A variable heat transfer distance water cooling plate device

Abstract

The application discloses a water-cooled plate device with variable heat transfer distance, which comprises a water-cooled plate, a first flow guide and a second flow guide arranged at two ends of the water-cooled plate respectively; a plurality of liquid cooling channels are arranged in the water-cooled plate along the length direction of the water-cooled plate, and a variable heat transfer distance channel is arranged at both sides of each liquid cooling channel along the length direction of the water-cooled plate; the first flow guide and the second flow guide are identical in structure, and the first flow guide and the second flow guide are both connected with the liquid cooling channels. According to the application, the cooling effect and temperature uniformity of the battery monomer and the battery pack in the battery are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of battery thermal management, and in particular to a water-cooled plate device with variable heat transfer distance. Background Technology

[0002] Power batteries are widely used not only in energy storage systems such as hydropower, thermal power, wind power, and solar power, but also play a crucial role in electric and hybrid vehicles. However, the high energy density and high power requirements lead to the generation of a large amount of heat in battery systems during operation. This heat accumulation can cause battery overheating, which in turn reduces performance, shortens lifespan, and even poses safety risks. Furthermore, uneven temperature distribution in individual cells and battery packs can also affect battery performance and lifespan. Therefore, effectively dissipating heat from power batteries and maintaining uniform temperature distribution within the battery pack has become an important research direction in this field. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, the present invention aims to provide a water-cooled plate device with variable heat transfer distance. To achieve the above-mentioned objective and other advantages of the present invention, a water-cooled plate device with variable heat transfer distance is provided, comprising:

[0004] Water-cooled plate and a first flow guide and a second flow guide respectively disposed at both ends of the water-cooled plate;

[0005] The interior of the water-cooled plate has multiple liquid cooling channels extending along the length of the water-cooled plate, and a variable heat transfer distance channel is opened on both sides of each liquid cooling channel, which extends along the length of the water-cooled plate.

[0006] The first and second flow guides have the same structure, and both the first and second flow guides are internally connected to the liquid cooling channel.

[0007] Preferably, a flow guide includes a first outer shell with a hollow interior, a plurality of first liquid guiding channels uniformly arranged on the first outer shell, and a first liquid inlet on each first liquid guiding channel. A plurality of first liquid outlets are formed on the outer surface of the outer shell, with each first liquid outlet corresponding to a first liquid inlet. Furthermore, each first liquid guiding channel corresponds to a liquid cooling channel and the first liquid guiding channels are connected to the liquid cooling channels. This achieves the function of alternating flow of coolant, thereby improving the cooling performance of the water cooling system and optimizing the temperature uniformity of individual battery cells and the battery pack.

[0008] Preferably, a portion of the first liquid guide channel is disposed inside the first housing, and another portion extends outward from the side of the first housing. The remaining space inside the first housing forms the first air guide channel. One end of the first air guide channel is connected to one end of the variable heat transfer distance channel, and the other end is connected to the outside of the housing.

[0009] Preferably, the end of the first housing away from the water-cooling plate is an opening, and a first air vent is formed on the first housing, which allows cooling airflow to enter and exit the variable heat transfer distance channel; a first opening is formed at the end of the first housing facing the water-cooling plate, which is used to snap one end of the water-cooling plate into the inside of the first opening.

[0010] Preferably, the first liquid guide channel extends out of the outer surface of the first housing along the thickness direction of the water-cooled plate, and the extension length of the first liquid guide channel is determined by the gap between adjacent water-cooled plate devices.

[0011] Preferably, the projections of the first liquid inlet and the first liquid outlet on a reference plane coincide, and the reference plane is a plane parallel to the two sides of the water-cooled plate in the thickness direction.

[0012] Preferably, the first outer shell is provided with a plurality of reinforcing structures, the reinforcing structures including a plurality of first reinforcing ribs and a plurality of second reinforcing ribs for dividing the internal space of the first outer shell.

[0013] Preferably, the variable heat transfer distance channel can be an air-cooled channel, filled with a phase change material, and both ends of the variable heat transfer distance channel are open or one end is a completely closed unidirectional channel. The variable heat transfer distance channel is filled with a phase change material to improve the thermal conductivity of the entire water-cooled plate assembly, used for heat preservation or material absorption of individual battery cells. The variable heat transfer distance channel is open at both ends along the length of the water-cooled plate, serving as an air-cooled channel. Also available It is open at only one end. The variable heat transfer distance channel extends the heat transfer distance between the battery surface and the coolant, increases the temperature in the low-temperature zone of the battery, and improves the temperature uniformity of individual battery cells and even the battery pack.

