A battery pack thermal management structure suitable for high-speed navigation of underwater vehicles

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery pack thermal management structure suitable for high-speed navigation of underwater vehicles. The structure comprises a battery compartment housing, multiple battery packs, inner and outer guide rails, front and rear battery clamps, a temperature acquisition module, a voltage acquisition module, and a remaining power monitoring module. The structure also comprises a shaped phase change material, a flexible high-thermal-conductivity silicone sheet, and a thermal support plate. The shaped phase change material is located between the front and rear battery clamps, the thermal support plate is located below the multiple battery packs, and a flexible high-thermal-conductivity silicone sheet is provided between the thermal support plate and the battery compartment housing. The combination of the high-thermal-conductivity flexible silicone sheet, the thermal support plate, and the silicone sheet reduces contact thermal resistance. The thermal support plate can further strengthen the contact between the thermally conductive silicone sheet and the housing and the surface of the battery pack by extrusion, ultimately conducting the heat generated by the battery pack to the external seawater, thereby achieving effective control of the battery pack temperature during high-speed navigation of the underwater vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of battery safety for electric powered vehicles, and relates to a battery pack thermal management structure suitable for high-speed navigation of underwater vehicles. Background Art

[0002] As a typical example of marine equipment, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) play an irreplaceable role in marine resource surveying, marine safety maintenance, and marine information collection. In recent years, with the continuous development of battery technology, electric-powered AUVs have been widely used in both military and civilian fields due to their advantages such as low noise, high maneuverability, and simple operation and maintenance.

[0003] Currently, underwater vehicles are developing towards deep seas, high speeds, and long ranges. In particular, in some special environments, these vehicles need to achieve higher speeds in a short period of time, which requires the battery packs to discharge at a high rate. High-rate discharge generates a large amount of heat. If this heat cannot be immediately transferred to the external seawater, it will cause a rapid accumulation of heat within the cabin, seriously affecting the normal operation and service life of the battery pack. In extreme cases, it may even cause the battery pack to catch fire or explode.

[0004] Currently, underwater vehicle battery thermal management primarily relies on heat transfer through the battery pack's mounting rails. This method can meet heat dissipation requirements under low-speed navigation conditions, but if the vehicle is operating at high speeds, further development of other thermal management measures is necessary. Existing air-cooling and liquid-cooling technologies require the installation of additional devices such as fans and pumps, which occupy a certain volume within the vehicle's cabin and consume the vehicle's own energy, squeezing the vehicle's available energy. When addressing the thermal management issues of batteries for high-speed navigation, the following aspects should be considered:

[0005] First, when a spacecraft is sailing at high speed, the spacecraft body will vibrate violently due to external hydrodynamic forces. Therefore, the battery thermal management system should be designed to be as reliable as possible, and the use of moving parts should be reduced during the thermal management process.

[0006] Secondly, if the spacecraft wants to achieve a high-speed working mission for a certain period of time, it is necessary to minimize the additional energy consumed by the battery thermal management system.

[0007] Third, the rate of heat generation when the vehicle is sailing at high speed is very high. To achieve efficient thermal management, the thermal management medium used should have a high thermal conductivity and be able to exchange heat with the external seawater. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Technical problems to be solved

[0009] In order to avoid the shortcomings of the existing technology, the present invention proposes a battery pack thermal management structure suitable for high-speed navigation of underwater vehicles. The heat generated by the battery pack is stored by a high-thermal-conductivity fixed phase change material, and then the stored heat is transferred to the support plate through a flexible high-thermal-conductivity silicone sheet. The heat is then transferred to the flexible thermal-conductive silicone sheet on the inner surface of the shell through the support plate, and finally transmitted to the external seawater through the vehicle shell, effectively improving the temperature control effect of the battery pack under high-rate discharge.

[0010] Technical Solution

[0011] A battery pack thermal management structure suitable for high-speed navigation of underwater vehicles includes a battery compartment shell, multiple battery packs, inner and outer guide rails, front and rear battery plywood, a temperature acquisition module, a voltage acquisition module and a remaining power monitoring module, and is characterized in that it also includes a shaped phase change material 6, a flexible high thermal conductivity silicone sheet 8 and a thermal support plate 9; the shaped phase change material 6 is located between the front and rear battery plywood, and is wrapped around the outside of each battery pack in the same frame as the front and rear plywood, the thermal support plate 9 is located on the lower side of the multiple battery packs, and is connected to the shaped phase change material 6, and a flexible high thermal conductivity silicone sheet 8 is provided between the thermal support plate 9 and the battery compartment shell, and its shape is consistent with the space between the thermal support plate 9 and the battery compartment shell.

[0012] The high thermal conductivity flexible silicone sheet is adhered to the outer surface of the battery pack and the inner surface of the aircraft shell by an adhesive, and is interference fit with both.

[0013] The interior of the high thermal conductivity support plate is a hollow shell structure.

