A phase change liquid cooling coupled battery thermal management device based on a corrugated tube structure

Abstract

The present invention discloses a phase-change liquid-cooled coupled battery thermal management device based on a corrugated tube structure, which relates to the field of battery thermal management technology and includes a battery pack consisting of a liquid-cooled top plate, a phase-change cooling box, a liquid-cooled bottom plate, a plurality of corrugated tubes, and a plurality of battery cells; the expansion portion of the corrugated tube is a star-shaped structure, with a plurality of fins arranged outside the tube wall; the battery cells pass through a chamber formed by the phase-change cooling box and the liquid-cooled top plate, the chamber is filled with phase-change material, and phase-change cooling is achieved for the battery cells; the corrugated tubes are arranged in the phase-change cooling box, and the liquid-cooled top plate, the liquid-cooled bottom plate, and the corrugated tubes are connected to form a liquid-cooled channel, and are connected to an external liquid-cooled circulation device to achieve liquid cooling. The present invention uses a star-shaped corrugated tube with fins to construct a liquid-cooled channel, which increases the contact surface area between the liquid-cooled channel and the phase-change material, and achieves effective coupling of phase-change material cooling and liquid cooling. In addition, the liquid-cooled bottom plate adopts an I-shaped channel, which can achieve high heat exchange efficiency and good temperature uniformity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of battery thermal management, and in particular to a phase-change liquid-cooled coupled battery thermal management device based on a corrugated tube structure. Background Art

[0002] In the fields of electric vehicles and portable electronic devices, battery performance and safety are key to technological development. As battery energy density continues to increase, so too does the heat generated during charging and discharging. If this heat cannot be dissipated promptly and effectively, it will cause the battery temperature to rise, affecting the battery's cycle life, performance stability, and safety.

[0003] Existing battery thermal management systems primarily utilize a single cooling method: air cooling, liquid cooling, or phase change cooling. Air cooling systems, while simple and cost-effective, utilize fans to drive air flow. However, they offer limited heat dissipation in high-power or enclosed environments. Liquid cooling systems utilize a circulating liquid medium to remove heat, offering high heat dissipation efficiency. However, these systems are complex and require high maintenance costs. Phase change cooling utilizes phase change materials to absorb large amounts of latent heat during the phase change process, resulting in significant heat dissipation. However, these materials are subject to thermal saturation limitations.

[0004] Therefore, the market urgently needs a battery thermal management solution that can integrate the advantages of multiple cooling methods, improve heat dissipation efficiency, and reduce costs and complexity. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In response to the above problems, the present invention provides a phase change liquid-cooled coupled battery thermal management device based on a corrugated tube structure. Through the special structural design of the corrugated tube, effective coupling of phase change material cooling and liquid cooling is achieved, overcoming the shortcomings of poor heat dissipation performance and temperature instability of traditional battery thermal management equipment, and having high heat exchange efficiency and good temperature uniformity.

[0006] A phase-change liquid-cooled coupled battery thermal management device based on a corrugated tube structure includes a battery pack consisting of a plurality of battery cells, a phase-change cooling box, a liquid-cooled top plate, a liquid-cooled bottom plate, and a plurality of corrugated tubes;

[0007] The phase change cooling box is a hollow rectangular parallelepiped structure with an open top, and a bottom plate of the phase change cooling box is provided with a plurality of bottom battery through-holes and a plurality of corrugated tube through-holes;

[0008] The liquid cooling top plate is a hollow structure fixed to the top of the phase change cooling box, and is provided with a plurality of top battery through-holes penetrating the liquid cooling top plate; a liquid cooling outlet is provided on one side of the liquid cooling top plate;

[0009] The liquid cooling base plate is a hollow structure, and a liquid cooling inlet is provided on one side of the liquid cooling base plate;

[0010] The wall of the middle portion of each corrugated tube includes a plurality of expansion portions and contraction portions, and the expansion portions and contraction portions are alternately distributed;

