A novel finned cold plate for a battery module

Abstract

The present application relates to a novel finned cold plate for a battery module, which includes a cold plate base body, a cold plate cover plate, and a plurality of fins and ribs. The fins and ribs are arranged in parallel at intervals inside the cold plate base body, and one end of the fin is open and the other end is closed. The cold plate base body and the cold plate cover plate are covered and sealed to form a heat dissipation flow channel with a vortex region between the cold plate base body and the cold plate cover plate; the inlet end and the outlet end of the heat dissipation flow channel are respectively in fluid communication with a fluid inlet pipe and a fluid outlet pipe. The fluid inlet pipe, the fluid outlet pipe, and the ribs are parallel to each other, allowing the liquid cooling medium to flow rapidly along the confluence flow channel in the heat dissipation flow channel, and forming a turbulent flow in the confluence flow channel and then diverging and flowing. The present application has the advantages of good heat transfer effect, high heat dissipation efficiency, small pressure drop at the inlet and outlet of the cold plate, low system power consumption, and strong practicability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of cooling systems, and in particular to a fin-type water cooling plate used in the field of battery thermal management of electric vehicles. Background Art

[0002] Power batteries are a key research project in the field of electric vehicles. They must not only meet the requirements of the total mileage and cruising range of pure electric vehicles, but also meet the requirements of their power performance and safety performance. Lithium-ion batteries are key technologies in the operation stage of electric vehicles. They have the advantages of low self-discharge rate, high specific energy, long cycle life, high open circuit voltage, many rechargeable times, low pollution, and low toxicity. However, lithium-ion batteries have extremely high requirements for temperature when they work efficiently. The temperature suitable for lithium-ion batteries to work is 25-40°C. When the temperature exceeds this range, the performance of lithium-ion batteries will be affected, which makes the high efficiency of lithium-ion batteries put forward more stringent requirements on the environment and their own temperature. High temperature will greatly affect the performance of lithium-ion batteries, accelerate degradation, lead to irreversible chemical reactions, shorten the service life of lithium-ion batteries, and cause thermal runaway of batteries. At high discharge rates of lithium-ion batteries, additional side reactions will occur in the positive and negative electrodes and electrolytes, releasing additional heat. The impact of multiple heat can easily cause the dissolution of the diaphragm, and then a large-scale short circuit will occur, resulting in safety accidents such as battery spontaneous combustion or explosion.

[0003] At present, in the thermal management system of battery modules, serpentine channel and parallel channel cold plates are widely used. The so-called channel cold plate generates heat exchange by flowing coolant in the designed channel, takes away the heat generated by the battery, and reduces the temperature of the battery module. The existing cold plates generally adopt a one-in-one-out mode, and the serpentine channel can be designed with a variety of flow channel structures, such as the invention patent with publication number CN104329961A. Due to the large number of structural parameters that can be changed, such as the inlet and outlet position settings, the number of channels, and the shape of the channel, a higher heat exchange rate can be obtained under the premise of the same small volume, and it is widely used to a certain extent. However, due to its special flow channel structure design, it is impossible to drill holes in a whole metal plate. The common processing idea is to make two metal plates, one for realizing its flow channel structure and the other for sealing the flow channel. Therefore, this structure not only faces the problem of difficult processing, but also brings sealing problems to the metal plate. In addition, since the flow channel structure of the serpentine channel is longer and narrower than that of the parallel channel, the pressure drop at the inlet and outlet of the channel-type cold plate is larger. In order to overcome the resistance caused by the pressure drop difference during the liquid circulation process, the system will generate a large amount of power consumption. Therefore, the system requires higher power consumption and the system power consumption increases.

[0004] In summary, the existing channel-type cold plate has problems such as high system power consumption, small coolant circulation range, and low cooling efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of the present application is to provide a novel finned cold plate for a battery module, so as to overcome the above-mentioned defects in the prior art, and improve the liquid flow range and achieve high-efficiency heat dissipation by changing the traditional heat transfer path.

