Energy storage device

Abstract

The invention discloses an energy storage device which comprises an energy storage cabinet body and an energy storage unit arranged in the energy storage cabinet body, the energy storage cabinet body is provided with an air inlet, an air outlet and a ventilation fan, the energy storage device further comprises a rainproof structure, the rainproof structure comprises a shell connected with the energy storage cabinet body, the shell is provided with an exhaust passage, an inlet of the exhaust passage faces the ventilation fan, and an outlet of the exhaust passage faces the ventilation fan. An outlet of the exhaust passage faces the air outlet; when the ventilator executes a ventilation instruction, air in the energy storage cabinet body is exhausted from the air outlet through the exhaust passage, meanwhile, negative pressure is formed in the energy storage cabinet body, and air outside the energy storage cabinet body is sucked into the energy storage cabinet body through the air inlet under the action of the negative pressure to form convection.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to an energy storage device. Background Art

[0002] Energy storage devices are devices used to store and manage energy, mainly for storing electrical energy, such as battery packs and supercapacitors. They convert electrical energy into chemical energy or physical energy through chemical reactions or physical changes for storage, and convert the stored energy into electrical energy for release when needed. However, as existing energy storage devices are often installed outdoors, their electrical components are easily affected by the climate and environment, especially during rainy seasons, and there is a problem of rainwater backflowing into the energy storage device, making it impossible to ensure the continuous operation of the energy storage device. Summary of the invention

[0003] In view of this, the purpose of the present application is to provide an energy storage device that can solve the problem of insufficient rain protection in existing energy storage devices.

[0004] In order to achieve the above technical objectives, the present application provides an energy storage device, comprising an energy storage cabinet and an energy storage unit installed in the energy storage cabinet, the energy storage cabinet being provided with an air inlet, an air outlet and a ventilation fan, and also comprising a rainproof structure, the rainproof structure comprising a shell connected to the energy storage cabinet, the shell having an exhaust duct, the inlet of the exhaust duct facing the ventilation fan, and the outlet of the exhaust duct facing the air outlet; when the ventilation fan executes a ventilation instruction, the gas in the energy storage cabinet is discharged from the air outlet through the exhaust duct, and at the same time, a negative pressure is formed in the energy storage cabinet, and the air outside the energy storage cabinet is sucked into the energy storage cabinet through the air inlet under the action of the negative pressure to form convection.

[0005] In one embodiment, the shell includes a baffle disposed in the exhaust passage, and the baffle is annular or spiral.

[0006] In one embodiment, the shell is a multi-layer structure, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the shell decreases along the axial direction of the shell.

[0007] In one embodiment, the angle between the central axis of the shell and the vertical direction is 0 degrees to 90 degrees.

[0008] In one embodiment, the height of the air outlet in the vertical direction is greater than the height of the air inlet in the vertical direction.

[0009] In one embodiment, the ventilation fan is disposed in the energy storage cabinet and is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the energy storage cabinet via fasteners.

[0010] In one embodiment, a accommodating space is formed in the energy storage cabinet, and the energy storage cabinet includes a plurality of longitudinal beams and a plurality of transverse beams. The energy storage cabinet divides the accommodating space into a plurality of accommodating areas through the plurality of longitudinal beams, and supports the energy storage unit through the plurality of transverse beams.

[0011] In one embodiment, the plurality of accommodating areas include an energy storage area for installing the energy storage unit, and a fire protection area for installing fire protection pipes and fire extinguishing devices, and the fire protection area is located at one side of the energy storage area in the horizontal direction.

[0012] In one embodiment, the rainproof structure further includes a protective plate installed in the air outlet, and the protective plate is hollow.

[0013] In one embodiment, the energy storage device further includes a safety door hinged to the energy storage cabinet, an audible and visual alarm embedded in the safety door, and a button assembly for controlling the audible and visual alarm.

[0014] By adopting the above technical solution, the present application has the following beneficial effects:

[0015] The present application arranges a shell with an exhaust duct on the energy storage cabinet, and makes the inlet of the exhaust duct face the ventilation fan and the outlet face the air outlet. This not only enables the ventilation of the ventilation fan to be smooth, but also, compared with the prior art, the ventilation duct is lengthened due to the arrangement of the shell. When it rains heavily, it is also helpful to prevent rainwater from flowing back into the energy storage cabinet from the air outlet. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments are briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show certain embodiments of the present invention and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For ordinary technicians in this field, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0017] Figure 1 A front view of an energy storage device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A perspective view of the energy storage device shown;

[0019] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a ventilation fan and a rainproof structure in the energy storage device shown;

[0020] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the rainproof structure in the energy storage device shown.

