Vehicle battery fire prevention system using liquid carbon dioxide, electric vehicle battery module including same, and electric vehicle

Abstract

The invention discloses a vehicle battery fire prevention system using liquid carbon dioxide, an electric vehicle battery module including the same, and an electric vehicle, the vehicle battery fire prevention system using liquid carbon dioxide comprising: a housing provided with a housing space for housing the battery module; a storage chamber for storing, in the form of a fire-extinguishing liquid, the fire-extinguishing gas injected into the interior of the housing; a fire extinguishing tube which is connected to the storage chamber, extends into the housing, and extends along a predetermined path; the control unit is used for controlling the injection of the fire extinguishing gas through the fire extinguishing pipe; the control unit performs control so as to implement ejection corresponding to each of a plurality of predetermined conditions for ejection into the accommodation space.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention discloses a vehicle battery fire prevention system using liquid carbon dioxide, a battery module for an electric vehicle comprising the same, and an electric vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Since there is no control device or system that can extinguish fire in electric vehicles, burning and fire spread problems often occur. For example, the battery rack of electric vehicles is installed at the bottom of the vehicle and consists of many cells made of lithium ions. The cells are gathered into modules, and the modules are packaged into an intensive structure and installed after the car battery rack is made. Lithium-ion batteries are chemical energy storage devices that charge and discharge lithium ions through anodes and cathodes. They can be charged faster than other types of batteries and have high power density and can be used for a long time. They are relatively small and can be lightweight. When charging without full discharge, there will be no memory effect that the driving time is less than the original driving time. It is environmentally friendly and has relatively low maintenance costs. However, compared with other types of batteries, it is vulnerable to fire. Battery fires are mainly caused by thermal runaway of battery cells. Thermal runaway refers to a rapid thermal chemical reaction when a highly oxidizing anode meets a highly reducing cathode. When thermal runaway occurs, the battery cell releases the stored energy very quickly. The more energy is filled in the battery cell, the more intense the thermal runaway reaction. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a means to prevent fires caused by the battery of the electric vehicle and effectively extinguish the fire when a fire occurs. Summary of the invention

[0003] An object of one embodiment of the present invention is to suppress a fire that may be caused by a battery installed in an electric vehicle to prevent it from developing into a larger fire.

[0004] An object of one embodiment of the present invention is to create an optimal environment for improving the efficiency of power consumption output by a battery installed in an electric vehicle.

[0005] The present invention discloses a battery fire prevention system for a vehicle using liquid carbon dioxide, a battery module for an electric vehicle including the same, and an electric vehicle. The battery fire prevention system for a vehicle using liquid carbon dioxide comprises: a shell having a storage space for accommodating a battery module; a storage chamber storing a fire extinguishing gas in the form of a fire extinguishing liquid to be sprayed into the shell; a fire extinguishing pipe connected to the storage chamber and extending into the shell along a predetermined path; and a control unit controlling the spraying of the fire extinguishing gas through the fire extinguishing pipe; the control unit controls so as to realize the spraying corresponding to the following plurality of conditions, which are predetermined plurality of conditions for spraying into the storage space.

[0006] Also, the fire extinguishing pipe may include: a first nozzle opened toward the electrode portion of the battery module inside the housing; and a second nozzle having an opening area smaller than the first nozzle but formed in greater number.

[0007] Moreover, the predetermined multiple conditions of the control unit are different temperature zones, and the temperature zone in which the control unit allows the fire extinguishing gas to be sprayed is the second temperature zone and the third temperature zone among the first temperature zone, the second temperature zone and the third temperature zone, wherein the first temperature zone is a temperature zone including normal temperature in which the battery module operates, the second temperature zone is a temperature range higher than the first temperature zone, and the third temperature zone is a temperature range higher than the second temperature zone and at least includes the temperature at which thermal runaway starts.