[0006] The embodiments of the present application can be realized by the following technical solutions:

[0007] A novel finned cold plate for a battery module includes a cold plate base body, a cold plate cover plate, and a plurality of fins and ribs. The fins and the ribs are arranged in parallel at intervals inside the cold plate base body, and one end of the fin is open and the other end is closed. The cold plate base body and the cold plate cover plate are covered and sealed with each other, so that a heat dissipation flow channel with a vortex region is formed between the cold plate base body and the cold plate cover plate;

[0008] The inlet end and the outlet end of the heat dissipation flow channel are respectively in fluid communication with a fluid inlet pipe and a fluid outlet pipe. The fluid inlet pipe, the fluid outlet pipe, and the ribs are parallel to each other, and a liquid cooling medium is supplied to flow in the heat dissipation flow channel along the confluence flow channel, and after forming a turbulent flow in the confluence flow channel, it is then split and flows.

[0009] Further, a plurality of the ribs are arranged intermittently in a "one" shape to jointly form a plurality of parallel confluence flow channels.

[0010] Further, a plurality of the fins are spaced apart from each other in parallel within the confluence flow channel.

[0011] Further, the fins are located within the confluence flow channel, and the ribs and the fins are arranged in a staggered manner in height.

[0012] Further, the ribs are located above and / or below between two adjacent fins.

[0013] Further, the fins are in a "V" shape.

[0014] Further, the closed end of the fin is arranged towards the outlet end of the heat dissipation flow channel, and the open end of the fin is arranged towards the inlet end of the heat dissipation flow channel.

[0015] Further, a first connection hole and a second connection hole are respectively arranged at the inlet end and the outlet end of the heat dissipation flow channel. The fluid inlet pipe is connected to the first connection hole, and the fluid outlet pipe is connected to the second connection hole.

[0016] Further, the number of the fluid inlet pipes and the fluid outlet pipes is several, and several fluid inlet pipes and fluid outlet pipes respectively correspond to the first connection hole and the second connection hole one by one.

[0017] Furthermore, the number of the fluid inlet pipes and the fluid outlet pipes is the same and they correspond to each other one by one. The fluid inlet pipes and the fluid outlet pipes located in the same horizontal line form a set of inlet and outlet flow paths, and each set of the inlet and outlet flow paths is in the same horizontal line as the rib.

[0018] A novel finned cold plate for a battery module provided by an embodiment of the present application has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0019] In the present application, a plurality of ribs are arranged intermittently in a "one" shape, so that they jointly form a plurality of parallel confluence flow channels. There is an arrangement gap between two adjacent ribs, so that the liquid cooling medium can not only flow orderly along the confluence flow channels, but also longitudinally flow through the gaps between two adjacent ribs and be diverted to each area, increasing the liquid flow range, effectively solving the problem of large inlet and outlet pressure drops caused by the long and narrow existing coolant channels, and further effectively reducing the power consumption of the system.

[0020] The fins in the present application are arranged in the confluence flow channels, and a plurality of fins are spaced apart from each other in parallel in the confluence flow channels, so that each fin can form a vortex region at its location. When the liquid cooling medium flows through the vortex region of the fin, turbulence can be formed for heat dissipation, which has the advantages of good heat transfer effect and higher heat dissipation efficiency.

[0021] In the present application, the fins and the ribs are arranged in a staggered manner, and the ribs are located below and / or beneath two adjacent fins, so that the fins and the ribs are arranged in parallel at intervals, and the fins and the ribs are mismatched in height, so that the gap between the fins and the ribs can be fully utilized for further diversion, increasing the flow range, and effectively avoiding radial backflow.

[0022] The present application has the advantages of simple overall structure, high heat dissipation efficiency, high cooling efficiency, etc. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 is an exploded state schematic diagram of a novel finned cold plate for a battery module of the present application;

[0024] Figure 2 is a three-dimensional structure schematic diagram of the cold plate substrate in the present application;

[0025] Figure 3 is a structure schematic diagram of a serpentine channel cold plate in the prior art;

[0026] Figure 4 is an experimental comparison and analysis curve graph of the prior art and the technical solution of the present application.