[0014] A water-cooling system consisting of multiple water-cooled plate devices is characterized in that the multiple water-cooled plate devices are arranged side by side and spaced apart, and a battery cell is arranged between every two water-cooled plate devices.

[0015] Compared with existing technologies, the advantages of this invention are as follows: The water-cooling system achieves independent circulation of cooling gas through multiple unique air guide channels connected one-to-one with multiple air-cooled channels on the water-cooling plate. This enables the cooling gas to flow alternately between different channels, improving the cooling performance of the system and optimizing the temperature uniformity of individual battery cells and the battery pack. By setting liquid guide channels extending along the thickness of the water-cooling plate beyond the outer surface of the casing, a certain gap is left between adjacent water-cooling plate components to accommodate battery cells, while the first liquid inlet and second liquid outlet are matched one-to-one. This not only improves the connection strength between water-cooling plate components but also reduces the number of connecting parts. Furthermore, the unique multiple liquid guide channels connected one-to-one with multiple liquid-cooled channels on the water-cooling plate, along with the one-to-one connection of multiple first liquid inlets and second liquid outlets between adjacent water-cooling plate components, achieve independent circulation of coolant through multiple channels in the water-cooling system. This enables the coolant to flow alternately between different channels, improving the cooling performance of the system and optimizing the temperature uniformity of individual battery cells and the battery pack. When assembling multiple water-cooled plate assemblies, the specific placement of the liquid inlet and outlet of each assembly allows the water-cooled plates to be assembled parallel and spaced apart. This enables battery cells to be placed between adjacent parallel, spaced-apart water-cooled plate assemblies, achieving cooling of both sides of the battery cell. The presence of both liquid-cooled and air-cooled channels allows the water-cooled plate assemblies to cool the battery using two different methods, thus improving cooling efficiency. Furthermore, the difference in cooling effect between air-cooled and liquid-cooled systems does not affect the function of the variable heat transfer distance channel in improving the temperature uniformity of battery cells and even the battery pack. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the water-cooled plate device with variable heat transfer distance according to the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional exploded view of the water-cooled plate device with variable heat transfer distance according to the present invention;

[0018] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the first type of water-cooled plate structure of the water-cooled plate device with variable heat transfer distance according to the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a second type of water-cooled plate structure for a water-cooled plate device with variable heat transfer distance according to the present invention;

[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a third type of water-cooled plate structure for a water-cooled plate device with variable heat transfer distance according to the present invention;

[0021] Figure 6 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the first flow guide of the water-cooled plate device with variable heat transfer distance according to the present invention;

[0022] Figure 7 A three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the first guide element of the water-cooled plate device with variable heat transfer distance according to the present invention from another angle;

[0023] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the water cooling system structure of the water-cooled plate device with variable heat transfer distance according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] Reference Figure 1-8 A water-cooled plate device with variable heat transfer distance includes: a water-cooled plate 2 and a first guide member 3 and a second guide member 4 respectively disposed at both ends of the water-cooled plate 2;

[0026] The interior of the water-cooled plate 2 is provided with multiple liquid cooling channels 5 extending along the length of the water-cooled plate 2, and a variable heat transfer distance channel 6 is provided on both sides of each liquid cooling channel 5, which extends along the length of the water-cooled plate 2.

[0027] The first guide element 3 and the second guide element 4 have the same structure, and the interior of both the first guide element 3 and the second guide element 4 are connected to the liquid cooling channel 5.

[0028] The first guide member 3 is disposed at the first end along the length of the water-cooled plate 2 and forms a first liquid guide channel 7 communicating with one end port of the liquid-cooled channel 5. The first liquid guide channel 7 has multiple channels to accommodate different coolant flow patterns in the multiple cooling channels. The first liquid guide channel 7 also has a first inlet 8 and a first outlet 9 for coolant to flow in and out. The second guide member 4 is disposed at the second end along the length of the water-cooled plate 2 and forms a second liquid guide channel 10 communicating with one end port of the liquid-cooled channel 5. The second liquid guide channel 10 has multiple channels to accommodate different coolant flow patterns in the multiple cooling channels. The second liquid guide channel 10 also has a second inlet 11 and a second outlet 12 for coolant to flow in and out.

