Battery temperature management
By adopting a heat transfer system with a tilted permeable barrier in the battery thermal management system, the problem of temperature gradient in the battery thermal management of electric vehicles is solved, uniform cooling or heating of the battery is achieved, the performance and life of the battery is improved, and safety is enhanced.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202380068286.4
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-09-28
- Filing Date
- 2023-09-28
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-02
Smart Images
Figure CN119923744A_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to thermal management of batteries, for example, for electric and hybrid vehicles (EVs), which may include land vehicles, ships, underwater vehicles or aerial vehicles, whether manned or unmanned. They may also be used in other applications, including but not limited to stationary energy storage or portable energy storage. Due to concerns about the impact of traditional fossil fuel engines on the environment, while electric vehicles have a smaller impact on the environment in comparison, all forms of electric transportation have become increasingly popular. Due to the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources, energy storage is also an increasingly important part of the power infrastructure. However, current limitations in battery technology have hindered further expansion of batteries in the above applications.
[0002] One limitation is the need to control the battery’s temperature through heating or cooling. The desired operating temperature of a battery may be higher or lower than the ambient air temperature. A battery that is too cold may affect its operating efficiency during use, while conversely, charge and discharge cycles generate heat that degrades the battery’s performance over its useful life. In addition, overheating may result in fire or power outages. Therefore, cooling is an important safety feature to prevent overheating, while thermal management is an important factor in improving battery performance and life.
[0003] Pouch cells are commonly used as batteries in electric vehicles. Pouch cells have a housing with multiple sub-cells inside, each of which consists of a negative electrical collector, an anode and a cathode separated by an ion-permeable electrode separator, and a positive current collector. Electrolyte surrounds the layers of the sub-cells. These sub-cells are stacked together to form a single cell, and the multi-layer current collectors are coupled to electrically and thermally conductive electrical terminals (commonly called tabs) that extend outside the housing of the single cell.
[0004] Current battery cooling methods in electric vehicles rely on the interfaces between the sub-cell layers being cooled, as this provides the largest surface area to be cooled. Applicants have learned that this approach has some disadvantages, in particular the resulting temperature gradient across the depth of the battery, due to the poor thermal conductivity of the multiple layers within the sub-cell, and in particular the generally high contact resistance between the individual layers. This results in the hottest part of the battery (the center) determining the lifetime of the entire battery.
[0005] The use of tab cooling methods (where coolant flows through channels between the "tabs" and carries heat away from the battery) is a known solution for partially addressing the uneven cooling that can occur across the depth of each single cell. However, applicants have recognized that the length of the cooling channel extending between the tabs causes the temperature of the coolant fluid to rise along its length. This can cause uneven heat dissipation from the battery, resulting in an undesirable temperature gradient along the length of each soft pack single cell.
[0006] Temperature gradients between cells can be mitigated by increasing the flow rate of the coolant, however this requires more power when actively driving the fluid or physically larger heat transfer features when passively promoting airflow to adequately mitigate the temperature gradient.
[0007] From a first aspect, the present invention provides a battery and thermal management system arrangement, comprising: a battery and a heat transfer arrangement, the battery comprising a plurality of mutually adjacent single cells, each of the single cells comprising an electrical terminal extending therefrom, an adjacent pair of the terminals being electrically connected together to form a connected pair;
[0008] The radiator arrangement comprises:
[0009] Entryway,
[0010] Exit routes, and
[0011] a plurality of heat transfer channels defined between respective inflow walls and outflow walls, wherein the heat transfer channels extend between the inlet channels and the outlet channels;
[0012] Each heat transfer channel further includes: a corresponding permeable barrier located therein, the permeable barrier being inclined relative to the corresponding inflow wall and outflow wall so as to be positioned: farthest from the inflow wall at a first end of the corresponding heat transfer channel near the inlet channel, and closest to the inflow wall at a second end of the corresponding heat transfer channel near the outlet channel; and,
[0013] Each permeable barrier is in thermal contact with a terminal of a corresponding connection pair along the length of the permeable barrier.
[0014] It can thus be seen that, according to the present invention, an inclined permeable barrier is located in each heat transfer channel. When a heat transfer fluid is caused to flow along the inlet channel and into the heat transfer channel, the inclined arrangement tends to cause the heat transfer fluid to flow more evenly through each portion of the permeable barrier, and thus by aligning the permeable barrier with the electrical terminal, uniform cooling or heating of the battery can be achieved.
[0015] Advantageously, the permeable barrier is inclined so that: in use, a substantially equal mass flow of heat transfer fluid passes through the permeable barrier along its length, i.e. at each point along the length of the permeable barrier, a substantially equal mass of heat transfer fluid passes through it, across the inflow side of the heat transfer channel to the outflow side, just as at every other point along its length. Advantageously, this delivers substantially the same mass of fluid to each small area of the terminals of the connection pair at substantially the same temperature. This means that the battery can be cooled or heated more evenly.
