Side cooling structure and energy storage equipment

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of energy storage equipment, and particularly relates to a side cooling structure which comprises an integrally-formed cooling pipe, the two ends of the cooling pipe extend out of a battery pack box and are a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet respectively, and the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet are communicated with a liquid inlet pipe and a liquid outlet pipe respectively. The cooling pipes are wound along each battery module one by one and are in contact with two sides of each battery module, and a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet of each cooling pipe are positioned on the same side of the battery pack; the invention further relates to energy storage equipment which adopts the side cooling structure and is good in heat dissipation effect, convenient to install, not prone to leakage of cooling liquid and low in condensation risk.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of energy storage equipment, and in particular to a side cooling structure and energy storage equipment. Background Art

[0002] A battery pack generally has multiple groups of battery modules, and a battery module is composed of multiple battery cells. When working, the chemical reaction inside the battery cell causes the center area of ​​the battery cell to generate a lot of heat, and the battery cell tabs are the main channels for current in and out. When a large current passes through, a lot of heat will also be generated. Therefore, the main heating area of ​​the battery pack is located in the middle and upper part of the battery cell. In traditional liquid cooling or direct cooling systems, the liquid cooling plate is generally set at the bottom of the battery pack. The liquid cooling plate is far away from the main heating area of ​​the battery pack. The temperature of the coolant / refrigerant in the liquid cooling plate needs to be lowered to ensure the cooling effect, which increases the overall energy consumption. The lower the temperature of the coolant in the liquid cooling plate, the higher the risk of condensation near the liquid cooling plate, which in turn leads to problems such as casing corrosion and line short circuit.

[0003] In order to solve the above problems, a side-cooled battery pack is adopted in the prior art, and a side cold plate is installed on the side of each battery module, and a water inlet and a water outlet are respectively arranged at both ends of each side cold plate, and a plurality of branch pipes are divided into the liquid cooling pipeline and connected with each water inlet to form a plurality of side cold plates in parallel; although the above scheme can make the side cold plate directly contact with the middle and upper part of the battery module, thereby improving the heat dissipation effect, it still has the following shortcomings: a joint is required between the side cold plate and the branch pipe for connection, and the side cold plate needs to be bonded or welded one by one, and the joint needs to be welded one by one, which is troublesome to install, cannot be disassembled, and is prone to leakage, with a high risk of leakage; compared with the bottom liquid cooling method, multiple joints and branch pipes are added, which increases the cost; since multiple side cold plates are connected in parallel, the internal coolant is diverted, and there may be a problem of uneven flow, which leads to uneven hot and cold inside the battery pack. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art, one of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a battery pack with no leakage points, uniform flow, and a side cooling structure installed.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: A side cooling structure comprises an integrally formed cooling pipe, both ends of which extend out of a battery pack body and are respectively a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet being respectively connected to a liquid inlet pipe and a liquid outlet pipe, the cooling pipe being arranged along each battery module one by one and in contact with both sides of each battery module.

[0006] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. Since the cooling tube is integrally formed, the part inside the battery pack does not require welding or joints, and is not prone to leakage, thus reducing the risk of leakage and preventing short circuit of the battery cell due to coolant leakage; 2. The liquid inlet and outlet of the cooling pipe are both arranged on the outside of the battery pack body, and the joints connected to the liquid inlet and outlet pipes are arranged on the outside of the body. Compared with the parallel side cooling structure in the prior art, the number of welding points and joints is reduced, the installation is simplified, and the risk of leakage is reduced; 3. The cooling pipe is a single channel without branch pipes, so the internal coolant / refrigerant will not be diverted, and the problem of uneven flow in the parallel side cooling structure in the prior art will not occur; 4. The cooling pipe is close to the side of the battery module and closer to the main heating area of ​​the battery module. Therefore, compared with the bottom cooling solution, when the battery module has the same heat generation, the temperature of the coolant in the cooling pipe can be higher when it enters, achieving the same cooling effect, reducing the power of the compressor and reducing energy consumption; 5. Since the condensation phenomenon is related to the ambient temperature and humidity, when the refrigeration system is working, the overall temperature of the coolant in the liquid inlet pipe, liquid outlet pipe and cooling pipe increases, which can reduce the risk of condensation and avoid battery cell short circuit and shell corrosion caused by condensed water.

[0007] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cooling tube is an aluminum square tube obtained by extrusion, and the aluminum square tube is bent multiple times to obtain the cooling tube.

