] The bracket unit may include a first bracket configured to cover the fire extinguishing water pipe, and a second bracket fixed to the first bracket and configured to support the plurality of fire extinguishing water nozzles.

[0015] The first bracket may have a plurality of vent holes, and the plurality of vent holes are arranged opposite to the plurality of fire extinguishing water nozzles.

[0016] Each of the plurality of fire extinguishing water nozzles may include: a nozzle body installed to pass through the second bracket; and a nozzle head connected to the nozzle body and configured to penetrate the plurality of battery modules.

[0017] Each of the plurality of fire extinguishing water nozzles may include a sealing member provided at an outer side of the nozzle body.

[0018] The sealing member may be disposed in close contact with the second bracket.

[0019] The plurality of vent holes may be provided on a side opposite to the fire extinguishing water nozzle.

[0020] The plurality of ventilation holes may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other along a height direction of the first bracket.

[0021] In addition, the present invention also provides an energy storage system, which includes at least one battery rack according to the above embodiment.

[0022] Beneficial effects

[0023] According to the various embodiments described above, it is possible to provide a battery rack that can quickly prevent heat from being propagated to surrounding battery modules due to thermal runaway, and an energy storage system including such a battery rack.

[0024] In addition, according to the various embodiments described above, it is possible to provide a battery rack that can ensure overall rigidity through a double bracket structure and protect a nozzle and the like from external impact, and an energy storage system including such a battery rack. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 2 is a view for illustrating a battery rack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 Front view of the battery rack.

[0027] Figure 3 It is shown Figure 1 Rear view of the battery holder.

[0028] Figure 4 It is shown Figure 1 Side view of the battery rack.

[0029] Figure 5 It is used to illustrate Figure 1 View of the fire extinguishing water supply unit used at the battery rack.

[0030] Figure 6 Is used for illustration Figure 5 View of the fire extinguishing water nozzles of the fire extinguishing water supply unit.

[0031] Figure 7 and Figure 8 It is used to illustrate Figure 1 Figure 2 shows a view of a bracket unit used at a battery rack.

[0032] Fig. 9 and Fig.10 is used to illustrate the installation to Figure 1 View of the fire extinguishing water supply unit of the battery rack bracket unit.

[0033] Fig.11 is a view used to illustrate the following structure, in which the Figure 1 The fire extinguishing water supply unit of the battery rack bracket unit is mounted to the battery module.

[0034] Fig.12 is a view for illustrating an energy storage system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] By describing the embodiments of the present disclosure in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure will become more clear. It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are only illustrative, so as to better understand the present disclosure, and the present disclosure can be modified in various ways. In addition, in order to facilitate the understanding of the present disclosure, the accompanying drawings are not drawn according to the actual scale, but the sizes of some parts may be exaggerated.

[0036] Figure 1 is a view for illustrating a battery rack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 Front view of the battery rack. Figure 3 It is shown Figure 1 Rear view of the battery rack, and Figure 4 It is shown Figure 1 Side view of the battery rack.

[0037] refer to Figures 1 to 4 The battery rack 10 may include a battery module 100 , a battery rack housing 200 , a fire extinguishing water supply unit 300 , and a bracket unit 400 .

[0038] The battery module 100 may be provided in plurality. The plurality of battery modules 100 may be stacked on each other so as to be electrically connected to each other. For example, the plurality of battery modules 100 may be arranged in two columns along the height direction of the battery rack housing 200, which will be explained later.

[0039] Each of the plurality of battery modules 100 may include a battery cell 110 and a module case 130 , respectively.

[0040] The battery cell 110 is a secondary battery, and may be provided as a pouch-type secondary battery, a square-shaped secondary battery, or a cylindrical secondary battery. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, a case where the battery cell 110 is a pouch-type secondary battery will be described.

[0041] There may be provided one battery cell 110 or a plurality of battery cells 110. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, a case where a plurality of battery cells 110 are provided will be described.

[0042] The module case 130 may contain a plurality of battery cells 110 . To this end, the module case 130 may have a containing space capable of containing the plurality of battery cells 110 .

[0043] The module housing 130 may have a nozzle insert 135 (see Fig.11 The nozzle inserting portion 135 is provided at the rear surface of the module housing 130, and a fire extinguishing water nozzle 350 (see Fig.11 ) of the nozzle head 353 (see Fig.11 ) is mounted to the nozzle insertion portion 135.