[0027] Reference numerals in the drawings

[0028] 1 - Cold plate base; 11 - First connection hole; 12 - Second connection hole; 2 - Cold plate cover; 3 - Fins; 4 - Ribs; 5 - Fluid inlet pipe; 6 - Fluid outlet pipe. Detailed implementation manners

[0029] Hereinafter, the present application will be further described based on preferred implementation manners with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] In addition, for the convenience of understanding, various components in the drawings are enlarged (thickened) or reduced (thinned), but this is not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application.

[0031] Singular terms also include plural meanings, and vice versa.

[0032] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, it should be noted that if terms such as "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer", etc. are used to indicate the orientation or positional relationship, it is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship when the products in the embodiments of the present application are usually placed. It is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, so it cannot be understood as a limitation to the present application. In addition, in the description of the present application, in order to distinguish different units, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used in this specification, but these are not restricted by the manufacturing order and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. In the detailed description and claims of the present application, their names may be different.

[0033] The terms in this specification are used to describe the embodiments of the present application, but are not intended to limit the present application. It should also be noted that unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, if terms such as "set", "connected", "connected to" are used, they should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present application can be specifically understood.

[0034] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the disassembled state of a novel finned cold plate for a battery module of the present application, as Figure 1As shown in the figure, a new type of finned cold plate for a battery module includes a cold plate base body 1, a cold plate cover plate 2, a plurality of fins 3 and ribs 4. Among them, the fins 3 and the ribs 4 are arranged in parallel at intervals inside the cold plate base body 1, and one end of the fin 3 is open and the other end is closed. The cold plate base body 1 and the cold plate cover plate 2 are covered and sealed, so that a heat dissipation flow channel with a vortex region is formed between the cold plate base body 1 and the cold plate cover plate 2. When the liquid cooling medium flows to the vortex region, turbulence can be generated, and after passing through both ends of the rib 4, it is divided into flow;

[0035] The inlet end and the outlet end of the heat dissipation flow channel are respectively in fluid communication with a fluid inlet pipe 5 and a fluid outlet pipe 6. The fluid inlet pipe 5, the fluid outlet pipe 6, and the rib 4 are parallel to each other, so that the flow direction of the liquid along the inlet and outlet coincides with the setting direction of the heat dissipation flow channel, so that the liquid cooling medium can quickly flow through the heat dissipation flow channel along the confluence flow channel, and form turbulence in the confluence flow channel and then be divided into flow.

[0036] Specifically, the fluid inlet pipe 5 and the fluid outlet pipe 6 are arranged horizontally, and a plurality of the ribs 4 are arranged intermittently in a "one" shape to jointly form a plurality of confluence flow channels arranged in parallel horizontally, so that the liquid cooling medium can flow quickly and orderly in the horizontal direction. At the same time, it can also be longitudinally divided into flow through the gap between two adjacent ribs 4 and be divided into each area, increasing the liquid flow range, effectively solving the problem of large inlet and outlet pressure drops caused by the long and narrow existing coolant channels, and then effectively reducing the power consumption of the system.

[0037] In some preferred embodiments, the fin 3 is located in the confluence flow channel, and the fin 3 and the rib 4 are arranged in a staggered manner in height, so that the liquid cooling medium can be fully diverted in a staggered manner using the high and low positions, increasing the flow range.

[0038] In some preferred embodiments, the rib 4 is located below and / or at the lower position between two adjacent fins 3, so that the fins 3 and the ribs 4 are arranged in parallel at intervals, and the fins 3 and the ribs 4 are cooperatively arranged in a staggered manner, so as to make full use of the gap between the fins 3 and the ribs 4 for further diversion, increasing the flow range, and effectively avoiding radial backflow at the same time.

[0039] In some preferred embodiments, a plurality of the fins 3 are arranged at intervals parallel to each other in the confluence flow channel, so that each fin 3 can form a vortex region at its location. When the liquid cooling medium flows through the vortex region of the fin 3, turbulence can be formed. Turbulence has the advantages of good heat transfer effect and higher heat dissipation efficiency.