[0011] Several of the corrugated tubes are arranged in the phase change cooling box, the bottom of the corrugated tube passes through the corrugated tube perforation of the phase change cooling box, the bottom port of the corrugated tube is connected to the liquid cooling bottom plate, and the top port of the corrugated tube is connected to the liquid cooling top plate; the length of the battery cell of the battery pack is greater than the sum of the height of the phase change cooling box and the thickness of the liquid cooling top plate, and the battery cell of the battery pack passes through the top battery perforation of the liquid cooling top plate and the bottom battery perforation on the bottom plate of the phase change cooling box; the sealed chamber surrounded by the liquid cooling top plate, the phase change cooling box and the battery cell of the battery pack is used to fill the phase change material; the liquid cooling top plate, the corrugated tube and the liquid cooling bottom plate constitute a liquid cooling channel, which is respectively connected to the two liquid cooling ports of the external liquid cooling circulation device through the liquid cooling outlet of the liquid cooling top plate and the liquid cooling inlet of the liquid cooling bottom plate to realize the circulation of the liquid cooling coolant.

[0012] Preferably, the expanded portion of the tube wall in the middle portion of the corrugated tube is an octahedral-like structure, and the horizontal cross-section is a four-pointed star shape.

[0013] Preferably, the outer wall of the corrugated tube is provided with a plurality of fins parallel to the axial direction of the corrugated tube.

[0014] Preferably, there are four fins.

[0015] Preferably, the battery cells of the battery pack are distributed in an array, and the corrugated tube is arranged in the gap between every four adjacent battery cells in the battery cell array; the fins of the corrugated tube are evenly distributed on the outer wall of the corrugated tube, and each fin of each corrugated tube is placed in the gap between the four battery cells around the corrugated tube.

[0016] Preferably, the internal cavity of the liquid cooling bottom plate is distributed in an I-shaped pattern that is interconnected, and the path lengths from the connection point between the liquid cooling bottom plate and each corrugated tube to the liquid cooling inlet are equal.

[0017] Preferably, a plurality of top connecting holes are provided at the bottom of the liquid-cooled top plate, and a plurality of bottom connecting holes are provided at the top of the liquid-cooled bottom plate; the top port of the corrugated tube is connected to the liquid-cooled top plate through the top connecting holes; the bottom port of the corrugated tube is connected to the liquid-cooled bottom plate through the bottom connecting holes.

[0018] Preferably, the contact position between the battery cell of the battery pack and the top battery perforation of the liquid-cooled top plate is sealed by a sealing ring; the contact position between the battery cell and the bottom battery perforation of the phase change cooling box is sealed by a sealing ring; the contact position between the corrugated tube and the corrugated tube perforation of the phase change cooling box is sealed by a sealing ring; the connection between the corrugated tube and the liquid-cooled top plate is sealed by a sealing ring; the connection between the corrugated tube and the liquid-cooled bottom plate is sealed by a sealing ring; the liquid-cooled top plate and the top of the phase change cooling box are fixed and sealed by an adhesive.

[0019] Preferably, the liquid cooling base plate is arranged below the battery cell, and the liquid cooling base plate and the bottom of the battery cell are fixed by an adhesive.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0021] (1) The battery pack cells of the present invention are filled and wrapped with phase change materials to improve the overall heat absorption capacity. At the same time, the design of the corrugated tube increases the surface area of ​​contact between the liquid cooling channel and the phase change material. The design of the fin structure outside the corrugated tube enhances the thermal conductivity of the structure, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency of liquid cooling, quickly transferring the heat stored in the phase change material, and maintaining the operating temperature of the battery pack.

[0022] (2) The I-shaped groove design of the I-shaped groove channel in the liquid cooling base plate of the present invention ensures the consistency of pressure and temperature when the coolant enters the corrugated tube, ensuring that the heat of the battery cell can be evenly transferred from the surface of the battery cell to the cooling system; the uniform coating of the phase change material further ensures that the heat absorbed during the phase change process is evenly distributed, avoiding local overheating or overcooling; the liquid cooling system evenly removes the heat through the circulating liquid cooling coolant, so that the temperature of each battery cell inside the battery is uniform and the temperature difference is small, thereby achieving temperature consistency of each battery cell inside the battery. This temperature uniformity is crucial to the performance and life of the battery.