[0044] The battery holder case 200 may accommodate a plurality of battery modules 100 . To this end, the battery holder case 200 may have an accommodation space capable of accommodating the plurality of battery modules 100 .

[0045] The fire extinguishing water supply unit 300 is disposed at the rear of the battery rack housing 200 and may be connected to the plurality of battery modules 100. When an abnormal situation such as thermal runaway of the plurality of battery modules 100 occurs, the fire extinguishing water supply unit 300 may supply fire extinguishing water to the plurality of battery modules 100.

[0046] To this end, the fire extinguishing water supply unit 300 may be installed to penetrate the module case 130 of the plurality of battery modules 100 to directly inject the fire extinguishing water into the battery cells 110 inside the module case 130 in an abnormal situation.

[0047] In this embodiment, the fire extinguishing water supply unit 300 can directly inject fire extinguishing water into the battery cells 110 inside the module housing 130 , so that when thermal runaway or fire occurs inside the battery module 100 , the thermal runaway or fire can be eliminated more quickly.

[0048] The fire extinguishing water supply unit 300 can be supplied through a fire extinguishing water supply line 70 (see Fig.12 ) is connected to the fire extinguishing water tank unit 90 (see Fig.12 ), the fire extinguishing water supply pipeline 70 is arranged on the outside of the battery rack 10 to supply fire extinguishing water.

[0049] Hereinafter, the fire extinguishing water supply unit 300 according to the present embodiment will be described in more detail.

[0050] Figure 5 It is used to illustrate Figure 1 View of the fire extinguishing water supply unit used at the battery rack, Figure 6 Is used for illustration Figure 5 View of the fire extinguishing water nozzles of the fire extinguishing water supply unit.

[0051] refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 The fire extinguishing water supply unit 300 may include a supply pipe 310 , a fire extinguishing water pipe 330 , and a fire extinguishing water nozzle 350 .

[0052] The supply pipe 310 can be connected to the fire extinguishing water supply line 70 (see Fig.12 ) is connected to the fire extinguishing water tank unit 90 (see Fig.12 ), which will be explained later. The supply pipe 310 may be supplied with fire extinguishing water from the fire extinguishing water tank unit 90 through the fire extinguishing water supply line 70.

[0053] The fire extinguishing water pipe 330 is connected to the supply pipe 310 and may be arranged along the height direction of the battery rack housing 200. For example, the fire extinguishing water pipe 330 may be arranged in two rows along the height direction of the battery rack housing 200 and be provided in an approximately rectangular frame shape.

[0054] The fire extinguishing water nozzle 350 is connected to the actual fire extinguishing water pipe 330 and may be installed to pass through the plurality of battery modules 100. Thus, the fire extinguishing water nozzle 350 may be provided in plurality to correspond to the plurality of battery modules 100.

[0055] The plurality of fire extinguishing water nozzles 350 may include a nozzle body 351 , a nozzle head 353 , and a sealing member 355 .

[0056] The nozzle body 351 may be installed by the second bracket 430 of the bracket unit 400 explained below. The nozzle body 351 may be installed by the bracket unit 400 explained below. The nozzle body 351 is connected to the fire extinguishing water pipe 330 and may be at least partially disposed inside the plurality of battery modules 100. Specifically, the nozzle body 351 may be at least partially disposed between the second bracket 430 and the rear surface of the battery rack housing 200.

[0057] The nozzle body 351 may have a passive valve or an active valve. Under normal circumstances, the passive valve or the active valve may keep the internal passage of the nozzle body 351 closed. In addition, in an abnormal situation such as thermal runaway of the battery module 100, the passive valve or the active valve may operate to open the internal passage so that fire extinguishing water may be sprayed to the battery module 100 where the abnormal situation occurs.

[0058] One end of the nozzle body 351 may be disposed inside the module housing 130 of the battery module 100. Thus, when an abnormality such as thermal runaway occurs in the battery module 100, the nozzle body 351 may spray extinguishing water into the module housing 130, thereby cooling the battery cells 110 of the battery module 100 where the abnormality occurs more quickly.