[0040] In some preferred embodiments, the fin 3 is in a "V" shape. After the liquid cooling medium impacts the inner wall surface of the "V" shape, due to the baroclinic effect, vorticity is induced to deposit near the inner wall surface. After the vortex acts on the inner wall surface, it accelerates along the inner wall surface, causing the liquid medium to extend along the inner wall surface. Subsequently, the vortex rebounds on the inner wall surface and induces the generation of a secondary vortex, thereby forming turbulence. During this process, the heat transfer of the liquid cooling medium can be accelerated by utilizing the perturbation of the turbulence.

[0041] In some preferred embodiments, the closed end of the fin 3 is arranged towards the outlet end of the heat dissipation channel, and the open end of the fin 3 is arranged towards the inlet end of the heat dissipation channel. When the liquid cooling medium flows through the heat dissipation channel from the inlet end towards the outlet end, it can directly impact the inner wall surface from the open end of the fin 3, so as to quickly form turbulence, accelerating the speed of forming turbulence, and having the advantages of fast response and high efficiency.

[0042] In some preferred embodiments, the cold plate base 1 and the cold plate cover 2 are sealed by welding, so that the cold plate base 1 and the cold plate cover 2 are sealed into an integral structure, which has the advantages of simple structure, few components, good sealing performance, easy processing and assembly, and good sealing performance of the internal heat dissipation channel of the cold plate.

[0043] In some preferred embodiments, the cold plate base 1 and the cold plate cover 2 are made by pressing aluminum plates, and the aluminum plates have good heat dissipation effect and low cost.

[0044] In some preferred embodiments, a plurality of inlets and outlets are respectively arranged at the inlet end and the outlet end of the heat dissipation channel. As Figure 2 shown, the cold plate base 1 includes a first connection hole 11 and a second connection hole 12. The fluid inlet pipe 5 is connected to the first connection hole 11, and the fluid outlet pipe 6 is connected to the second connection hole 12. After the liquid cooling medium passes through the fluid inlet pipe 5, it flows into the heat dissipation channel through the first connection hole 11, and then flows out through the fluid outlet pipe 6 after passing through the second connection hole 12.

[0045] In some preferred embodiments, the number of the fluid inlet pipes 5 and the fluid outlet pipes 6 is several. The several fluid inlet pipes 5 and fluid outlet pipes 6 respectively correspond to the first connection hole 11 and the second connection hole 12 one by one, so that the liquid cooling medium can flow into the heat dissipation channel through multiple independent pipelines respectively, effectively shortening the distance of the inlet and outlet channels and further reducing the pressure drop at the inlet and outlet of the cold plate.

[0046] In some preferred embodiments, the number of the fluid inlet pipes 5 and the fluid outlet pipes 6 is the same and they correspond to each other one by one. Among them, the fluid inlet pipes 5 and the fluid outlet pipes 6 located in the same horizontal line form a set of inlet and outlet flow paths. Each set of the inlet and outlet flow paths is in the same horizontal line as the rib 4. After the liquid cooling medium flows into the heat dissipation flow path through the first connection hole 11, the rib 4 can quickly divert the liquid cooling medium into different confluence flow paths without providing flow resistance, and then form turbulence in the respective confluence flow paths, and then be diverted again, effectively increasing the flow range of the liquid cooling medium and greatly improving the heat dissipation efficiency.

[0047] Figure 3 FIG. is a schematic structural diagram of a serpentine channel cold plate in the prior art. To further illustrate the advantages of the present application when applied to a battery module, the following combines specific cases to conduct a comparative analysis of the cooling effects between the present application and the existing serpentine channel cold plate.