[0029] like Figure 2 As shown, the water-cooled plate 2 has a length direction, such as Figure 2 In the X-axis direction, the width direction is as follows Figure 2 In the Y-axis direction and the thickness direction, such as Figure 2In the Z-axis direction. The water-cooled plate 2 has a liquid cooling channel 5 and variable heat transfer distance channels 6 located on both sides of the liquid cooling channel 5.

[0030] like Figure 3 As shown, in the thickness direction of the water-cooled plate 2, the liquid cooling channel 5 is located in the middle, and the variable heat transfer distance channel 6 is symmetrically located on both sides of the liquid cooling channel 5. In the width direction of the water-cooled plate 2, the variable heat transfer distance channel 6 and the liquid cooling channel 5 are evenly distributed. The width of the variable heat transfer distance channel 6 is as follows: Figure 2 The Y-axis direction varies along the length of the water-cooled plate 2, achieving the purpose of varying the heat transfer distance between the coolant and the battery surface along the X-axis direction. Because the coolant temperature is low at the inlet of the liquid-cooled channel 5 and high at the outlet, the width of the variable heat transfer distance channel 6 gradually decreases with the coolant flow direction. This results in a larger heat transfer distance between the coolant and the battery surface at the inlet of the liquid-cooled channel 5, increasing the temperature in the low-temperature zone of the battery surface and improving battery temperature uniformity.

[0031] The variable heat transfer distance channel 6 has openings at both ends along the length of the water-cooled plate 2, serving as air-cooled cooling channels 6a. Because both liquid-cooled cooling channels 5 and air-cooled cooling channels 6a exist simultaneously, the water-cooled plate assembly 1 can cool the battery using two cooling methods, thereby improving the cooling effect. Furthermore, the difference between air-cooled and water-cooled cooling effects does not affect the function of the variable heat transfer distance channel 6 in improving the temperature uniformity of individual battery cells and even the entire battery pack.

[0032] The variable heat transfer distance channel 6 has an opening at one end along the length of the water-cooled plate 2, serving as a single-opening variable heat transfer distance channel 6b.

[0033] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the water-cooled plate 2 in an embodiment of the water-cooled plate assembly 1 of this application. The air-cooled cooling channel 6a is designed to accommodate different coolant flow directions in the liquid-cooled cooling channel 5, thereby increasing the heat transfer distance between the coolant at the inlet of the liquid-cooled cooling channel 5 and the battery surface, and improving the battery temperature uniformity.

[0034] According to one embodiment of this application, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first flow guide 3 of the water-cooled plate assembly 1 in some embodiments of this application; Figure 6This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first flow guide 3 of the water-cooled plate assembly 1 according to some embodiments of this application from another perspective. The first flow guide 3 includes: a first outer shell 13; a first liquid channel 7; and a first air channel 14, disposed inside the first outer shell 13, one end of which is connected to one end of the ventilation and cooling channel 6a, and the other end of which is connected to the outside of the first outer shell 13, wherein the inner surface of the first outer shell 13 and the outer surface of the first liquid channel 7 together define the first air channel 14. The second flow guide 4 includes: a second outer shell; a second liquid channel 10; and a second air channel, disposed inside the second outer shell, one end of which is connected to one end of the ventilation and cooling channel 6a, and the other end of which is connected to the outside of the second outer shell, wherein the inner surface of the second outer shell and the outer surface of the second liquid channel 10 together define the second air channel.

[0035] In this embodiment, the first outer shell 13 has a cuboid structure and is hollow inside. A portion of the first liquid guiding channel 7 is disposed within the hollow portion of the first outer shell 13, and another portion extends outward from the side of the first outer shell 13. By providing the first outer shell 13 and the first liquid guiding channel 7, the remaining space inside the first guide member 3 forms the first air guiding channel 14. The first air guiding channel 14 and the first liquid guiding channel 7 are used to deliver cooling air and cooling liquid to the cooling plate, respectively, thereby ensuring that the two cooling methods can operate independently without interfering with each other.

[0036] The first liquid guide channel 7 has three ports. One port connects to the end of the liquid cooling channel 5 facing the first guide member 3, and its cross-sectional shape is similar to that of the other two, facilitating their connection. The other two ports are the first liquid inlet 8 and the first liquid outlet 9, respectively. The first liquid outlet 9 is located on the side of the first housing 13 and has a recess. The first liquid inlet 8 is located at the end of the first liquid guide channel 7 extending outward from the other side of the first housing 13 and has a flange. This design facilitates the complementary snap-fit ​​connection of multiple first guide members 3.

