A fully submersible underwater vehicle battery compartment and cooling method thereof

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides a battery compartment of a fully submerged underwater vehicle and a cooling method thereof, wherein the battery compartment comprises an inner shell body, in which a spiral coolant circulation flow channel is formed; an outer shell body, which is coated on the outside of the inner shell body and constitutes a battery compartment together with the inner shell body, a front baffle is provided on the front end face of the battery compartment along the movement direction of the underwater vehicle, and a rear baffle is provided on the rear end, a through-cabin cable connector installation port is provided above the front baffle, and a through-cabin cable connector installation port, a clearance hole and a liquid outlet are provided above the rear baffle; a power battery pack is installed in the inner shell body; coolant is filled in the spiral coolant circulation flow channel of the inner shell body and in a closed cavity surrounded by the inner shell body, the outer shell body, the front baffle and the rear baffle; a centrifugal circulating pump is provided at the liquid outlet of the rear baffle, and is used to extract coolant with a higher temperature from the liquid outlet of the rear baffle, and transport it to the liquid filling port of the inner shell body through a pipeline, so that it circulates in the spiral coolant circulation flow channel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of power battery pack cooling, and in particular to a fully submerged underwater vehicle battery compartment and a cooling method thereof. Background Art

[0002] With the increasing demand for underwater vehicles to operate at high speeds and long flight times, the use of "double-high" power battery packs with high specific energy and high specific power to provide high-power power output for underwater vehicles has become a mainstream solution. However, the high-power output process is accompanied by the accumulation of heat in the power battery pack, which affects the safety and reliability of the underwater vehicle. Currently, two main methods are used: indirect heat dissipation by air convection or heat conduction heat dissipation by the metal structure frame of the power battery pack contacting the shell. However, the complex and diverse structure of the power battery pack itself leads to unsatisfactory effects of air convection heat dissipation and contact heat conduction heat dissipation in a confined space. The reason is that the heat conduction path of the metal structure of the power battery pack is limited, and the local accumulation of heat makes it impossible to achieve uniform heat diffusion, which makes the thermal management level of the power battery pack of the underwater vehicle a bottleneck restricting its performance.

[0003] In view of the heat dissipation requirements of underwater vehicle power battery packs, liquid cooling has higher energy efficiency and greater heat capacity. The conventional non-direct contact cold plate liquid cooling method is not suitable for special-shaped power battery packs because the cold plate structure cannot fully fit the single battery in the underwater vehicle power battery pack, resulting in a significant increase in the complexity of the entire structural design and process. The immersion liquid cooling method mainly uses a coolant with high dielectric strength as a cooling medium, allowing the single battery of the power battery pack to directly contact the coolant to conduct heat, and using the fluidity of the coolant to directly contact the underwater vehicle battery compartment shell, effectively transferring heat to the external water medium through the underwater vehicle battery compartment shell, so that the power battery pack can be cooled. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the fact that the propulsion motor of the underwater vehicle is always in a high-power output state during the high-speed and long-duration operation, the power battery pack at the energy supply end of the underwater vehicle is always in a high-rate and high-current discharge state. Due to the internal resistance of the single battery and the contact resistance of the battery tab welding, the power battery pack body and the tab connection generate serious heat during the discharge process, and heat accumulation occurs, which leads to the safety problem of overheating of the power battery pack and ultimately the problem of reduced reliability during long-duration operation. Traditional heat dissipation methods cannot achieve efficient and uniform heat conduction. Therefore, a fully immersed underwater vehicle battery compartment and a cooling method thereof are proposed. The heat generated by the power battery pack is quickly exchanged with the external water medium through the circulation of coolant, so that the power battery pack can be cooled and cooled.

[0005] In view of the above analysis, the present invention proposes a fully submerged underwater vehicle battery compartment and a cooling method thereof, adopts an immersion cooling method, designs a coolant circulation channel, and efficiently transfers the heat generated by the power battery pack in the underwater vehicle battery compartment to the battery compartment shell, and exchanges heat with the external water medium through the battery compartment shell, thereby achieving rapid and uniform heat conduction, reducing the internal temperature of the underwater vehicle power battery pack, so that the power battery pack can work safely and stably, and ultimately, achieving the purpose of improving the working safety and reliability of the underwater vehicle electrical system.