[0016] The sloped permeable barriers provide more uniform heat transfer fluid flow because they account for the cumulative reduction in heat transfer fluid mass on the inflow side of the heat transfer channel; more heat transfer fluid passes through the permeable barrier at each point along its length. Thus, the total mass of the heat transfer fluid on the inflow side of the permeable barrier is greatest at a first end of the heat transfer channel near the inlet channel and decreases as it approaches a second end near the outlet channel.
[0017] Accordingly, the cross-sectional area of the space between the permeable barrier and the outflow wall of the cooling channel changes due to the inclined barrier. Thus, as more and more fluid passes from the inflow side to the outflow side, the total mass of the heat transfer fluid on the outflow side of the permeable barrier increases toward the end of the heat transfer channel near the outlet channel.
[0018] In one set of embodiments, the battery and thermal management system further comprises a pumping system arranged to pump a heat transfer fluid from an inlet channel through the heat transfer channel to an outlet channel. The heat transfer fluid may be a liquid or a gas, such as air. Alternatively, the heat transfer fluid may be a phase change material such that it undergoes a phase change as it passes through the heat transfer arrangement. For example, for cooling, the phase of the coolant fluid may change from a liquid to a gas. The pumping system may be a closed loop, wherein the heat transfer fluid is recooled or reheated and reused after each pass through the heat transfer arrangement, or may be an open loop, for example comprising air drawn in from the surrounding environment and discharged to the surrounding environment.
[0019] In one set of embodiments, the heat transfer arrangement is arranged such that, in use, substantially equal mass flow rates of heat transfer fluid are distributed to each heat transfer channel. Advantageously, the equal mass of heat transfer fluid provided to each heat transfer channel can mean that the same heat transfer capacity is delivered to each cell in the battery. For example, in one set of embodiments, the inlet channel comprises a cross-sectional area that varies between a maximum value at the proximal end of the inlet channel and a minimum value at the distal end of the inlet channel. This variation in cross-sectional area can allow substantially equal portions of the fluid to be distributed to each heat transfer channel after being pumped into the inlet channel at the proximal end, thereby further promoting uniform flow and, in turn, uniform cooling or heating of the entire battery.
[0020] The heat transfer channels may be spaced apart along the length of the inlet channel between an inlet at a proximal end of the inlet channel and a distal end of the inlet channel.The distal end of the inlet channel may be closed such that: all fluid pumped into the inlet channel is distributed between the heat transfer channels.
[0021] Typically, the fluid leaves the inlet channel and enters each heat transfer channel on the side of its permeable barrier near the inflow wall of the heat transfer channel, then passes through the permeable barrier to the side of the heat transfer channel near the corresponding outflow wall. The heat transfer fluid can then flow down to the second end of the heat transfer channel and exit therefrom into the outlet channel.
[0022] Similar to the inlet channel in certain embodiments, the outlet channel may include a cross-sectional area that varies between a maximum at the proximal end of the outlet channel and a minimum at the distal end of the outlet channel. This may allow for uniform outflow from the heat transfer channel through the outlet channel, which may help maintain uniform flow through the heat transfer channel, thereby more effectively removing heat from the battery. The proximal end may be open and the distal end may be closed, such that all heat transfer fluid delivered to the outlet channel exits the heat transfer arrangement through the proximal end of the outlet channel.
[0023] The heat transfer arrangement may include any number of inlet channels and outlet channels, with the heat transfer channels extending between the inlet channels and the outlet channels. The number of inlet channels and outlet channels may be different, for example, there may be one inlet channel and two outlet channels, with two sets of heat transfer channels located between the inlet channel and the outlet channels.
[0024] The permeable barrier generally includes a series of longitudinally spaced heat transfer features through which a heat transfer fluid flows from an inflow side to an outflow side of the permeable barrier.
[0025] The permeable barrier may include only one type of heat transfer feature, or may include a combination of different heat transfer features. The permeable barrier may include any heat transfer feature that allows a heat transfer fluid to pass through it. Advantageously, the heat transfer features are distributed along the entire length of the permeable barrier.
[0026] In one set of embodiments, at least some of the heat transfer features comprise walls or protrusions, and the heat transfer fluid flows through spaces between adjacent protrusions.
[0027] In another set of embodiments, at least some of the heat transfer features comprise pores. The cross-sectional area of such pores may be constant or may vary at different points along the length of the permeable barrier.