[0008] Beneficial effects: 1. The cooling tube obtained by extrusion and bending is not prone to leakage. The side wall of the aluminum square tube is flat, which fits the side wall of the battery module better and has a better cooling effect. 2. The refrigeration system generally used for battery packs is divided into air cooling, liquid cooling and direct cooling. The difference between the liquid cooling unit and the direct cooling unit is that in the liquid cooling unit, the refrigerant is first cooled, and then the refrigerant exchanges heat with the circulating cooling water, and finally the battery module is cooled by the cooling water. In the direct cooling unit, the refrigerant is cooled and then directly dissipated to the battery module. Since the refrigerant will become a gas-liquid mixture after absorbing heat, the internal pressure of the pipeline is relatively high. Therefore, the pipeline of the direct cooling unit generally adopts metal pipelines; in this scheme, the one-piece aluminum square tube has higher strength and better toughness, and can withstand certain extrusion and deformation. Therefore, the pipeline can be applied to the direct cooling unit; The existing parallel side cooling structure adopts the combination of side cooling plate and plastic pipe. Plastic pipe cannot bear the pressure of refrigerant flow. If the plastic pipe is directly replaced with metal pipe to bear greater pressure, it will lead to the inability to dock the side cooling plate and metal pipe when installing (the joints used for docking of the side cooling plate are generally welded on the bottom plate. Due to processing errors, the position of each joint cannot be guaranteed to be accurate. The plastic pipe itself is flexible and can adapt to the error, but the metal pipe cannot adjust the position of the docking port. In order to ensure the sealing, the metal pipe and the joint need to be welded again, which makes the installation process more cumbersome. Welding makes the whole structure difficult to disassemble, which is inconvenient when repairing the battery module. 3. When installing the side cold plate, multiple battery modules can be placed on the bottom plate of the battery pack, and then the cooling pipes can be placed so that the cooling pipes are located on both sides of the multiple battery modules. Then, the cooling pipes and the multiple battery modules are squeezed inwardly and shaped through the extrusion devices (hydraulic cylinders, air cylinders) on both sides. Therefore, the cooling pipes also have a certain limiting effect on the battery modules, making the overall structure more stable. Compared with the parallel side cooling structure in the prior art, multiple welding inside the battery pack is not required, and the installation is more convenient and quick.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, heat-conducting insulating glue is filled between the cooling tube and the side wall of each battery module.

[0010] Beneficial effects: 1. The insulation performance of the battery module can be increased by setting the thermal conductive insulating glue; 2. Thermally conductive insulating glue makes the connection between the battery module and the cooling tube more stable; 3. During installation, first adhere thermally conductive insulating glue to the side wall of each battery module, and then place the cooling tube. After extrusion by the extrusion device, the cooling tube is extruded on the side wall of the battery module and bonded with the thermally conductive insulating glue. Since the side of the battery module is not a complete plane (there is a gap between the battery cells), the gap between the cooling tube and the side wall of the battery module can be filled by setting the thermally conductive insulating glue (the air in the gap will affect the heat exchange efficiency between the battery cell and the cooling tube), thereby ensuring the heat dissipation effect.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cooling tube is composed of a plurality of side tubes and end tubes arranged alternately from the liquid inlet to the liquid outlet, the connection between the side tubes and the end tubes is rounded, the side tubes correspond to the sides of each battery module, and the end tubes correspond to the ends of each battery module.

[0012] Beneficial effects: rounded corners are provided between the end pipe and the side pipe, which facilitates extrusion processing, and when the cooling pipe is squeezed during installation, the end pipe with rounded corners is not easily deformed excessively, causing damage to the pipe.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet of the cooling tube are located on the same side of the battery pack.

[0014] Beneficial effect: In the parallel side-cooling structure, the liquid inlet and outlet are located on the front and rear sides of the battery pack. When the liquid inlet pipe of the liquid cooling unit is located on the front of the battery pack, the liquid outlet pipe needs to go around to the back of the battery pack to connect with the liquid outlet, which makes the pipeline laying more complicated and the required length of the pipeline will also increase. During maintenance, it may be necessary to open the back panel of the battery cabinet. In this solution, when the liquid inlet and outlet of the cooling pipe are located on the same side, it is more convenient to connect to the liquid cooling unit / direct cooling unit, the pipeline length will not increase, and it is more convenient during maintenance.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, two adjacent side tubes are located between adjacent battery modules.