[0006] An embodiment of the present invention provides a fully submersible underwater vehicle battery compartment, comprising:

[0007] An inner shell body, in which a spiral cooling liquid circulation channel is formed;

[0008] An outer shell, which is covered on the outside of the inner shell and forms a battery compartment together with the inner shell, wherein a front baffle is provided at the front end surface of the battery compartment along the movement direction of the underwater vehicle, and a through-cabin cable connector installation port is provided above the front baffle; a rear baffle is provided at the rear end of the battery compartment along the movement direction of the underwater vehicle, and a through-cabin cable connector installation port, a clearance hole and a liquid outlet are provided above the rear baffle;

[0009] A power battery pack, which is installed in the inner shell;

[0010] Coolant, which is filled in the spiral coolant circulation channel of the inner shell and in the closed cavity surrounded by the inner shell, the outer shell, the front baffle and the rear baffle;

[0011] The centrifugal circulation pump is arranged at the liquid outlet of the rear baffle, and is used to extract the coolant with a higher temperature from the liquid outlet of the rear baffle, and transport it to the liquid injection port of the inner shell through the pipeline, so that it circulates in the spiral coolant circulation channel.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present invention, the liquid injection port is arranged in the axial direction just above the rear end surface of the inner shell along the movement direction of the underwater vehicle, and a liquid discharge port is arranged in the radial direction just below the front end surface of the inner shell.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present invention, both the front baffle plate and the rear baffle plate are sealed with the inner shell and the outer shell by O-ring sealing.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present invention, the coolant is a fluorocarbon or silicone coolant with a dielectric constant greater than 30KV.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present invention, the fully submersible underwater vehicle battery compartment further includes:

[0016] The penetrating cable is used to transmit electrical signals between the battery compartment and the outside world. The watertight connector of the penetrating cable adopts O-ring sealing to achieve sealing.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present invention, the spiral coolant circulation channel is arranged in a counterclockwise rotation along the movement direction of the underwater vehicle.

[0018] In some embodiments of the present invention, the spiral coolant circulation channel is arranged in a clockwise rotation manner along the movement direction of the underwater vehicle.

[0019] The embodiment of the present invention further provides a cooling method for a battery compartment of a fully submersible underwater vehicle as described in the above embodiment, comprising:

[0020] The coolant circulates in the spiral coolant circulation channel of the inner shell, transferring the heat generated by the power battery pack to the outer shell;

[0021] The outer shell is cooled and dissipated through the external water medium environment;

[0022] The coolant after cooling treatment flows out from the drain port of the inner shell and enters the battery compartment cavity, fully contacts with the power battery pack to absorb heat and take away the heat generated during the high-power output of the power battery pack.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the fully submersible underwater vehicle battery compartment and its cooling method provided by the embodiments of the present invention have the following beneficial effects: the fully submersible battery compartment and the power battery pack can share a shell, saving volume and weight, and the maximum conformal design can ensure that the space utilization of the power battery pack layout is maximized. It adopts a spiral circulation flow of coolant, and heat exchange with the external water medium through the outer shell can quickly and evenly take away the heat generated by the power battery pack during high-power output, so that the temperature of the power battery pack is maintained in a reasonable range, thereby improving the safety and reliability of the underwater vehicle electrical system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the battery compartment of a fully submersible underwater vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of the inner shell of the battery compartment of a fully submersible underwater vehicle provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a rear baffle plate of a battery compartment of a fully submerged underwater vehicle provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a front baffle plate of a battery compartment of a fully submerged underwater vehicle provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of sealing and installing a battery compartment of a fully submersible underwater vehicle provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the heat conduction path of a battery compartment of a fully submersible underwater vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0031] Various aspects and features of the present application are described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] These and other characteristics of the present application will become apparent from the following description of a preferred form of embodiment given as a non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] It should also be understood that, although the present application has been described with reference to some specific examples, those skilled in the art will be able to realize many other equivalent forms of the present application that have the features described in the claims and are therefore within the scope of protection defined thereby.

[0034] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present application will become more apparent in view of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0035] Specific embodiments of the present application are described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings; however, it should be understood that the embodiments applied for are merely examples of the present application, which may be implemented in a variety of ways. Well-known and / or repeated functions and structures are not described in detail to determine the true intent based on the user's historical operations and to avoid unnecessary or redundant details that make the present application unclear. Therefore, the specific structural and functional details applied for herein are not intended to be limiting, but are merely used as the basis and representative basis for the claims to teach those skilled in the art to use the present application in a variety of ways with substantially any suitable detailed structure.