[0021] Description of reference numerals:

[0022] 1. Energy storage cabinet; 2. Energy storage unit; 3. Ventilation fan; 4. Rainproof structure;

[0023] 11. Air inlet; 12. Air outlet;

[0024] 41. Shell; 42. Exhaust duct; 43. Baffle; 44. Guard plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the description of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "set", "install", "connection" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0027] The directions or positional relationships indicated by terms such as “upper”, “lower”, “left”, “right”, “front”, “back”, “top”, “bottom”, “inside” and “outside” are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, or are the directions or positional relationships in which the inventive product is usually placed when used. They are only for the convenience of description and simplified description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0028] The terms "first", "second", "third" and the like are merely used to distinguish elements of similar nature, and do not indicate or imply relative importance or a particular order.

[0029] The terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion of the elements listed and may also include additional elements not expressly listed.

[0030] An energy storage device is a device used to store and manage energy, mainly used to store electrical energy, such as a battery pack, a supercapacitor, etc. It converts electrical energy into chemical energy or physical energy through chemical reactions or physical changes for storage, and converts the stored energy into electrical energy for release when needed. According to the inventors, the existing energy storage devices are often installed outdoors, and their electrical components are easily affected by the climate environment, especially in the rainy season, there is a problem of rainwater backflowing into the energy storage device, and the continuous operation of the energy storage device cannot be guaranteed.

[0031] In order to ensure the continuous operation of the energy storage device in an environment with heavy rainfall, it is necessary to solve the problem of insufficient rain protection of the existing energy storage device.

[0032] See also Figures 1 to 3 The embodiment of the present application provides an energy storage device, which includes an energy storage cabinet 1 and an energy storage unit 2, wherein the energy storage unit 2 is installed in the energy storage cabinet 1. It should be noted that the energy storage unit 2 mentioned here refers to a battery pack, such as a lithium-ion battery pack, a lead-acid battery pack, a sodium-sulfur battery pack, etc.

[0033] From the overall point of view, the energy storage cabinet 1 is a rectangular box, which is surrounded by a lower bottom plate, a left side plate, a right side plate, an upper top plate, a front safety door and a rear safety door, wherein the front safety door and the rear safety door are hinged between the upper top plate and the lower bottom plate. It should be noted that in order to accommodate the energy storage unit 2, a rectangular accommodating space is formed in the energy storage cabinet 1, and the energy storage cabinet 1 includes a plurality of longitudinal beams and a plurality of cross beams, wherein the plurality of longitudinal beams are fixed between the upper top plate and the lower bottom plate in the vertical direction, and the plurality of cross beams are fixed on the plurality of longitudinal beams in the horizontal direction, and the plurality of longitudinal beams and the plurality of cross beams are connected to form a grid, so that the energy storage cabinet 1 divides the accommodating space into a plurality of accommodating areas through the plurality of longitudinal beams, and provides support to the energy storage unit 2 through the plurality of cross beams. Preferably, the cross beam has an L-shaped cross section. Specifically, the multiple accommodating areas mentioned here include an energy storage area and a fire protection area located on one side of the energy storage area in the horizontal direction, wherein the energy storage area is used to accommodate the energy storage unit 2, and the fire protection area is used to set up fire protection pipes and fire extinguishing equipment.