[0023] (3) The present invention adopts a technology that combines liquid cooling with phase change material cooling, integrating the advantages of the two cooling methods: the phase change material continuously absorbs heat during the phase change process, the liquid cooling system has efficient heat conduction and convection, and the design of the corrugated tube structure can achieve large-area heat exchange between the phase change material and the liquid cooling system; in addition, with the help of the liquid cooling system, the problem of the phase change material continuing to dissipate heat after reaching thermal saturation is solved, and the battery is maintained in a relatively stable temperature range, with temperature stability.

[0024] (4) The expansion portion of the corrugated tube of the present invention adopts a star-shaped structure, which is beneficial to the arrangement of the battery cells and the corrugated tube of the battery pack, improves space utilization, and makes the structure more compact. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] The present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings;

[0026] Figure 1 A three-dimensional diagram showing the overall structure of a phase-change liquid-cooled coupled battery thermal management device based on a bellows tube structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 An exploded view of the overall structure of a phase-change liquid-cooled coupled battery thermal management device based on a bellows tube structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 A three-dimensional view of the liquid cooling top plate of the phase change liquid cooling coupled battery thermal management device based on a bellows tube structure according to an embodiment of the present invention (bottom facing up);

[0029] Figure 4 A three-dimensional diagram of a phase-change cooling box of a phase-change liquid-cooled coupled battery thermal management device based on a bellows tube structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 A three-dimensional diagram of a liquid cooling base plate of a phase-change liquid-cooled coupled battery thermal management device based on a bellows tube structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 6 A three-dimensional diagram of a bellows tube of a phase-change liquid-cooled coupled battery thermal management device based on a bellows tube structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional view of a liquid cooling base plate of a phase change liquid cooling coupled battery thermal management device based on a bellows tube structure according to an embodiment of the present invention (bottom facing up);

[0033] Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view of the overall structure of a phase-change liquid-cooled coupled battery thermal management device based on a bellows tube structure according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure numerals: 1. battery cell; 2. liquid-cooled top plate; 21. liquid-cooled outlet; 22. top battery perforation; 23. top connection hole; 3. phase change cooling box; 31. bottom battery perforation; 32. corrugated tube perforation; 4. liquid-cooled bottom plate; 41. liquid-cooled inlet; 42. bottom connection hole; 43. I-shaped channel; 5. corrugated tube; 51. fin; 6. phase change material. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The present invention is further described below through specific embodiments.

[0036] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "middle", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limitations on the present invention.

[0037] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the present invention discloses a phase change liquid cooling coupled battery thermal management device based on a corrugated tube structure, including a battery pack consisting of a plurality of battery cells 1, and also including a liquid cooling top plate 2, a phase change cooling box 3, a plurality of corrugated tubes 5, and a liquid cooling bottom plate 4.

[0038] See also Figure 3 As shown, the liquid-cooled top plate 2 is a hollow structure; the liquid-cooled top plate 2 is provided with a top battery through-hole 22, which passes through the liquid-cooled top plate 2, and the number and arrangement of the top battery through-holes 22 correspond to the number and arrangement of the battery cells 1; the bottom of the liquid-cooled top plate 2 is provided with a top connection hole 23, which is connected to the cavity of the liquid-cooled top plate 2, and the number and arrangement of the top connection holes 23 correspond to the number and arrangement of the corrugated tubes 5; a side surface of the liquid-cooled top plate 2 is provided with a liquid cooling outlet 21, which is connected to the hollow cavity of the liquid-cooled top plate 2.

[0039] See also Figure 4 As shown, the phase change cooling box 3 is a hollow rectangular structure with an open top. The bottom plate of the phase change cooling box 3 is provided with bottom battery perforations 31, which penetrate the bottom plate of the phase change cooling box 3. The number and arrangement of the bottom battery perforations 31 correspond to the number and arrangement of the battery cells 1; the bottom plate is provided with corrugated tube perforations 32, which penetrate the bottom plate of the phase change cooling box 3, and the number and arrangement of the corrugated tube perforations 32 correspond to the number and arrangement of the corrugated tubes 5; the height of the phase change cooling box 3 is less than the length of the battery cell 1.