[0036] This specification may use the phrases "in one embodiment," "in another embodiment," "in yet another embodiment," or "in other embodiments," all of which may refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments according to the present application.

[0037] An embodiment of the present invention provides a fully submersible underwater vehicle battery compartment, comprising:

[0038] An inner shell body, in which a spiral cooling liquid circulation channel is formed;

[0039] An outer shell, which is covered on the outside of the inner shell and forms a battery compartment together with the inner shell, wherein a front baffle is provided at the front end surface of the battery compartment along the movement direction of the underwater vehicle, and a through-cabin cable connector installation port is provided above the front baffle; a rear baffle is provided at the rear end of the battery compartment along the movement direction of the underwater vehicle, and a through-cabin cable connector installation port, a clearance hole and a liquid outlet are provided above the rear baffle;

[0040] A power battery pack, which is installed in the inner shell;

[0041] Coolant, which is filled in the spiral coolant circulation channel of the inner shell and in the closed cavity surrounded by the inner shell, the outer shell, the front baffle and the rear baffle;

[0042] The centrifugal circulation pump is arranged at the liquid outlet of the rear baffle, and is used to extract the coolant with a higher temperature from the liquid outlet of the rear baffle, and transport it to the liquid injection port of the inner shell through the pipeline, so that it circulates in the spiral coolant circulation channel.

[0043] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Specific embodiment one:

[0045] For the convenience of description, we define Figure 1 The direction indicated by the middle arrow is the movement direction of the underwater vehicle, the direction corresponding to the movement direction of the underwater vehicle is the front end, and the direction opposite to it is the rear end.

[0046] like Figure 1 As shown, a fully submerged underwater vehicle battery compartment mainly includes an inner shell 1, an outer shell 2, a pipeline 3, a centrifugal circulation pump 4, a rear baffle 5, a front baffle 6, a power battery pack 7, a coolant 8 and a cabin cable 9. The characteristics are: the battery compartment of the underwater vehicle is composed of a double-layer shell, the inner shell 1 is installed in the outer shell 2, the rear baffle 5 and the front baffle 6 are respectively installed at both ends of the inner shell 1, the power battery pack 7 is installed in the closed cavity composed of the inner shell 1, the rear baffle 5 and the front baffle 6, and the coolant 8 is filled in the cavity and the spiral coolant circulation channel 1c of the inner shell 1.

[0047] The cabin penetration cable 9 mainly includes a first watertight connector 9a, a watertight cable 9b and a second watertight connector 9c, wherein the first watertight connector 9a is fixed to the rear baffle 5 by screws, and the second watertight connector 9c is fixed to the front baffle 6 by screws.

[0048] The inner shell 1 is provided with a liquid filling port 1a in the axial direction just above the rear end face along the movement direction of the underwater vehicle, a liquid discharge port 1b in the radial direction just below the other end, and a spiral coolant circulation channel 1c rotating counterclockwise (along the movement direction of the underwater vehicle) is provided on its outside.

[0049] The rear baffle 5 is arranged at the rear end of the battery compartment of the underwater vehicle along the movement direction of the underwater vehicle, and a front baffle 6 is arranged on the front end surface of the other side; a centrifugal circulating pump 4 is installed at the liquid outlet 5c on the rear baffle 5; one end of the pipeline 3 passes through the makeshift hole 5a on the rear baffle 5 and is connected to the liquid injection port 1a of the inner shell 1, and the other end is connected to the centrifugal circulating pump 4; the front baffle 6 is provided with a mounting hole 6a for the second watertight connector 9c of the cabin-penetrating cable 9, and the rear baffle 5 is provided with a mounting hole 5b for the first watertight connector 9a of the cabin-penetrating cable 9.

[0050] like Figure 2 As shown, a liquid injection port 1a is provided in the axial direction on the end face just above the rear end of the inner shell 1, and a spiral coolant circulation channel 1c is provided in the counterclockwise direction (along the movement direction of the underwater vehicle), a liquid discharge port 1b is provided in the radial direction just below the front end face on the other side, O-ring mounting grooves 1d are provided at both ends of the inner shell 1, and threaded holes 1e for mounting and fixing the rear baffle 5 and the front baffle 6 are evenly provided in the axial direction in the circular circumferential direction at both ends of the inner shell 1 (the upper position is not reserved).