[0008] Furthermore, the control unit may allow the fire extinguishing gas to be sprayed through the first nozzle in the third temperature section and allow the fire extinguishing gas to be sprayed through the second nozzle in the second temperature section.

[0009] Furthermore, if the fire extinguishing liquid capable of filling the storage space with the fire extinguishing gas remains in the storage chamber, the control unit may restrict the injection of the fire extinguishing gas through the second nozzle.

[0010] Moreover, the shell may be provided with an exhaust portion on one side of the shell, which keeps the containing space airtight from the outside and exhausts the gas to the outside when the pressure of the containing space exceeds a predetermined value, and is open only to exhaust gas in a single direction from the containing space to the outside.

[0011] Moreover, the control unit is connected to a first valve that determines whether the first nozzle is opened or closed, a second valve that determines whether the second nozzle is opened or closed, and one or more of a temperature sensor and a pressure sensor exposed to the receiving space, and can control the opening or closing of the first valve or the second valve based on sensing information sensed by one or more of the temperature sensor and the pressure sensor from the receiving space.

[0012] The present invention also discloses a vehicle battery module, which includes the vehicle battery fire prevention system using liquid carbon dioxide and the battery module as described above.

[0013] The present invention also discloses an electric vehicle, which comprises the vehicle battery module described above.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle battery fire prevention system that suppresses a fire that may be caused by a battery installed in an electric vehicle to prevent it from developing into a larger fire.

[0015] One embodiment of the present invention may provide a vehicle battery fire prevention system for creating an optimal environment for improving the power consumption efficiency output by a battery installed in an electric vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 An example in which the vehicle battery fire prevention system according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied to a vehicle is shown.

[0017] Figure 2 An example of the extension of the fire extinguishing pipe of the system according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0018] Figure 3 An example of extending a fire extinguishing pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 3 (a) shows an embodiment extending along the edge of the battery module, Figure 3 (b) shows an embodiment extending corresponding to the upper surface of the battery module.

[0019] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a fire extinguishing pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 (a) is a cross-sectional view of the first nozzle configuration position. Figure 4 (b) is a cross-sectional view of the second nozzle configuration position.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing how a control unit determines whether a valve is open or not according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 6 is a graph showing increasing temperature over time in a system according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] The specific embodiments of the present invention are described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but they are only examples and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0023] When describing the present invention below, if it is considered that the detailed description of a known structure or function may unnecessarily confuse the main purpose of the present invention, its detailed description will be omitted. In addition, the terms described below are defined after considering their functions in the present invention, and therefore may vary according to the intentions or practices of users and operators. Therefore, the terms should be defined based on the overall content of this specification.

[0024] The technical spirit of the present invention is determined by the claims, and the following embodiments are only a means for efficiently explaining the present invention to a person having general knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs.

[0025] Figure 1 An example in which a vehicle battery fire prevention system 100 (hereinafter referred to as “system 100 ”) using liquid carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a vehicle 10 is shown.

[0026] See also Figure 1, the vehicle battery fire prevention system 100 using liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) of the present invention accommodates the battery module BM internally and can be used as a vehicle battery module BM. Moreover, the electric vehicle including the vehicle battery module BM arranges the batteries more widely at the bottom by virtue of the design that takes into account the center of gravity and distribution, thereby ensuring more capacity. As mentioned above, the battery module BM is used as a high-density energy source, but because of its defects, it may cause a fire and preventive measures are required for this problem. In view of the characteristics of the battery module BM applicable to the vehicle 10, once a fire occurs, a thermal runaway phenomenon of a sharp increase in temperature will occur, making it difficult to extinguish the fire and thus causing a great disaster. Therefore, the system 100 of one embodiment of the present invention effectively creates an environment for the battery module BM when the vehicle 10 is driving, etc., and not only improves the power consumption output by the battery module BM, but also prevents the occurrence of a fire or immediately extinguishes the fire with the battery module BM as the object as soon as it is sensed. The present invention is described in detail below through the structure of the system 100.