[0059] The nozzle head 353 is connected to the nozzle body 351 and may be installed to pass through the plurality of battery modules 100. Specifically, the nozzle head 353 may be installed to the nozzle insertion portion 135 of the module case 130 to penetrate the module case 130 of the battery module 100.

[0060] The sealing member 355 may be disposed at the outer side of the nozzle body 351. The sealing member 355 may be disposed to be in close contact with the second bracket 430 of the bracket unit 400, which will be explained later.

[0061] The sealing member 355 may be arranged to contact the second bracket 430 while surrounding the outside of the nozzle body 351. Thus, the sealing member 355 can more reliably prevent the fire extinguishing water and the like from leaking to the outside of the nozzle body 351. Specifically, when an abnormality occurs in any one of the plurality of battery modules 100, the fire extinguishing water can be sprayed from the nozzle body 351 of the fire extinguishing water nozzle 350 connected to the battery module 100 where the abnormality occurs. When spraying the fire extinguishing water, even if the fire extinguishing water leaks to the outside of the nozzle body 351, it may be necessary to prevent the fire extinguishing water from flowing into the battery module 100 where the abnormality has not occurred. In this embodiment, since the sealing member 355 is arranged to be in close contact with the second bracket 430 of the bracket unit 400 at the outside of the nozzle body 351, it is possible to more reliably and firmly prevent the fire extinguishing water from leaking out of the nozzle body 351 where the fire extinguishing water is sprayed.

[0062] The bracket unit 400 covers the fire extinguishing water supply unit 300 and may be disposed at the rear of the battery rack housing 200 .

[0063] Hereinafter, the bracket unit 400 will be described in more detail with reference to the following drawings.

[0064] Figure 7 and Figure 8 It is used to illustrate Figure 1 A view of the bracket unit used at the battery rack, Fig. 9 and Fig.10 is used to illustrate the installation to Figure 1 View of the fire extinguishing water supply unit of the battery rack bracket unit, Fig.11 is a view used to illustrate the following structure, in which the Figure 1 The fire extinguishing water supply unit of the battery rack bracket unit is mounted to the battery module.

[0065] refer to Figures 7 to 11 , the bracket unit 400 includes a first bracket 410 and a second bracket 430 .

[0066] The first bracket 410 may cover the fire extinguishing water pipe 330 of the fire extinguishing water supply unit 300. The first bracket 410 may be provided to surround the fire extinguishing water pipe 330. Through the first bracket 410, direct impacts such as external impacts can be prevented from being transmitted to the fire extinguishing water pipe 330, and external impacts that may be transmitted to the fire extinguishing water pipe 330 can also be effectively buffered. Thus, in this embodiment, through the first bracket 410, the fire extinguishing water pipe 330 can be effectively prevented from being damaged.

[0067] The first bracket 410 may have a vent hole 415 .

[0068] The ventilation hole 415 may be provided in plurality.

[0069] The plurality of vents 415 may be provided to have a number corresponding to the plurality of fire extinguishing water nozzles 350. The plurality of vents 415 may be provided to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance along the height direction of the first bracket 410, and may be arranged in two rows along the height direction.

[0070] The plurality of vent holes 415 may be disposed opposite to the plurality of fire extinguishing water nozzles 350. The plurality of vent holes 415 may be disposed on a side opposite to the fire extinguishing water nozzles 350.

[0071] The plurality of vent holes 415 as described above can guide the discharge of gas generated when an abnormal situation such as thermal runaway or fire occurs at the battery module 100. Thus, in this embodiment, through the plurality of vent holes 415, high-temperature gas that may be generated when an abnormal situation occurs can be discharged to the outside of the battery rack 10 more quickly, particularly to the rear of the battery rack 10.

[0072] The second bracket 430 is fixed to the first bracket 410, and may support a plurality of fire extinguishing water nozzles 350. In this embodiment, through the second bracket 430, the fire extinguishing water nozzles 350 of the fire extinguishing water supply unit 300 may be more stably supported.

[0073] Furthermore, the second bracket 430 may cover the front side of the fire extinguishing water pipe 330 by forming a double bracket structure together with the first bracket 410 , thereby more reliably protecting the fire extinguishing water pipe 330 and also improving the overall rigidity of the bracket unit 400 .