[0051] like Figure 3 As shown, a clearance hole 5a coaxial with the liquid injection port 1a of the inner shell 1 is provided on the upper end surface of the rear baffle 5 in the axial direction, and a mounting hole 5b of the first watertight connector 9a and a liquid outlet 5c are provided below the clearance hole 5a; a mounting hole 5d is provided at a position corresponding to the threaded hole 1e on the end surface of the inner shell 1, and the rear baffle 5 is fixed to the rear baffle 5 by passing a screw through the mounting hole 5d of the rear baffle 5. Figure 2 On the inner housing 1 shown.

[0052] like Figure 4 As shown, a mounting hole 6a of the second watertight connector 9c is provided in the axial direction on the end surface just above the front baffle 6; a mounting hole 6b is provided at a position corresponding to the threaded hole 1e on the end surface of the inner shell 1, and the front baffle 6 is fixed to the inner shell 1 by passing a screw through the mounting hole 6b of the front baffle 6. Figure 2 On the inner housing 1 shown.

[0053] like Figure 5As shown, the inner shell 1 and the rear baffle 5 are tightened by screws to squeeze the first sealing ring 10 and the second sealing ring 11 to achieve sealing between the shell 1, the outer shell 2 and the rear baffle 5; the first watertight connector 9a is coaxially installed with the rear baffle through-cabin cable connector mounting hole 5b of the rear baffle 5, and is tightened with the rear baffle 5 by screws to squeeze the third sealing ring 12 to achieve sealing between the two; the centrifugal circulating pump 4 is coaxially installed with the liquid outlet 5c of the rear baffle 5, and is tightened with the rear baffle 5 by screws to squeeze the fourth sealing ring 13 to achieve sealing between the two; gaskets are used at both ends of the hose 3 and are squeezed to achieve sealing by nut thread locking. In this embodiment, the positions of the screw mounting holes, gaskets, nuts and their installation positions are not specifically reflected.

[0054] The first sealing ring, the second sealing ring, the third sealing ring and the fourth sealing ring are all O-type sealing rings.

[0055] In this embodiment, the sealing method between the front baffle plate 6 and each component is the same as Figure 5 The sealing method between the middle and rear baffle plate 5 and each component will not be described in detail.

[0056] like Figure 6 As shown, the flow direction and heat conduction path of the coolant in the battery compartment of a fully submerged underwater vehicle are shown. The cooling method is as follows:

[0057] The centrifugal circulation pump 4 transfers the coolant 8 that has absorbed the heat of the power battery pack 7 from the liquid outlet 5c of the rear baffle 5 to the liquid inlet 1a on the inner shell 1 through the pipeline 3. The coolant 8 that has absorbed the heat transfers the heat to the outer shell 2 in the spiral coolant circulation channel 1c of the inner shell 1, and the outer shell 2 transfers the heat again to the external water medium 14. The coolant 8 is cooled during the flow in the spiral coolant circulation channel 1c, and enters the battery compartment cavity equipped with the power battery pack 7 through the discharge port 1b on the inner shell 1, and circulates again to take away the heat generated by the power battery pack 7.

[0058] The assembly and filling method of the battery compartment of a fully submerged underwater vehicle is as follows:

[0059] Step 1: Assemble the power battery pack 7 inside the assembled inner shell 1 and outer shell 2 assembly, and pre-install the second sealing ring 11 at both ends of the inner shell 1 in the axial direction;

[0060] Step 2: Place the penetrating cable 9 in the battery compartment, and pass the first watertight connector 9a and the second watertight connector 9c with the third sealing ring 12 of the penetrating cable 9 through the connector mounting hole 5b of the rear baffle 5 and the connector mounting hole 6a of the front baffle 6 respectively, and lock and fix them on the rear baffle 5 and the front baffle 6;

[0061] Step 3: After pre-installing the first sealing ring 10 on the rear baffle 5 and the front baffle 6, fix and press them onto the inner housing 1 by screws;

[0062] Step 4: Place the battery compartment vertically, ensure that the liquid outlet 5c of the rear baffle 5 and the liquid injection port 1a of the inner shell 1 are located directly above each other, and inject the coolant 8 from the liquid injection port 1a until it overflows from the liquid outlet 5c;

[0063] Step 5: Install the centrifugal circulation pump 4 with the fourth sealing ring 13 at the liquid outlet 5c, and then connect the pipeline 3 to the liquid filling port 1a through nuts and gaskets. After the pipeline 3 is filled with coolant, lock its other free end with the centrifugal circulation pump 4 through nuts and gaskets.