[0027] Figure 2 An example of the extension of the fire extinguishing pipe 130 of the system 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0028] See also Figure 2 , a system 100 of one embodiment of the present invention may include: a housing 110, provided with a storage space 110a for accommodating a battery module BM; a storage chamber 120, storing a fire extinguishing gas in the form of a fire extinguishing liquid to be sprayed into the interior of the housing 110; a fire extinguishing pipe 130, connected to the storage chamber 120 and extending into the interior of the housing 110 and extending along a predetermined path; and a control unit 140, controlling the spraying of the fire extinguishing gas through the fire extinguishing pipe 130. Here, a battery fire prevention system 100 for a vehicle using liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) is disclosed, and the control unit 140 performs control so as to realize spraying corresponding to the following multiple conditions, which are the predetermined multiple conditions for spraying into the housing space 110a. Moreover, the control unit 140 is an automotive electrical appliance, and is not limited in shape or configuration as long as it can be electrically connected, so through a schematic diagram, that is, through Figure 5 Only the diagram is shown, and the diagrams for additionally explaining the structure are omitted.

[0029] The housing 110 is equipped with a battery module BM in the internal storage space 110a, which can be kept airtight with the outside. One end of the fire extinguishing pipe 130 that passes through the housing 110 can be connected to the storage chamber 120 provided outside. A sealing portion 111 is provided at a position that passes through the housing 110 to separate the inside of the housing 110 from the outside. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is contained in the storage chamber 120 in a liquefied state, and undergoes a phase change when it is injected into the inside of the housing 110 through the fire extinguishing pipe 130 and can be injected in a gaseous state. Therefore, a high capacity of cooling carbon dioxide (CO2) can be contained compared to the volume. The fire extinguishing pipe 130 connected to the storage chamber 120 can extend along a predetermined extension section inside the housing 110 in order to inject carbon dioxide (CO2) from the storage chamber 120. It can extend adjacent to a location where the possibility of fire is high.

[0030] For example, Figure 2 As a reference, if the electrode portion of the battery module BM having a vertically stacked structure is located on the side, the electrode portion is arranged in a side manner, and the fire extinguishing pipe 130 can extend along the edge and be adjacent to the electrode portion. Of course, the extension form of the fire extinguishing pipe 130 is not limited to Figure 2 The battery shape constituting the battery module BM can also be similarly applied to batteries of various shapes such as a diagonal shape, a cylindrical shape, and a pouch shape.

[0031] Figure 3 FIG. 1 shows an example of the extension of the fire extinguishing pipe 130 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 (a) shows an embodiment extending along the edge of the battery module BM, Figure 3 (b) shows an embodiment extending corresponding to the upper surface of the battery module BM.

[0032] See also Figure 3 , the fire extinguishing pipe 130 may include a nozzle 130a ( Figure 3 The nozzle 130a is shown in any position, and there is no limitation on the shape or position. The nozzle 130a sprays the carbon dioxide (CO2) supplied from the storage chamber 120 into the housing 110, and the area affected by the spraying can be changed according to the position formed. Preferably, the position where the nozzle 130a is formed may include at least the position where the electrode portion is provided, and may also include more positions. Figure 3 In the case shown, the fire extinguishing pipe 130 extends along the inner circumference of the housing 110 and can spray carbon dioxide (CO2) toward the battery module BM side at the edge of the battery module BM. As described above, the spraying direction SD may include at least the electrode portion. This means that carbon dioxide (CO2) as a fire extinguishing gas is directly sprayed toward a location where a fire is more likely to occur.

[0033] exist Figure 3In (b), the fire extinguishing pipe 130 is provided on the upper surface of the battery module BM, and as an example, it can be in a form with the electrode portion facing upward, such as a cylindrical battery. Accordingly, the fire extinguishing pipe 130 is provided adjacent to the inner bottom of the upper surface of the housing 110 so that the fire extinguishing gas can be sprayed toward the electrode portion. The fire extinguishing pipe 130 can be implemented as an independent component, but it can also form a flow path on one or more walls of the housing 110 and allow the fire extinguishing gas to be sprayed along the flow path.