[0014] The high thermal conductivity support plate is made of graphite plate or metal plate.

[0015] Beneficial effects

[0016] The present invention proposes a battery pack thermal management structure suitable for high-speed underwater vehicle navigation, belonging to the field of underwater equipment battery thermal management technology. The structure comprises: a battery compartment housing, a battery pack, inner and outer guide rails, front and rear battery clamping plates, a shaped phase change material, a flexible high-thermal-conductivity silicone sheet, and a thermal support plate. During short, high-speed navigation of an underwater vehicle, the battery pack discharges at an extremely high rate. The shaped phase change material can store the heat generated by the battery pack through phase change, thereby controlling the battery pack temperature within a certain range. Furthermore, to conduct the heat stored in the phase change material to the external seawater, a high-thermal-conductivity flexible silicone sheet and a thermal support plate are installed between the battery pack module and the vehicle housing. The silicone sheet's flexibility allows it to deform easily in complex structures, allowing it to better adhere to the housing and battery pack surfaces, reducing contact thermal resistance. The thermal support plate can further strengthen the contact between the thermally conductive silicone sheet, the housing, and the battery pack surfaces through compression, ultimately conducting the heat generated by the battery pack to the external seawater, effectively controlling the battery pack temperature during high-speed navigation of the underwater vehicle. The present invention provides a solution for controlling the temperature of the battery pack of an underwater vehicle during high-speed navigation.

[0017] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the present invention adopts high thermal conductivity shaped phase change material, flexible thermal conductive silicone sheet, high thermal conductive support plate, etc. to efficiently cool the battery pack of underwater vehicles under high-speed navigation conditions. The entire cooling design does not have any external moving parts, thereby improving the reliability of the system; the energy carried by the vehicle's battery pack itself is not consumed during the cooling process, thereby increasing the duration of the vehicle's high-speed navigation; with the help of the extrusion generated by the interference fit of the flexible thermal conductive silicone sheet and the support plate, the contact thermal resistance of the interface is greatly reduced, thereby allowing the heat generated by the battery pack to be quickly conducted to the external seawater. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the battery thermal management system in the aircraft compartment

[0019] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the single-layer battery module structure

[0020] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of high thermal conductivity shaped phase change material

[0021] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of flexible high thermal conductivity silicone sheet

[0022] Figure 5 Internal structure of high thermal conductivity support plate

[0023] 1. Battery compartment shell, 2. Battery pack mounting outer guide rail, 3. Battery pack mounting inner guide rail, 4. Battery pack, 5. Battery front splint, 6. High thermal conductivity shaped phase change material, 7. Battery rear splint, 8. Flexible high thermal conductivity silicone sheet, 9. High thermal conductivity support plate, 10. Temperature acquisition module, 11. Voltage acquisition module, 12. Battery remaining power monitoring module DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The present invention will now be further described with reference to the embodiments and accompanying drawings:

[0025] like Figure 1 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention proposes a battery pack thermal management design suitable for high-speed navigation of underwater vehicles, including: a battery compartment shell, a battery pack, inner and outer guide rails, front and rear battery clamps, a shaped phase change material, a flexible high thermal conductivity silicone sheet, a thermal support plate, a temperature acquisition module, a voltage acquisition module, a remaining power monitoring module, etc.

[0026] A battery pack thermal management structure suitable for high-speed navigation of underwater vehicles includes a battery compartment shell, a battery pack, inner and outer guide rails, front and rear battery clamps, a shaped phase change material, a flexible high-thermal conductivity silicone sheet, a thermal support plate, a temperature acquisition module, a voltage acquisition module, a remaining power monitoring module, etc.

[0027] The battery pack mounting rail includes an inner rail and an outer rail. The inner rail is connected to the battery pack, and the outer rail is connected to the ring rib on the aircraft shell. The fixing method adopts screws or welding.

[0028] The front and rear battery clamps are coated with insulating varnish. Stepped holes, equal in number to the number of batteries to be installed, are machined into the clamps for back-to-back battery connection. The small diameter of the stepped holes is smaller than the battery diameter, thus supporting the batteries. The large diameter of the stepped holes is equal to the battery diameter, securing and limiting the batteries.

[0029] After the battery module is installed, it is fastened with long bolts through the small holes around the battery clamp to prevent it from being dislocated and moved in all directions.

[0030] The high thermal conductivity shaping phase change material is prepared from graphite, carbon nanotubes, graphene, pure phase change material, shaping resin material, flame retardant, insulating agent and the like in a certain proportion.

[0031] The highly thermally conductive flexible silicone sheet is synthesized using silicone as a base material and adding other highly thermally conductive metal oxides. Its thermal conductivity is adjusted by adjusting the additives. Furthermore, the flexible silicone sheet exhibits excellent compression properties, high and low temperature resistance, insulation, and shock absorption.