[0064] Step 6: Place the battery compartment filled with coolant horizontally and transfer it to the next workstation to participate in the assembly of the underwater vehicle. Specific embodiment 2:

[0066] The spiral coolant circulation channel on the outer side of the inner shell 1 rotates clockwise (along the movement direction of the underwater vehicle), and the rest is the same as the first specific embodiment, which will not be described in detail here.

[0067] It can be seen from the above technical solutions that the fully submerged underwater vehicle battery compartment and the cooling method thereof provided in the above embodiments of the present invention adopt a fully submerged battery compartment and a power battery pack that can share a shell, saving volume and weight. The maximum conformal design can ensure that the space utilization of the power battery pack layout is maximized. The coolant adopts a spiral circulation flow mode, and heat exchange between the outer shell and the external water medium can quickly and evenly take away the heat generated by the high-power output of the power battery pack, so that the temperature of the power battery pack is maintained in a reasonable range, thereby improving the safety and reliability of the electrical system of the underwater vehicle.

[0068] The above embodiments are only exemplary embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention is defined by the claims. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications or equivalent substitutions to the present invention within the essence and protection scope of the present invention, and such modifications or equivalent substitutions shall also be deemed to fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A fully submersible underwater vehicle battery compartment, characterized in that: include: An inner shell body, in which a spiral cooling liquid circulation channel is formed; An outer shell, which is covered on the outside of the inner shell and forms a battery compartment together with the inner shell, wherein a front baffle is provided at the front end surface of the battery compartment along the movement direction of the underwater vehicle, and a through-cabin cable connector installation port is provided above the front baffle; a rear baffle is provided at the rear end of the battery compartment along the movement direction of the underwater vehicle, and a through-cabin cable connector installation port, a clearance hole and a liquid outlet are provided above the rear baffle; A power battery pack, which is installed in the inner shell; Coolant, which is filled in the spiral coolant circulation channel of the inner shell and in the closed cavity surrounded by the inner shell, the outer shell, the front baffle and the rear baffle; The centrifugal circulation pump is arranged at the liquid outlet of the rear baffle, and is used to extract the coolant with a higher temperature from the liquid outlet of the rear baffle, and transport it to the liquid injection port of the inner shell through the pipeline, so that it circulates in the spiral coolant circulation channel.

2. The fully submersible underwater vehicle battery compartment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid injection port is arranged in the axial direction just above the rear end surface of the inner shell along the moving direction of the underwater vehicle, and a liquid discharge port is arranged in the radial direction just below the front end surface of the inner shell.

3. The fully submersible underwater vehicle battery compartment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The front baffle plate and the rear baffle plate both use O-ring sealing to achieve sealing with the inner shell and the outer shell.

4. The fully submersible underwater vehicle battery compartment according to claim 3, characterized in that: The coolant is a fluorocarbon or silicone coolant with a dielectric constant greater than 30 kV.

5. The fully submersible underwater vehicle battery compartment according to claim 4, characterized in that: Also includes: The penetrating cable is used to transmit electrical signals between the battery compartment and the outside world. The watertight connector of the penetrating cable adopts O-ring sealing to achieve sealing.

6. The fully submersible underwater vehicle battery compartment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The spiral coolant circulation channel is arranged in a counterclockwise rotation manner along the moving direction of the underwater vehicle.

7. The fully submersible underwater vehicle battery compartment according to claim 5, characterized in that: The spiral coolant circulation channel is arranged in a clockwise rotation manner along the moving direction of the underwater vehicle.

8. A cooling method for a battery compartment of a fully submersible underwater vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: include: The coolant circulates in the spiral coolant circulation channel of the inner shell, transferring the heat generated by the power battery pack to the outer shell; The outer shell is cooled and dissipated through the external water medium environment; The coolant after cooling treatment flows out from the drain port of the inner shell and enters the battery compartment cavity, fully contacts with the power battery pack to absorb heat and take away the heat generated during the high-power output of the power battery pack.

Images