[0034] On the other hand, the storage space 110a formed inside the housing 110 can be equipped with the battery module BM and the fire extinguishing pipe 130, and the remaining space can be filled with air. In this case, the air can be composed of atmospheric components such as oxygen, but the gas filling the storage space 110a can also be carbon dioxide (CO2) so that the air inside the housing 110 is driven to be discharged to the outside by injecting carbon dioxide (CO2) at least once. Of course, this is a preferred example, and it can be initially set in a manner that at least 90% is composed of carbon dioxide (CO2).

[0035] Here, the housing 110 may be provided with an exhaust portion 110b so that the air in the housing space 110a is discharged to the outside of the housing 110 by the injection of carbon dioxide (CO2). Specifically, the housing 110 may be provided with an exhaust portion 110b on one side of the housing 110, and the exhaust portion 110b keeps the housing space 110a airtight with the outside and exhausts the air to the outside when the pressure of the housing space 110a exceeds a predetermined value, and is open only in a single direction of exhausting the air from the housing space 110a to the outside. That is, a single direction flow is allowed so that the air is exhausted to the outside when the pressure inside the housing 110 exceeds a predetermined pressure.

[0036] On the other hand, a sensor that senses one or more of the pressure and temperature of the receiving space 110a may be provided inside the housing 110. For example, the temperature sensor 151 is connected to the control unit 140 so that the control unit 140, which receives the internal temperature, can decide whether to inject carbon dioxide (CO2). Moreover, when the internal pressure of the housing 110 increases, the pressure sensor 152 can also allow the control unit 140, which receives the increased pressure information, to drive the exhaust part 110b to open. Of course, the exhaust part 110b can be a component that is electromagnetically controlled by the sensed pressure, or a component that mechanically opens when a predetermined pressure is exceeded.

[0037] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a fire extinguishing pipe 130 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 (a) is a cross-sectional view of the configuration position of the first nozzle 131a. Figure 4 (b) is a cross-sectional view of the configuration position of the second nozzle 132a.

[0038] See also Figure 4 , the nozzle 130a described above can be divided into a first nozzle 131a and a second nozzle 132a. Specifically, the fire extinguishing pipe 130 may include a first nozzle 131a that is open toward the electrode portion of the battery module BM inside the housing 110 and a second nozzle 132a that is smaller in opening area than the first nozzle 131a but is formed in greater number. The control unit 140 can make the opening time of the first nozzle 131a and the second nozzle 132a different. The control unit 140 can determine the opening condition based on the sensing information of one or more sensors among the temperature sensor 151 and the pressure sensor 152. Regarding this point, it will be described later through Figure 5 and Figure 6 illustrate.

[0039] The first nozzle 131a opened toward a location judged to have a high possibility of fire, for example, toward the electrode portion, can be opened or not according to the control of the first valve 131. If opened, the carbon dioxide (CO2) inside the high-pressure fire extinguishing pipe 130 can be sprayed into the relatively low-pressure storage space 110a. The amount of gaseous carbon dioxide (CO2) sprayed through the first nozzle 131a when the first valve 131 is opened is at least enough to fill the storage space 110a.

[0040] Furthermore, the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) ejected through the second nozzle 132a due to the opening of the second valve may be more than the amount that can fill the storage space 110a. As an example, the opening may repeatedly eject an amount that can fill the storage space 110a once. This may be repeated to reach the target temperature.

[0041] Here, the target temperatures in the case of spraying through the first nozzle 131a and in the case of spraying through the second nozzle 132a may be different from each other. For example, the spraying of carbon dioxide (CO2) through the first nozzle 131a is to extinguish the fire at the fire location, and the spraying of carbon dioxide (CO2) through the second nozzle 132a may be aimed at suppressing the battery temperature rise and maintaining the temperature of the battery module BM below a preset temperature.