[0040] See also Figure 5 As shown, the liquid-cooled base plate 4 is a hollow structure. A bottom connecting hole 42 is provided on the top of the liquid-cooled base plate 4. The bottom connecting hole 42 is connected to the hollow cavity of the liquid-cooled base plate 4. The number and arrangement of the bottom connecting holes 42 correspond to the number and arrangement of the corrugated tubes 5. A liquid cooling inlet 41 is provided on one side of the liquid-cooled base plate 4, which is connected to the hollow cavity of the liquid-cooled base plate 4.

[0041] The four top edges of the liquid-cooled top plate 2 and the phase-change cooling box 3 are bonded and sealed with adhesive. The battery cells 1 extend through the bottom battery perforations 31 of the bottom plate of the phase-change cooling box 3 and the top battery perforations 22 of the liquid-cooled top plate 2. A sealing ring is installed between the outer wall of each battery cell 1 and the contact surface with the top battery perforations 22 of the liquid-cooled top plate 2, and between the outer wall of each battery cell 1 and the contact surface with the bottom battery perforations 31 of the bottom plate of the phase-change cooling box 3 to ensure a sealed connection. The phase-change cooling box 3 is positioned in the middle of the battery cells 1 to secure and protect them.

[0042] See also Figure 6 As shown, the bellows 5 is a centrally-spaced structure, used for the flow of liquid cooling coolant. The top opening of the bellows 5 connects to the top connection hole 23 of the liquid-cooling top plate 2. The lower, non-bellows portion of the bellows 5 (tubular) passes through the bellows perforation 32 of the bottom plate of the phase-change cooling box 3. The bottom opening of the bellows 5 connects to the bottom connection hole 42 of the liquid-cooling bottom plate 4. The two connection points of the bellows 5 are sealed with sealing rings, and the bellows 5 wall and the bellows perforation 32 of the bottom plate of the phase-change cooling box 3 are sealed by the sealing ring. The connection between the liquid-cooled top plate 2, the liquid-cooled bottom plate 4 and the corrugated tube 5 forms a liquid-cooling channel. The liquid-cooling outlet 21 of the liquid-cooled top plate 2 and the liquid-cooling inlet 41 of the liquid-cooled bottom plate 4 are respectively connected to the two liquid-cooling ports of the external liquid-cooling circulation device, forming a liquid-cooling cooling system with the liquid-cooling channel, forming a circulating flow of liquid-cooled coolant, thereby performing liquid cooling and heat dissipation on the battery pack; the liquid-cooled coolant enters from the liquid-cooling inlet 41 of the liquid-cooled bottom plate and flows out from the liquid-cooling outlet 21 of the liquid-cooled top plate, which is conducive to full contact between the liquid-cooled coolant and the surface of the corrugated tube pipe, thereby facilitating heat transfer.

[0043] The liquid cooling base plate 4 is arranged below the battery cells 1 , and the liquid cooling base plate 4 is adhered and fixed to the bottom of the battery cells 1 by an adhesive, thereby supporting and protecting the battery pack.

[0044] See also Figure 7 As shown, in this embodiment, the internal cavity of the liquid-cooling baseplate 4 is arranged in an I-shaped pattern, forming I-shaped channels 43. The I-shaped cavities are interconnected and connected to the liquid-cooling inlet 41. The liquid coolant flows into the liquid-cooling baseplate 4 through the I-shaped channels 43, reaches the bottom connection hole 42 of the liquid-cooling baseplate 4, and then enters the corrugated tube 5. The path length from the liquid-cooling inlet 41 through the I-shaped channels 43 to each bottom connection hole 42 is equal. This design ensures consistent pressure and temperature of the liquid coolant at the bottom connection hole 42, eliminates temperature differences in the liquid coolant entering the corrugated tube 5, and thus ensures uniform and stable heat dissipation from the battery cell 1.