[0016] Beneficial effect: Since the number of battery modules is generally an even number, it is necessary to repeat the winding in the gap between adjacent battery modules so that the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet are located on the same side of the battery pack.

[0017] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, one of the end tubes is bent outward at the connection between two adjacent side tubes to form a ball head or a square head.

[0018] Beneficial effect: The two sections of side tubes that are repeatedly wound are located between two adjacent battery modules. If the end tube between the two sections of the side tubes is an inwardly bent rounded corner, in order to avoid breakage due to bending, it is necessary to ensure that there is a certain distance between the two sections of the side tubes, so that the spacing between the adjacent battery modules at this location is different from the spacing between other adjacent battery modules, and installation cannot be performed. In addition, when the cooling tubes are extruded and installed, the side tubes at both ends will inevitably be close to each other, and the inwardly bent end tubes will tend to bend inwards, which will cause the end tubes to break. Therefore, in order to make the total thickness of the two sections of the side tubes thin enough, a round head or a square head is provided at the end of the section of the pipe to meet the bending processing technology. During installation, the side tubes are squeezed, and the outwardly bent end tubes will tend to continue to bend outwards, avoiding the end tubes from bending inwards and causing breakage.

[0019] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it also includes two sealing plates, both of which are provided with a first through hole, the two sealing plates are fixedly connected to the two ends of the cooling tube, the two ends of the cooling tube respectively pass through the corresponding first through holes, and two fixing plates are installed on the side wall of the battery pack body, both of which are provided with a second through hole, the sealing plates are pressed against the inner side of the fixing plates, the outer side of the sealing plates is fixedly connected with a connecting block, the connecting block passes through the second through hole, and a connecting cavity connected to the cooling tube is provided in the connecting block, and a joint connected to the connecting cavity is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the connecting block.

[0020] Beneficial effects: The joint and the connecting block are arranged on the outside of the battery pack, so that the cooling pipe inside the battery pack is not prone to leakage; the sealing plate can seal the second via hole, ensuring the sealing of the inside of the battery pack box.

[0021] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a glue injection groove is opened on the inner side of the connecting block around the cooling pipe, and the glue injection groove is filled with sealant.

[0022] Beneficial effects: The filling glue can fix the connecting block and also seal the gap between the outer wall of the cooling tube and the connecting cavity, thereby improving the sealing of the battery pack.

[0023] The second object of the present invention is to provide an energy storage device, which adopts the side cooling structure described above, has good heat dissipation effect, is easy to install, is not easy to leak the coolant, and has a low risk of condensation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of Embodiment 1 of the side cooling structure of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the side cooling structure in Embodiment 1 of the present invention after being assembled with the battery module; Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure after overall assembly in Embodiment 1 of the side cooling structure of the present invention; Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the fixed plate in the first embodiment of the side cooling structure of the present invention; Figure 5 It is an exploded view of the fixing plate and the joint part in the first embodiment of the side cooling structure of the present invention; Figure 6 It is a structural schematic diagram of Embodiment 2 of the side cooling structure of the present invention.

[0025] The reference numerals include: cooling tube 1, liquid inlet 11, liquid outlet 12, ball head 13, side tube 14, end tube 15, box body 2, bottom plate 21, upper cover 22, battery module 23, support frame 24, fixing plate 3, circular plate 31, accommodating groove 32, second through hole 33, sealing plate 41, first through hole 42, connecting block 43, connecting cavity 44, joint 45, glue injection groove 46, upper tube body 51, lower tube body 52. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Typical embodiments that embody the features and advantages of the present invention will be described in detail in the following description. It should be understood that the present invention can have various changes in different embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention, and the descriptions and illustrations therein are essentially used for illustration purposes rather than for limiting the present invention.

[0027] In the description of the present application, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used to facilitate the description of the present application and simplify the description, and do not indicate or imply that the structure referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0028] See also Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the side cooling structure of this embodiment includes an integrally formed cooling tube 1, which is wound along each battery module 23 one by one and contacts with both sides of each battery module 23; the cooling tube 1 is a plurality of side tubes 14 and end tubes 15 arranged alternately from the liquid inlet to the liquid outlet, and the connection between the side tubes 14 and the end tubes 15 is rounded, the side tubes 14 correspond to the side of each battery module 23, and the end tubes 15 correspond to the end of each battery module 23; both ends of the cooling tube 1 extend out of the battery pack box 2, which are the liquid inlet 11 and the liquid outlet 12, respectively, and the liquid inlet 11 and the liquid outlet 12 are connected to the liquid inlet pipe and the liquid outlet pipe respectively, and are located on the same side of the battery pack, so that the liquid inlet pipe and the liquid outlet pipe do not need to be lengthened or wound during installation, and are more convenient during installation and maintenance.