[0042] Therefore, in order to make the injection area wider than the injection amount, the second nozzle 132a can form and inject carbon dioxide (CO2) in multiple directions. In this way, the storage space 110a can be cooled while filling it with carbon dioxide (CO2). The temperature of the liquefied carbon dioxide (CO2) undergoing phase change and injected as gas is at least below zero, while the storage space 110a is above zero, so the internal temperature of the housing 110 can be reduced by heat exchange through injection.

[0043] Furthermore, since the battery module BM can be kept in an ideal temperature range for a long time during normal operation, cooling the battery module BM by the system 100 can improve power consumption of an electric vehicle including the battery module BM.

[0044] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing how the control unit 140 determines whether the valve is open or not according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 is a graph showing increasing temperature over time in the system 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] See also Figure 5 and Figure 6 , the control unit 140 can make the first valve 131 and the second valve 132 open in different temperature sections. Specifically, the temperature section in which the control unit 140 allows the fire extinguishing gas to be sprayed can be the second temperature section S2 and the third temperature section S3 among the first temperature section S1, the second temperature section S2 and the third temperature section S3, wherein the first temperature section S1 is a temperature section including normal temperature when operating as the battery module BM, the second temperature section S2 is a temperature range higher than the first temperature section S1, and the third temperature section S3 is a temperature range higher than the second temperature section S2 and at least includes the temperature at which thermal runaway starts.

[0046] Here, when the first temperature section S1 is the ideal operating temperature range of the battery module BM, if the temperature sensor 151 senses that the temperature of the storage space 110a increases to the second temperature section S2 which is a temperature higher than the first temperature section and transmits it to the control unit 140, the control unit 140 opens the second valve 132 and injects carbon dioxide (CO2) through the second nozzle 132a. The injected carbon dioxide (CO2) at a temperature below zero and the temperature above zero of the storage space 110a perform heat exchange, so that the temperature of the storage space 110a decreases. At this time, the injected carbon dioxide (CO2) causes the pressure of the storage space 110a inside the housing 110 to exceed the atmospheric pressure and a part of it will be discharged through the exhaust portion 110b.

[0047] On the other hand, if the temperature of the storage space 110a passes through the second temperature section S2 and enters the third temperature section S3, it will pass through the thermal runaway point and the temperature will rise sharply and may burn. If the temperature of the storage space 110a is equivalent to the third temperature section S3 and the temperature sensor 151 senses it, it will transmit the sensing information to the control unit 140, and the control unit 140 will open the first valve 131 to allow carbon dioxide (CO2) to be injected through the first nozzle 131a. The third temperature section S3 includes the thermal runaway point but starts from a temperature lower than the thermal runaway point, so if entering the third temperature section S3, carbon dioxide (CO2) is injected immediately to avoid the temperature reaching the thermal runaway point.

[0048] The purpose of this mechanism is as follows: the control unit 140 is stronger in order to manage the temperature of the battery through the sensing information sensed by the temperature sensor 151 and cool it (through the injection of the second nozzle 132a), and to prevent thermal runaway in the event of a fire, the interior of the containment space 110a is cooled and deoxygenated (through the injection of the first nozzle 131a).

[0049] On the other hand, the control unit 140 is connected to the first valve 131 that determines whether the first nozzle 131a is opened or closed, the second valve 132 that determines whether the second nozzle 132a is opened or closed, and one or more of the temperature sensor 151 and the pressure sensor 152 exposed to the receiving space 110a, and can control the opening or closing of the first valve 131 or the second valve 132 based on the sensing information sensed from the receiving space 110a by one or more of the temperature sensor 151 and the pressure sensor 152. That is, the control unit 140 is electrically connected to the first valve 131, the second valve 132, the pressure sensor 152, and the temperature sensor 151, and can perform control based on the sensed information transmitted.