[0045] In this embodiment, the tube wall of the middle portion of the corrugated tube 5 includes a plurality of expansion portions and contraction portions, which are alternately distributed. The expansion portion has an octahedral structure, and the horizontal cross-section is a four-pointed star. Four fins 51 are provided on the outside of the tube wall of the corrugated tube 5. The fins 51 are parallel to the axial direction of the corrugated tube 5, and each fin 51 is provided at a star corner position of the star-shaped expansion portion. The structure of the corrugated tube 5 has a high surface area, providing efficient heat exchange while reducing the pressure drop of the liquid cooling coolant in the fluid channel. In addition, the fins 51 on the outer wall of the corrugated tube 5 and the outer tube wall are in contact with the phase change material 6, and the heat stored in the phase change material 6 is absorbed through the circulation of the coolant, thereby avoiding the thermal saturation effect of the phase change material 6 and greatly improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the battery cell 1.

[0046] See also Figure 8 As shown, in this embodiment, the battery cells 1 of the battery pack are arranged in a uniform array. Each corrugated tube 5 is arranged in the gap formed by four adjacent battery cells 1 between the battery cell arrays 1, and each fin 51 of each corrugated tube 5 is arranged in the gap between two adjacent battery cells 1. By extending the fin 51 structure outside the wall of the corrugated tube 5 to between the two battery cells 1, the heat absorbed by the fin 51 can be quickly transferred to the tube wall and carried away by the liquid cooling coolant circulation. In addition, the star-shaped structure of the expansion portion of the corrugated tube 5 is conducive to the arrangement of the battery cells 1 and the corrugated tube 5, which can improve space utilization and make the structure more compact.

[0047] Phase change material 6 is filled in the space enclosed by the phase change cooling box 3 and the liquid-cooled top plate 2, outside the battery cells 1 and the corrugated tube 5. The filling method is as follows: Phase change material 6 is first heated to above the liquidus temperature until it is completely liquid. The phase change material 6 is then quickly poured into the box, filling it to approximately 90% of the box's volume. The phase change material 6 is evenly coated on the sides of the battery cells 1, absorbing heat from the cells 1 while also further improving the battery pack's impact resistance.

[0048] The device of the embodiment of the present invention has high heat exchange efficiency; the battery pack cell 1 is filled and wrapped with phase change material 6 to improve the overall heat absorption capacity, and at the same time the design of the corrugated tube 5 increases the surface area of ​​the liquid cooling fluid channel, and the design of the outer fin 51 structure of the corrugated tube 5 enhances the thermal conductivity of the structure, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency of liquid cooling, quickly transferring the heat stored in the phase change material, and maintaining the operating temperature of the battery pack.

[0049] The battery cells of the device according to the embodiment of the present invention have uniform temperature and small temperature differences. The I-shaped pattern design of the I-shaped groove channel 43 in the liquid-cooling base plate 4 ensures the consistency of pressure and temperature when the liquid cooling coolant enters the corrugated tube 5, ensuring that the heat of the battery cell 1 can be evenly transferred from the surface of the battery cell 1 to the cooling system. The uniform coating of the phase change material 6 further ensures that the heat absorbed during the phase change process is evenly distributed, avoiding local overheating or overcooling. The liquid cooling system evenly removes heat through the circulating liquid cooling coolant, achieving temperature consistency of each battery cell 1 inside the battery pack. This temperature uniformity is crucial to the performance and life of the battery cell 1.

[0050] The device of the present invention has excellent temperature stability. It utilizes a combination of liquid cooling and phase-change material cooling, combining the advantages of both cooling methods: the phase-change material 6 continuously absorbs heat during its phase change process, the liquid cooling system provides efficient heat conduction and convection, and the design of the bellows 5 structure enables large-area heat exchange between the phase-change material 6 and the liquid cooling system. Furthermore, the liquid cooling system eliminates the problem of continued heat dissipation by the phase-change material 6 after reaching thermal saturation, maintaining the battery pack within a relatively stable temperature range.