[0029] In this embodiment, the cooling tube 1 is an aluminum square tube obtained by extrusion. The cooling tube 1 is obtained by bending the aluminum square tube multiple times to form multi-end straight side tubes and arc-shaped end tubes. The multiple side tubes and end tubes are staggered from the liquid inlet 11 to the liquid outlet 12. The connection between the side tubes and the end tubes is rounded. The side tubes correspond to the sides of each battery module 23, and the end tubes correspond to the ends of each battery module 23.

[0030] In this embodiment, the cross section of the cooling tube 1 is rectangular. In other embodiments, the cross section of the cooling tube 1 may be square or circular.

[0031] See also Figure 2As shown, in order to ensure that the liquid inlet 11 and the liquid outlet 12 are located on the same side of the battery pack, it is necessary to repeat winding in the gap between adjacent battery modules 23 so that two adjacent side tubes are located between adjacent battery modules 23; since the side cooling structure requires bending processing, in order to ensure that the spacing between the repeated winding parts is shorter, one of the end tubes is bent outward at the connection between the two adjacent side tubes to form a ball head 13, and a transition is made through the ball head 13 to avoid excessive deformation of the repeated winding part during bending and extrusion, which may lead to breakage.

[0032] See also Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the battery pack box 2 includes an upper cover 22 and a bottom plate 21, two fixing plates 3 are installed on the inner side wall of the upper cover 22, and a support frame 24 is provided on the bottom plate 21, and the support frame 24 is used to support the cooling pipe 1 and limit the battery module 23; See also Figure 4 As shown, the side cooling structure further includes two sealing plates 41, a connecting block 43 is welded on the sealing plate 41, a joint 45 is welded on the connecting block 43, a connecting cavity 44 is provided on the connecting block 43, the cooling pipe 1 is inserted into the connecting cavity 44 and communicated with the joint 45; See also Figure 5 As shown, the fixing plate 3 includes a circular plate 31 and a receiving groove 32, the circular plate 31 is installed on the inner wall of the box body 2 by screws, the receiving groove 32 is welded on the inner side of the circular plate 31, the second through hole 33 is located on the receiving groove 32, and the two sealing plates 41 are each provided with a first through hole 42, the two sealing plates 41 are fixedly connected to the two ends of the cooling pipe 1, the two ends of the cooling pipe 1 pass through the corresponding first through holes 42 respectively, the sealing plate 41 rests on the inner side of the receiving groove 32, the receiving groove 32 and the sealing plate 41 are connected by screws to ensure the sealing between the sealing plate 41 and the receiving groove 32; the connecting block 43 passes through the second through hole 33, and the inner side of the connecting block 43 is provided with a glue injection groove 46 around the cooling pipe 1, and the glue injection groove 46 is filled with sealant.

[0033] This embodiment also provides an energy storage device, which adopts the side cooling structure described above, is easy to install, is not easy to leak the coolant, and has a low risk of condensation.

[0034] During installation of this embodiment, a plurality of battery modules 23 are first placed on the bottom plate 21, against the inner side of the support frame 24, and a heat-conducting insulating adhesive (in strip form) is attached to both sides of each battery module 23. Then, the cooling tube 1 is placed on the support frame 24 from top to bottom, and the side tube 14 and the end tube 15 are close to the corresponding position of the battery module 23; Hydraulic cylinders are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the bottom plate 21. When squeezing, the hydraulic rods on both sides contact the outermost side tubes and squeeze inward. Since the tubes are made of aluminum, the side tubes can be gathered inward and pressed against the thermally conductive insulating glue, completing the installation of the cooling tube 1 and the battery module 23. The two hydraulic rods squeeze inward synchronously. After the squeezing is completed, the battery module 23 and the cooling tube 1 can be positioned; The connecting block 43 is welded to the joint 45 and the sealing plate 41, and then the sealing plate 41 is welded to the end of the cooling pipe 1, and then glue is injected into the glue injection groove 46 to complete the fixation of the connecting block 43, and the circular plate 31 and the receiving groove 32 are welded to the inner side of the upper cover 22 by screws, and then the upper cover 22 is buckled on the bottom plate 21, and the circular plate 31 and the sealing plate 41 are fixed by screws to complete the assembly of the side cooling structure.