[0034] In this embodiment, in order to allow the gas in the energy storage cabinet 1 to form convection with the external environment so as to discharge the heat released by the energy storage unit 2 or discharge the harmful gas (such as CO, etc.) generated by the energy storage unit 2 that has thermal runaway, the energy storage cabinet 1 is provided with an air inlet 11, an air outlet 12 and a ventilation fan 3, wherein the air inlet 11 is located on the rear safety door, the air outlet 12 is located on the left side plate, and the height of the air outlet 12 in the vertical direction is greater than the height of the air inlet 11 in the vertical direction, and the ventilation fan 3 is located in the energy storage cabinet 1, and is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the energy storage cabinet 1 and adjacent to the air outlet 12 by fasteners. In this way, when the motor drives the ventilation fan 3 to rotate to execute the ventilation command, since the hot air with a density lower than that of the air at room temperature is mostly gathered in the upper top plate area, it is convenient for the hot air in the energy storage cabinet 1 to be discharged from the air outlet 12. At the same time, negative pressure is formed in the energy storage cabinet 1. Under the action of the negative pressure, the air outside the energy storage cabinet 1 is sucked into the energy storage cabinet 1 through the air inlet 11 to form convection, which is beneficial to ensure that the energy storage unit 2 operates normally within a suitable temperature range. In addition, compared with the current energy storage structure in which the ventilation fan 3 is arranged outside the energy storage cabinet 1, the present application is also beneficial to improve the protection of the ventilation fan 3 and avoid damage during the overall transportation process.

[0035] According to the inventors' understanding, in rainy seasons (such as spring and autumn), the existing energy storage structure has the problem of rainwater flowing back into the energy storage device through the air outlet 12, and the continuous operation of the energy storage device cannot be guaranteed. Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, based on the consideration of solving this problem, in this embodiment, the energy storage device also includes a rainproof structure 4, and the rainproof structure 4 includes a shell 41 connected to the energy storage cabinet 1. Specifically, the shell 41 can be fixedly connected to the left side plate of the energy storage cabinet 1 by means of a clamp, a base adapted to the clamp, and a fastener. The fastener mentioned here can refer to a fastening screw penetrated through the clamp and the base. It should be noted that the shell 41 has an exhaust duct 42, the inlet of the exhaust duct 42 faces the exhaust fan 3, and the outlet of the exhaust duct 42 faces the air outlet 12. Compared with the prior art, not only can the exhaust fan 3 ventilate smoothly, but also the setting of the shell 41 makes the ventilation channel longer. When the rain is heavy, it is also helpful to prevent rainwater from flowing back from the air outlet 12 into the energy storage cabinet 1.

[0036] Furthermore, in order to reduce the backflow of rainwater from the air outlet 12 through the exhaust duct 42 into the energy storage cabinet 1, the housing 41 includes a baffle 43 disposed in the exhaust duct 42. Specifically, the baffle 43 is annular or spirally protruding from the inner surface of the housing 41 to a certain position, and the baffle 43 may be a multi-layer structure. In this way, when rainwater enters the exhaust duct 42 from the air outlet 12 under the action of wind, since the baffle 43 is disposed on the path of rainwater inflow, it is easy to solve the problem of rainwater backflow from the air outlet 12 through the exhaust duct 42 into the energy storage cabinet 1, and it will not cause adverse effects on ventilation.

[0037] In some embodiments, the shell 41 is a multi-layer structure, which may be cylindrical, pleated or frustum-shaped. In this embodiment, the shell 41 is pleated, an exhaust duct 42 is formed inside, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the shell 41 decreases along the axial direction of the shell 41. Specifically, the shell 41 may be formed by interconnecting or integrally forming a plurality of rings with arc-shaped cross sections, and the radial cross-sectional areas of the plurality of rings decrease successively along the axial direction of the shell 41. It should be noted that the ventilating fan 3 is located at the end of the shell 41 with the smallest cross-sectional area, and the end of the shell 41 with the largest cross-sectional area is adjacent to the air outlet 12. In this way, when the ventilation fan 3 executes the ventilation command, the radial cross-sectional area of ​​the exhaust duct 42 gradually increases. In the process of the gas in the energy storage cabinet 1 being discharged from the air outlet 12 through the exhaust duct 42, the resistance encountered by the gas due to the obstruction of the baffle 43 will gradually decrease, which is convenient for ensuring smooth ventilation; when rainwater enters the exhaust duct 42 from the air outlet 12 under the action of wind, the radial cross-sectional area of ​​the exhaust duct 42 gradually decreases. On the one hand, the resistance encountered by the rainwater on the inflow path due to the obstruction of the baffle 43 will gradually increase, and on the other hand, part of the rainwater can be stored in the shell 41, which is beneficial to improve the rainproof performance. Preferably, the angle between the central axis of the shell 41 and the vertical direction is greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees, so that the rainwater entering the exhaust duct 42 from the air outlet 12 by wind or splashing can be discharged in time under the action of its own gravity.