[0048] Monolithic soft-pack lithium-ion batteries of the same specification and model are connected in series. A heat-conducting aluminum plate is placed between two adjacent soft-pack lithium-ion batteries to prevent heat accumulation between the soft-pack lithium-ion batteries. Figure 3 The serpentine channel cold plate in is placed on both sides of one of the lithium-ion batteries, marked as battery module a. The finned cold plate of the present application is placed at the same position of another lithium-ion battery, marked as battery module b. The heat transfer between the cold plate and the lithium-ion battery is also carried out by an aluminum plate to improve the heat transfer efficiency.

[0049] A comparative experiment is carried out on the two groups of battery modules under 10C high-rate discharge, with the maximum temperature of the battery module, the maximum temperature difference between the monomers of the battery module, and the pressure drop at the inlet and outlet of the cold plate as evaluation indicators. Among them, T max represents the maximum temperature of the battery module, ΔT max represents the maximum temperature difference between the monomers of the battery module, and ΔP represents the pressure drop at the inlet and outlet of the cold plate.

[0050] The experimental results are as Figure 4 shown. The maximum temperature and the maximum temperature difference between the monomers of the battery module using the finned cold plate are the smallest. The maximum temperature and the maximum temperature difference between the monomers of the battery module using the serpentine channel cold plate are significantly higher than those of the battery module using the finned cold plate. Therefore, compared with the existing serpentine channel, the heat dissipation efficiency of a novel finned cold plate for a battery module of the present application is higher.

[0051] The specific implementation manners of the present application have been introduced in detail above. For those skilled in the art of the present technology, without departing from the principle of the present application, several improvements and modifications can still be made to the present application, and these improvements and modifications also belong to the protection scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A novel finned cold plate for a battery module, characterized in that, Comprising: A cold plate base body (1), a cold plate cover plate (2), and a plurality of fins (3) and ribs (4). The fins (3) and the ribs (4) are arranged in parallel at intervals inside the cold plate base body (1). One end of the fin (3) is open and the other end is closed. The cold plate base body (1) and the cold plate cover plate (2) are covered and sealed to form a heat dissipation flow channel with a vortex region between the cold plate base body (1) and the cold plate cover plate (2); The inlet end and the outlet end of the heat dissipation flow channel are respectively in fluid communication with a fluid inlet pipe (5) and a fluid outlet pipe (6). The fluid inlet pipe (5), the fluid outlet pipe (6), and the ribs (4) are parallel to each other, allowing a liquid cooling medium to flow through the heat dissipation flow channel along a confluence flow channel, and forming a turbulent flow in the confluence flow channel and then flowing in a split manner; A plurality of the ribs (4) are arranged intermittently in a "one" shape to jointly form a plurality of parallel confluence flow channels. A plurality of the fins (3) are spaced apart from each other in parallel within the confluence flow channels. The ribs (4) are located above and / or below the space between two adjacent fins (3); The closed end of the fin (3) is arranged towards the outlet end of the heat dissipation flow channel, and the open end of the fin (3) is arranged towards the inlet end of the heat dissipation flow channel; The number of the fluid inlet pipes (5) and the fluid outlet pipes (6) is the same and they correspond one by one. The fluid inlet pipe (5) and the fluid outlet pipe (6) located in the same horizontal line form a set of inlet and outlet flow paths, and each set of the inlet and outlet flow paths is in the same horizontal line as the ribs (4).

2. A novel finned cold plate for a battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fin (3) is located within the confluence flow channel, and the rib (4) is arranged in a staggered manner with the fin (3).

3. A novel finned cold plate for a battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fin (3) is in a "V" shape.

4. A novel finned cold plate for a battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first connection hole (11) and a second connection hole (12) are respectively arranged at the inlet end and the outlet end of the heat dissipation flow channel. The fluid inlet pipe (5) is connected to the first connection hole (11), and the fluid outlet pipe (6) is connected to the second connection hole (12).

5. A novel finned cold plate for a battery module according to claim 4, characterized in that: The number of the fluid inlet pipes (5) and the fluid outlet pipes (6) is several. The several fluid inlet pipes (5) and fluid outlet pipes (6) respectively correspond one by one to the first connection hole (11) and the second connection hole (12).

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