[0035] Compared with the parallel side-cooled battery pack in the prior art, the energy storage device of this solution has good heat dissipation effect, is not easy to condense, is not easy to leak, and has a simpler installation process.

[0036] Embodiment 2: See also Figure 6 As shown, on the basis of the first embodiment, the side cooling structure of this embodiment, the cooling tube 1 includes an upper tube body 51 and a lower tube body 52, the upper tube body 51 and the lower tube body 52 are arranged one by one along each battery module 23 and are stacked, one end of the upper tube body 51 and the lower tube body 52 extend out of the battery pack case 2, and are respectively connected to the liquid inlet pipe and the liquid outlet pipe, the other end of the upper tube body 51 and the lower tube body 52 are located on the inner side of the battery pack case 2, and are connected to each other.

[0037] The coolant passes through each battery module 23 in turn along the upper tube body 51 / lower tube body 52, and then flows back along each battery module 23. In the direct cooling plate / direct cooling tube in the prior art, the longer the coolant in the pipeline is in contact with the battery module, the higher its temperature. Therefore, the closer it is to the end of the pipeline, the worse the heat dissipation effect. However, in this solution, the refrigerant with a lower temperature in the upper tube body 51 and the refrigerant with a higher temperature in the lower tube body 52 both flow through each battery module 23, so that the temperature of each battery module 23 is uniform.

[0038] Among them, the upper tube body 51 is close to the upper part of the battery cell, and the lower tube body 52 is close to the lower part of the battery cell. The upper tube body 51 is connected to the liquid inlet pipe of the direct cooling unit, and the lower tube body 52 is connected to the liquid outlet pipe of the direct cooling unit. When the battery cell is working, the heat generated in the middle and upper parts is greater. Therefore, the upper tube body 51 with a lower internal coolant temperature is close to the upper part of the battery cell, and the lower tube body 52 with a higher temperature is close to the lower part of the battery cell, so that the temperature uniformity of the battery module 23 is better.

[0039] The above-mentioned embodiments are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and cannot be used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any non-substantial changes and substitutions made by technicians in this field on the basis of the present invention shall fall within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

Claims

1. A side cooling structure, characterized in that: It includes an integrally formed cooling pipe, both ends of which extend out of the battery pack body and are respectively a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet. The liquid inlet and the liquid outlet are respectively connected to the liquid inlet pipe and the liquid outlet pipe. The cooling pipe is wound along each battery module one by one and contacts with both sides of each battery module.

2. The side cooling structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cooling pipe is an aluminum square pipe obtained by extrusion, and the aluminum square pipe is bent multiple times to obtain the cooling pipe.

3. The side cooling structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The space between the cooling tube and the side wall of each battery module is filled with heat-conducting insulating glue.

4. The side cooling structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cooling tube is composed of a plurality of side tubes and end tubes arranged alternately from the liquid inlet to the liquid outlet, and the connection between the side tubes and the end tubes is rounded. The side tubes correspond to the sides of each battery module, and the end tubes correspond to the ends of each battery module.

5. The side cooling structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid inlet and the liquid outlet of the cooling tube are located on the same side of the battery pack.

6. The side cooling structure according to claim 5, characterized in that: Two adjacent side tubes are located between adjacent battery modules.

7. The side cooling structure according to claim 6, characterized in that: One of the end tubes is bent outward at the connection between two adjacent side tubes to form a ball head or a square head.

8. The side cooling structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes two sealing plates, both of which are provided with a first through hole, and the two sealing plates are fixedly connected to the two ends of the cooling tube, and the two ends of the cooling tube pass through the corresponding first through holes respectively. Two fixing plates are installed on the side wall of the battery pack body, and the two fixing plates are provided with a second through hole. The sealing plates are pressed against the inner side of the fixing plates, and the outer side of the sealing plates is fixedly connected with a connecting block, and the connecting block passes through the second through hole. A connecting cavity connected to the cooling tube is provided in the connecting block, and a joint connected to the connecting cavity is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the connecting block.

9. The side cooling structure according to claim 8, characterized in that: A glue injection groove is provided on the inner side of the connection block around the cooling pipe, and the glue injection groove is filled with sealant.

10. An energy storage device, characterized in that: A side cooling structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 9 is adopted.

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