[0037] In the above embodiment, the projections of the first liquid inlet 8 and the first liquid outlet 9 on the reference plane coincide, wherein the reference plane is a plane parallel to the two sides of the water-cooled plate 2 in the thickness direction. Since the liquid inlet and outlet of the water-cooled plate assembly 1 are both located on both sides of the water-cooled plate 2 in the thickness direction of the water-cooled plate assembly 1, and their projections on the reference plane coincide, when assembling multiple water-cooled plate assemblies 1, the specific positions of the liquid inlet and outlet of each water-cooled plate assembly 1 allow the water-cooled plates 2 of multiple water-cooled plate assemblies 1 to be assembled parallel to each other and spaced apart. This allows the battery cell 18 to be placed between two adjacent parallel and spaced-apart water-cooled plate assemblies 1, achieving cooling of both sides of the battery cell, such as... Figure 8 As shown.

[0038] The first outer casing 13 has a first opening on the side facing the water-cooling plate 2 for engaging the first end of the water-cooling plate 2 with the inside of the first opening 16. The cross-section of the first outer casing 13 is slightly larger than that of the water-cooling plate 2, and their shapes are similar, which facilitates engaging the first outer casing 13 with one end of the water-cooling plate 2, such as... Figure 1 As shown. At the same time, a first air duct opening 15 is provided at one end of the first outer casing 13 away from the water-cooled plate along its length, so as to allow the cooling airflow to flow through the first air guide 14 and be delivered to the air-cooled cooling channel 6a.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the first guide member 3 is provided with a reinforcing structure 17. The reinforcing structure 17 consists of multiple supporting ribs. Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, there are support ribs 17a connecting the inner wall of the first outer shell 13 and the first liquid guiding channel 7, and support ribs 17b connecting the inner walls of both sides of the first outer shell 13. Support ribs 17b divide the first air guiding channel into multiple first sub-air channels to meet the different flow directions of cooling air supply in the air-cooled cooling channel 6a, achieving alternating flow of cooling air. This improves the cooling performance of the water-cooling system and optimizes the temperature uniformity of individual battery cells and the battery pack.

[0040] The specific settings of the second guide element 4 are similar to those of the first guide element, and will not be repeated here.

[0041] In one embodiment, the variable heat transfer distance channel 6 is filled with a phase change material to improve the thermal conductivity of the entire water-cooled plate assembly 1, which is used to insulate or absorb materials for the battery cells.

[0042] This application discloses a water cooling system 19, such as... Figure 8 As shown, it includes the aforementioned water-cooled plate assembly 1. Multiple water-cooled plate assemblies 1 are arranged side-by-side with intervals. For any two adjacent water-cooled plate assemblies 1: the first liquid inlet 8 and the second liquid outlet 12 of the first water-cooled plate assembly 1 are respectively connected to the first liquid inlet 8 and the second liquid outlet of the other water-cooled plate assembly 1, thereby achieving connection between adjacent water-cooled plate assemblies 1.

[0043] In this embodiment, the water cooling system 19 is connected one-to-one with multiple liquid cooling channels 5 on the water cooling plate 2 through multiple unique liquid guiding channels. At the same time, multiple first liquid inlets 8 and second liquid outlets 12 between adjacent water cooling plate components 1 are connected one-to-one with each other, so as to realize the independent circulation of coolant in multiple pipelines of the water cooling system, achieve the function of cross flow of coolant between different pipelines, improve the cooling performance of the cooling system and optimize the temperature uniformity of battery cells and battery packs.

[0044] By setting liquid guide channels that extend along the thickness direction of the water-cooled plate 2 to the outer surface of the shell, the first liquid inlet 8 and the second liquid outlet 12 are matched one-to-one while leaving a certain gap between adjacent water-cooled plate assemblies 1 to accommodate the battery cell 18. This not only improves the connection strength between the water-cooled plate assemblies 1, but also reduces the use of connecting parts.

[0045] In this embodiment, the water cooling system 19 is connected one-to-one with multiple air-cooled channels 6a on the water cooling plate 2 through multiple unique air guide channels, so as to realize the independent circulation of cooling gas in multiple pipelines of the water cooling system 19, achieve the function of cross-flow of cooling gas between different pipelines, improve the cooling performance of the cooling system and optimize the temperature uniformity of battery cells and battery packs.