[0032] The high thermal conductivity support plate has a hollow shell structure and is made of graphite or metal. Its size is slightly larger than the inner size of the flexible silicone sheet, which facilitates subsequent installation and interference fit.

[0033] The high thermal conductivity flexible silicone sheet is adhered to the outer surface of the battery pack and the inner surface of the aircraft shell through the adhesive on the surface. The flexible silicone sheet is further squeezed by installing the internal high thermal conductivity support plate to make it adhere better to the surface of the component and reduce the contact thermal resistance.

[0034] In the implementation case installation, the outer guide rail is first installed on the ring rib of the aircraft shell, and the two are connected by screws or welding.

[0035] In the implementation case, Figure 2 As shown, the battery rack 5 is machined with battery mounting holes. These are stepped holes. The larger hole has the same diameter as the battery and is used for mounting and positioning. The smaller hole, with a larger diameter than the battery, is used to support the battery. Back-to-back batteries in the same rack can be connected in series or parallel via the stepped holes. To enhance battery insulation, the outer surface of the battery rack is coated with an electrical insulating varnish.

[0036] In an embodiment, Figure 2 As shown, the high thermal conductivity, shaped phase change material module 6 is machined with a battery mounting hole, the aperture size of which is the same as the battery size. The phase change material selected in the phase change material module is an alkane organic material such as paraffin. Research shows that the optimal operating temperature range of the battery is 25-40°C, so the melting point of the phase change material is selected to be around 35°C. It is important to note that the thermal conductivity of pure phase change material is very low, approximately 0.2W / (m·K). In order to quickly transfer the heat generated by the battery to the interior of the phase change material, high thermal conductivity materials such as high thermal conductivity expanded graphite powder, carbon nanotubes, and graphene are required to improve its thermal conductivity. In addition, pure phase change material will transform from solid to liquid during the phase change process. To prevent leakage of the phase change material, adding a shaped resin material can effectively avoid this phenomenon. To further enhance the safety and reliability of the battery pack, insulating agents and flame retardants are added to the phase change material to prevent external short circuits in the battery.

[0037] In the embodiment, the installation order of the entire battery pack is to select a layer of cylindrical battery pack 4 and install it first in the battery front clamp 5, then install the high thermal conductivity fixed phase change material module 6, and then install the battery rear clamp 7, and install it layer by layer until it is completed.

[0038] In an embodiment, after all battery modules are installed, the battery pack is fastened through the fixing holes around the inside of the module, and then the inner guide rail is connected to the battery pack, and finally the entire battery pack is pushed into the outer guide rail through the inner guide rail.

[0039] In the implementation case, after the battery module is installed, the flexible high-thermal conductivity silicone sheet is placed in the remaining space above and below the battery compartment, and then the thermal support plate is placed in the silicone sheet, and the thermal conductive plate is pushed into the compartment through interference extrusion.

[0040] In the embodiment, the battery pack thermal management system operates on the principle that when a vehicle is performing high-speed navigation, a vigorous chemical reaction occurs within the battery, generating a large amount of heat. This heat is then absorbed by the highly thermally conductive, shaped phase-change material. The absorbed heat is then transferred to the support plate via a flexible, thermally conductive silicone sheet. The support plate then transfers the heat to the seawater outside the vehicle's hull via a thermally conductive silicone sheet at its bottom, achieving heat exchange. Ultimately, this achieves efficient temperature control of the battery pack, ensuring high-speed navigation.

[0041] The above description is merely an exemplary implementation case of the present invention and does not limit the scope of patent protection of the present invention. Any equivalent structure made using the contents of the description and drawings of the present invention is included in the scope of patent protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A battery pack thermal management structure suitable for high-speed navigation of underwater vehicles, comprising a battery compartment housing, multiple battery packs, inner and outer rails, front and rear battery clamps, a temperature acquisition module, a voltage acquisition module, and a remaining power monitoring module, characterized in that It also includes a shaped phase change material, a flexible high thermal conductivity silicone sheet and a thermal support plate; the shaped phase change material is located between the front and rear plywood of the battery, and is wrapped around the outside of each battery pack in the same frame as the front and rear plywood. The thermal support plate is located on the lower side of multiple battery packs and is connected to the shaped phase change material. A flexible high thermal conductivity silicone sheet is provided between the thermal support plate and the battery compartment shell, and its shape matches the space between the thermal support plate and the battery compartment shell; the flexible high thermal conductivity silicone sheet is adhered to the outer surface of the battery pack and the inner surface of the aircraft shell by an adhesive, and is an interference fit with both.

2. The battery pack thermal management structure suitable for high-speed navigation of underwater vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The interior of the high thermal conductivity support plate is a hollow shell structure.

3. The battery pack thermal management structure suitable for high-speed navigation of underwater vehicles according to claim 1, characterized in that: The high thermal conductivity support plate is made of graphite plate or metal plate.

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