[0051] The above is only a specific implementation of the present invention, but the design concept of the present invention is not limited to this. Any non-substantial changes to the present invention using this concept shall be deemed as an infringement of the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A phase change liquid-cooled coupled battery thermal management device based on a bellows tube structure, comprising a battery pack consisting of a plurality of battery cells, characterized in that: It also includes a phase change cooling box, a liquid cooling top plate, a liquid cooling bottom plate and a plurality of corrugated tubes; The phase change cooling box is a hollow rectangular parallelepiped structure with an open top, and a bottom plate of the phase change cooling box is provided with a plurality of bottom battery through-holes and a plurality of corrugated tube through-holes; The liquid cooling top plate is a hollow structure fixed to the top of the phase change cooling box, and is provided with a plurality of top battery through-holes penetrating the liquid cooling top plate; a liquid cooling outlet is provided on one side of the liquid cooling top plate; The liquid cooling base plate is a hollow structure, and a liquid cooling inlet is provided on one side of the liquid cooling base plate; The corrugated tube has a centrally-through structure, and the wall of the middle portion of each corrugated tube includes a plurality of expansion portions and contraction portions, which are alternately distributed. Several of the corrugated tubes are arranged in the phase change cooling box, the bottom of the corrugated tube passes through the corrugated tube perforation of the phase change cooling box, the bottom port of the corrugated tube is connected to the liquid cooling bottom plate, and the top port of the corrugated tube is connected to the liquid cooling top plate; the battery cells of the battery pack pass through the top battery perforation of the liquid cooling top plate and the bottom battery perforation on the bottom plate of the phase change cooling box; the sealed chamber surrounded by the liquid cooling top plate, the phase change cooling box and the battery cells of the battery pack is used to fill the phase change material; the liquid cooling top plate, the corrugated tube and the liquid cooling bottom plate constitute a liquid cooling channel, which is connected to the two liquid cooling ports of the external liquid cooling circulation device through the liquid cooling outlet of the liquid cooling top plate and the liquid cooling inlet of the liquid cooling bottom plate, respectively, to realize the circulation of the liquid cooling coolant; The expansion portion of the tube wall in the middle portion of the corrugated tube is an octahedral structure, and the horizontal cross section is a four-pointed star shape; The outer wall of the corrugated tube is provided with a plurality of fins parallel to the axial direction of the corrugated tube; the number of the fins is 4; The battery cells of the battery pack are arranged in an array, and the corrugated tube is arranged in the gap between every four adjacent battery cells in the battery cell array; the fins of the corrugated tube are evenly distributed on the outer wall of the corrugated tube, and each fin of each corrugated tube is placed in the gap between two of the four battery cells around the corrugated tube; The internal cavity of the liquid cooling base plate is distributed in an I-shaped pattern that is interconnected, and the path lengths from the connection point between the liquid cooling base plate and each corrugated tube to the liquid cooling inlet are equal; A plurality of top connecting holes are provided at the bottom of the liquid-cooled top plate, and a plurality of bottom connecting holes are provided at the top of the liquid-cooled bottom plate; the top port of the corrugated tube is connected to the liquid-cooled top plate through the top connecting holes; the bottom port of the corrugated tube is connected to the liquid-cooled bottom plate through the bottom connecting holes.

2. The phase change liquid-cooled coupled battery thermal management device based on a bellows tube structure according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The contact position between the battery cell of the battery pack and the top battery perforation of the liquid-cooled top plate is sealed by a sealing ring; the contact position between the battery cell and the bottom battery perforation of the phase change cooling box is sealed by a sealing ring; the contact position between the corrugated tube and the corrugated tube perforation of the phase change cooling box is sealed by a sealing ring; the connection between the corrugated tube and the liquid-cooled top plate is sealed by a sealing ring; the connection between the corrugated tube and the liquid-cooled bottom plate is sealed by a sealing ring; the liquid-cooled top plate and the top of the phase change cooling box are fixed and sealed by an adhesive.

3. The phase change liquid-cooled coupled battery thermal management device based on a bellows tube structure according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The liquid cooling base plate is arranged below the battery core, and the liquid cooling base plate and the bottom of the battery core are fixed by an adhesive.

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