[0046] In one embodiment, the water cooling system 19 can also achieve unidirectional flow of coolant and cooling airflow, or flow of coolant and cooling airflow in different directions. It should not be limited to the flow path configuration of coolant or cooling airflow as described in the above embodiments.

[0047] The number of devices and processing scale described herein are for the purpose of simplifying the description of the invention, and applications, modifications and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0048] Although embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed above, they are not limited to the applications listed in the specification and embodiments. They can be applied to various fields suitable for the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other modifications can be easily made. Therefore, without departing from the general concept defined by the claims and their equivalents, the present invention is not limited to the specific details and illustrations shown and described herein.

Claims

1. A variable heat transfer distance water cooling plate device, characterized by, include: Water-cooled plate (2) and a first guide (3) and a second guide (4) respectively disposed at both ends of the water-cooled plate (2); The interior of the water-cooled plate (2) extends along the length of the water-cooled plate (2) and multiple liquid cooling channels (5) are provided. Variable heat transfer distance channels (6) are provided on both sides of each liquid cooling channel (5). The variable heat transfer distance channels (6) extend along the length of the water-cooled plate (2). The first guide (3) and the second guide (4) have the same structure, and the interior of the first guide (3) and the second guide (4) are connected to the liquid cooling channel (5); The first flow guide (3) includes a first shell (13) with a hollow interior. A portion of the first liquid guide channel (7) is disposed inside the first shell (13), and another portion extends outward from the side of the first shell (13). The remaining space inside the first shell (13) forms a first air guide channel (14). One end of the first air guide channel (14) is connected to one end of the variable heat transfer distance channel (6), and the other end is connected to the outside of the shell (13). The variable heat transfer distance channel (6) is an air-cooled cooling channel. The width of the variable heat transfer distance channel (6) gradually decreases with the direction of coolant flow. The variable heat transfer distance channel (6) is filled with phase change material. Both ends of the variable heat transfer distance channel (6) are open or one end of the variable heat transfer distance channel (6) is a completely closed one-way closed channel. This increases the heat transfer distance between the coolant at the inlet of the liquid-cooled cooling channel (5) and the battery surface, improves the temperature of the low-temperature zone on the battery surface, and improves the uniformity of battery temperature.

2. The water-cooled plate device with variable heat transfer distance as described in claim 1, characterized in that, A flow guide (3) further includes a plurality of first liquid channels (7) evenly arranged on the first housing (13) and a first liquid inlet (8) provided on each first liquid channel (7). A plurality of first liquid outlets (9) are opened on the outer side of the housing (13). The first liquid outlets (9) correspond one-to-one with the first liquid inlets (8), and the first liquid channels (7) correspond one-to-one with the liquid cooling channels (5) and the first liquid channels (7) are connected to the liquid cooling channels (5).

3. The water-cooled plate device with variable heat transfer distance as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first outer shell (13) has an opening at the end away from the water-cooled plate (2), and a first air vent (15) is formed on the first outer shell (13). The first air vent (15) allows cooling airflow to enter and exit the variable heat transfer distance channel (6). The first opening is formed at the end of the first outer shell (13) facing the water-cooled plate (2). The first opening is used to snap one end of the water-cooled plate (2) into the inside of the first opening.

4. The water-cooled plate device with variable heat transfer distance as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The first liquid channel (7) extends out of the outer surface of the first outer shell (13) along the thickness direction of the water-cooled plate. The extension length of the first liquid channel (7) is determined by the gap between adjacent water-cooled plate devices (1).

5. The water-cooled plate device with variable heat transfer distance as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The projections of the first liquid inlet (8) and the first liquid outlet (9) on the reference plane coincide. The reference plane is a plane parallel to the two sides of the water-cooled plate (2) in the thickness direction.

6. The water-cooled plate device with variable heat transfer distance as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The first outer shell (13) is provided with a plurality of reinforcing structures (17), which include a plurality of first reinforcing ribs (17b) and a plurality of second reinforcing ribs (17a) for dividing the internal space of the first outer shell (13).

7. A water-cooling system constructed using a water-cooled plate device with a variable heat transfer distance as described in claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple water-cooled plate devices (1) are arranged side by side and spaced apart, with a battery cell (18) between every two water-cooled plate devices (1).

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