[0038] Furthermore, the rainproof structure 4 also includes a protective plate 44 installed in the air outlet 12. The protective plate 44 is hollow, which is beneficial to prevent foreign matter from entering the shell 41 from the air outlet 12 and does not affect the ventilation function.

[0039] In this embodiment, the energy storage device also includes a safety module, which includes an audible and visual alarm embedded in the front safety door of the energy storage cabinet 1, and a button assembly for controlling the audible and visual alarm, so as to promptly remind the staff to perform maintenance when a failure occurs in the energy storage device.

[0040] In some embodiments, the energy storage device further includes a battery management system. It should be noted that the battery management system mentioned here is used to monitor and manage the energy storage unit 2 in real time to ensure that the safety, service life and performance stability of the energy storage unit 2 are within the required range. Specifically, the battery management system may include a main control board, a battery controller, a temperature sensor and a battery balancing circuit to achieve functions such as battery balancing, temperature control, and fault diagnosis.

[0041] Compared with the prior art, this application has the following beneficial effects:

[0042] The present application arranges a shell 41 with an exhaust duct 42 on the energy storage cabinet 1, and makes the inlet of the exhaust duct 42 face the ventilation fan 3 and the outlet face the air outlet 12, which not only enables the ventilation of the ventilation fan 3 to be smooth, but also, compared with the prior art, the arrangement of the shell 41 makes the ventilation channel longer, which is also beneficial to prevent rainwater from flowing back into the energy storage cabinet 1 from the air outlet 12 when it rains heavily.

[0043] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily thought of by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. An energy storage device, comprising an energy storage cabinet (1) and an energy storage unit (2) installed in the energy storage cabinet (1), wherein the energy storage cabinet (1) is provided with an air inlet (11), an air outlet (12) and a ventilation fan (3), characterized in that: The invention also comprises a rainproof structure (4), wherein the rainproof structure (4) comprises a shell (41) connected to the energy storage cabinet (1), the shell (41) having an exhaust duct (42), the inlet of the exhaust duct (42) facing the ventilation fan (3), and the outlet of the exhaust duct (42) facing the air outlet (12); when the ventilation fan (3) executes a ventilation instruction, the gas in the energy storage cabinet (1) is discharged from the air outlet (12) through the exhaust duct (42), and at the same time, a negative pressure is formed in the energy storage cabinet (1), and the air outside the energy storage cabinet (1) is sucked into the energy storage cabinet (1) through the air inlet (11) under the action of the negative pressure to form convection.

2. The energy storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that The housing (41) comprises a baffle (43) arranged in the exhaust passage (42); the baffle (43) is annular or spiral.

3. The energy storage device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The shell (41) is a multi-layer structure, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the shell (41) decreases along the axial direction of the shell (41).

4. The energy storage device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The angle between the central axis of the shell (41) and the vertical direction is 0 to 90 degrees.

5. The energy storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The height of the air outlet (12) in the vertical direction is greater than the height of the air inlet (11) in the vertical direction.

6. The energy storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ventilation fan (3) is arranged in the energy storage cabinet (1) and is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the energy storage cabinet (1) via fasteners.

7. The energy storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that: An accommodating space is formed in the energy storage cabinet (1), and the energy storage cabinet (1) comprises a plurality of longitudinal beams and a plurality of transverse beams. The energy storage cabinet (1) divides the accommodating space into a plurality of accommodating areas by means of the plurality of longitudinal beams, and supports the energy storage unit (2) by means of the plurality of transverse beams.

8. The energy storage device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The multiple accommodating areas include an energy storage area for installing the energy storage unit (2) and a fire protection area for installing fire protection pipes and fire extinguishing equipment, and the fire protection area is located on one side of the energy storage area in the horizontal direction.

9. The energy storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rainproof structure (4) further comprises a protective plate (44) installed in the air outlet (12), and the protective plate (44) is hollow.

10. The energy storage device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The energy storage device also includes a safety door hinged to the energy storage cabinet (1), an audible and visual alarm embedded in the safety door, and a button assembly for controlling the audible and visual alarm.

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