[0074] The second bracket 430 may include a nozzle mounting portion 435 through which the fire extinguishing water nozzle 350 is mounted.

[0075] The nozzle mounting portion 435 may be provided in plurality to correspond to the number of the fire extinguishing water nozzles 350. The plurality of nozzle mounting portions 435 may be provided to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance along the height direction of the second bracket 430 and may be arranged in two rows along the height direction.

[0076] As described above, through the bracket unit 400 , the battery rack 10 according to this embodiment can support the fire extinguishing water pipe 330 of the fire extinguishing water supply unit 300 and guide the fire extinguishing water nozzle 350 to be more stably supported and installed.

[0077] In addition, since the battery rack 10 according to this embodiment forms a double bracket structure through the bracket unit 400, it is possible to maximally protect and buffer the fire extinguishing water supply unit 300 from external impact, and also further improve the overall rigidity.

[0078] Fig.12 is a view for illustrating an energy storage system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0079] refer to Fig.12 The energy storage system 1 is an energy source and can be used for household or industrial purposes. The energy storage system 1 may include at least one battery rack 10 of the aforementioned embodiment and a battery rack container 50 for accommodating the at least one battery rack 10.

[0080] The battery rack container 50 may include a fire extinguishing water tank unit 90 for supplying fire extinguishing water to the plurality of battery racks 10. The fire extinguishing water tank unit 90 is filled with fire extinguishing water, i.e., water. The fire extinguishing water tank unit 90 is connected through the plurality of battery racks 10 via the fire extinguishing water supply line 70 to supply fire extinguishing water to the plurality of battery racks 10.

[0081] Since the energy storage system 1 according to this embodiment includes the battery rack 10 of the aforementioned embodiment, it is possible to provide an energy storage system 1 including all the advantages of the battery rack 10 of the aforementioned embodiment.

[0082] According to the various embodiments described above, it is possible to provide a battery rack 10 that can quickly prevent heat from being propagated to surrounding battery modules 100 due to thermal runaway, and an energy storage system 1 including such a battery rack 10 .

[0083] In addition, according to the various embodiments described above, it is possible to provide a battery rack 10 that can ensure overall rigidity through a double bracket structure and protect a nozzle and the like from external impact, and an energy storage system 1 including such a battery rack 10 .

[0084] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described, and that those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications within the scope of the present disclosure, and that these modifications should not be understood solely from the technical ideas and viewpoints of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A battery rack, comprising: A plurality of battery modules, each of the plurality of battery modules having at least one battery cell; a battery rack housing configured to accommodate the plurality of battery modules; a fire extinguishing water supply unit disposed at a rear portion of the battery rack housing and connected to the plurality of battery modules; as well as a bracket unit configured to have a double bracket structure to cover the fire extinguishing water supply unit and disposed at the rear of the battery rack housing, Wherein, the fire extinguishing water supply unit comprises: a fire extinguishing water pipe, the fire extinguishing water pipe being arranged along the height direction of the battery rack housing; and a plurality of fire extinguishing water nozzles connected to the fire extinguishing water pipe and installed to pass through the plurality of battery modules, Wherein, the bracket unit comprises: a first bracket configured to cover the fire extinguishing water pipe; and A second bracket is fixed to the first bracket and is configured to support the plurality of fire extinguishing water nozzles.

2. The battery rack according to claim 1, wherein: The first bracket has a plurality of vent holes, and the plurality of vent holes are arranged opposite to the plurality of fire extinguishing water nozzles.

3. The battery rack according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the plurality of fire extinguishing water nozzles comprises: a nozzle body installed to pass through the second bracket; and A nozzle head is connected to the nozzle body and is configured to penetrate the plurality of battery modules.

4. The battery rack according to claim 3, wherein: Each of the plurality of fire extinguishing water nozzles includes a sealing member provided at an outer side of the nozzle body.

5. The battery rack according to claim 4, wherein: The sealing member is disposed in close contact with the second bracket.

6. The battery rack according to claim 2, wherein: The plurality of vent holes are provided at a side opposite to the fire extinguishing water nozzle.

7. The battery rack according to claim 2, wherein: The plurality of ventilation holes are disposed to be spaced apart from each other along a height direction of the first bracket.

8. An energy storage system comprising at least one battery rack according to any one of claims 1-7.

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