[0050] Furthermore, if there is only enough pressure and fire extinguishing liquid to fill the storage space 110a with fire extinguishing gas less than twice in the storage chamber 120, the control unit 140 can limit the injection of the fire extinguishing gas through the second nozzle 132a. In this case, the control unit 140 keeps the control of the second valve 132 in a locked state and can sense whether the first valve 131 is open or not based on the sensing information from the temperature sensor 151. In order to implement this action, the control unit 140 can receive sensing information from the sensor unit 120a connected to the storage chamber 120. The sensor unit 120a can transmit the pressure inside the storage chamber 120 and the remaining amount of liquid carbon dioxide (CO2).

[0051] The foregoing describes in detail typical embodiments of the present invention, but a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs should know that various modifications can be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments, but should be defined by the claims and equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A vehicle battery fire prevention system using liquid carbon dioxide, characterized in that: The vehicle battery fire prevention system using liquid carbon dioxide includes: The housing is provided with a receiving space for receiving the battery module; a storage chamber for storing the fire extinguishing gas sprayed into the interior of the housing in the form of a fire extinguishing liquid; a fire extinguishing pipe connected to the storage chamber and extending into the interior of the housing along a predetermined path; and A control unit, which controls the injection of the fire extinguishing gas through the fire extinguishing pipe; The control unit performs control so as to realize injection corresponding to each of the plurality of conditions, which are the predetermined plurality of conditions for injection into the housing space.

2. The vehicle battery fire prevention system using liquid carbon dioxide according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fire extinguishing pipe includes: a first nozzle opened inside the housing toward the electrode portion of the battery module; and a second nozzle having an opening area smaller than the first nozzle but formed in greater number.

3. The vehicle battery fire prevention system using liquid carbon dioxide according to claim 2, characterized in that: The predetermined plurality of conditions of the control unit are different temperature ranges, The temperature zone in which the control unit allows the fire extinguishing gas to be sprayed is the second temperature zone and the third temperature zone among the first temperature zone, the second temperature zone and the third temperature zone, wherein the first temperature zone is a temperature zone including normal temperature in which the battery module operates, the second temperature zone is a temperature range higher than the first temperature zone, and the third temperature zone is a temperature range higher than the second temperature zone and at least includes the temperature at which thermal runaway starts.

4. The vehicle battery fire prevention system using liquid carbon dioxide according to claim 3, characterized in that: The control unit allows the fire extinguishing gas to be sprayed through the first nozzle in the third temperature section and allows the fire extinguishing gas to be sprayed through the second nozzle in the second temperature section.

5. The vehicle battery fire prevention system using liquid carbon dioxide according to claim 4, characterized in that: If the fire extinguishing liquid capable of filling the storage space with the fire extinguishing gas remains in the storage chamber, the control unit restricts injection of the fire extinguishing gas through the second nozzle.

6. The vehicle battery fire prevention system using liquid carbon dioxide according to claim 5, characterized in that: The shell is provided with an exhaust portion on one side of the shell, which keeps the containing space airtight with the outside and exhausts the gas to the outside when the pressure of the containing space exceeds a predetermined value, and is open only to exhaust gas in a single direction from the containing space to the outside.

7. The vehicle battery fire prevention system using liquid carbon dioxide according to claim 4, characterized in that: The control unit is connected to a first valve that determines whether the first nozzle is opened or closed, a second valve that determines whether the second nozzle is opened or closed, and at least one of a temperature sensor and a pressure sensor exposed to the receiving space. The opening and closing of the first valve or the second valve is controlled based on sensing information sensed from the accommodation space by one or more of a temperature sensor and a pressure sensor.

8. A battery module for a vehicle, characterized in that: The vehicle battery module includes the vehicle battery fire prevention system using liquid carbon dioxide according to claim 1 and a battery module.

9. An electric vehicle, characterized in that: The electric vehicle includes the vehicle battery module according to claim 8 .

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