[0028] In one set of embodiments, the heat transfer channels are arranged so that: in use, the heat transfer fluid is in direct contact with the surfaces of the terminals of the connection pair. The heat transfer fluid may contact the terminals while passing through the permeable barrier. Direct contact may increase the heat transfer rate by avoiding intermediate material layers. In one set of embodiments where the fluid is in direct contact with the terminals, the fluid may impinge substantially vertically on one or more terminal surfaces. The impinging flow may advantageously further increase the heat transfer rate.
[0029] In one set of such embodiments, for each heat transfer channel, the electrical terminals in a connection pair form a first wall of the heat transfer channel, and the electrical terminals in an adjacent connection pair form a second wall of the heat transfer channel.Each heat transfer channel can be shared between the terminals of two connection pairs.
[0030] In another set of such embodiments, for each heat transfer channel, the first electrical terminal of the connection pair forms a first wall of the heat transfer channel, and the second electrical terminal of the same connection pair forms a second wall of the heat transfer channel. Advantageously, this provides a specific heat transfer channel for each terminal of the connection pair, thereby increasing the heat transfer rate by providing more heat transfer fluid for each electrical terminal.
[0031] In another set of such embodiments, the terminals of each connection pair extend through a base portion of the heat transfer arrangement such that: the connection pair forms a portion of a base wall of each heat transfer channel. The portion of the base wall formed by the terminals of the connection pair may be aligned with the permeable barrier such that: in use, the heat transfer fluid may directly contact the terminals when passing through the permeable barrier.
[0032] In one set of alternative embodiments, the heat transfer arrangement comprises a base portion having an outer wall through which the terminals of the connection pair extend. In one set of embodiments in which the terminals do not extend through the heat transfer arrangement, the outer wall of the base portion may be shaped to fit over the terminals of the connection pair. This may make the manufacture or assembly of the battery and thermal management system arrangement simpler. For example, it may facilitate replacement of the battery without replacing the heat transfer system, and vice versa. Additionally or alternatively, a thermally conductive gap filling material may be used to provide thermal contact between the terminals of the connection pair and the base portion. Advantageously, in such embodiments, the permeable barrier is secured to the upper side of the base portion and is aligned with the length of the terminals of the connection pair located below the base portion.
[0033] In fact, the applicant has realised that the heat transfer system described herein according to the first aspect of the invention can be applied to any appropriately designed battery and is therefore useful in its own right. Thus, from a second aspect, the invention provides a heat transfer system suitable for use with a battery and heat transfer system arrangement as described herein.
[0034] The features of any aspect or embodiment described herein may be applied to any other aspect or embodiment described herein where appropriate. When different embodiments or groups of embodiments are mentioned, it should be understood that these embodiments or groups of embodiments are not necessarily different, but may overlap.
[0035] Certain embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0036] Figure 1A is a perspective view of a battery and a cooling system according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
[0037] Figure 1B is a side cross-sectional view of a battery and cooling system according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
[0038] Figure 1C is another perspective view of the battery and cooling system (with the upper cover removed) according to the first embodiment of the present invention;
[0039] Figure 1D yes Figure 1C A plan view of the battery and cooling system in the
[0040] Figure 2A is a perspective view of a battery and a cooling system according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
[0041] Figure 2B is a side cross-sectional view of a battery and cooling system according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
[0042] Figure 3A is a perspective view of a battery and a cooling system according to a third embodiment of the present invention;
[0043] Figure 3B yes Figure 3A Another perspective view of the battery and cooling system (with the top cover removed);
[0044] Figure 3C is a side cross-sectional view of a battery and cooling system according to a third embodiment of the present invention;
[0045] Figure 3D yes Figure 3B A plan view of the battery and cooling system in the
[0046] Figure 4A is a perspective view of a battery and a cooling system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;
[0047] Figure 4B is a plan view and a side cross-sectional view along line BB of a battery and a cooling system according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;
[0048] Figure 4Cis a perspective view of a heat sink arrangement according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, in which some terminals are omitted;
[0049] Figure 4D is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of a cooling channel according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;
[0050] Figure 4E is a perspective view of a heat sink arrangement structure according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention (part of which is enlarged);
[0051] Figure 4F is with Figure 4D A similar view showing a cross-sectional view of a cooling channel at three different points along its length;
[0052] Figure 4G is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of a cooling channel according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;
[0053] Figure 5A is a perspective view of a battery and a cooling system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;
[0054] Figure 5B is a plan view and a side cross-sectional view along line BB of a battery and a cooling system according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;
[0055] Figure 5C is a side cross-sectional view of a cooling channel according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention; and
[0056] Figure 5D is with Figure 5C A similar view showing a cross-section of a cooling channel at three different points along its length.
[0057] While it should be understood that the invention described herein can be used for cooling or heating (or both) of a battery, in the specific embodiments described below, only cooling is used. However, this should not be viewed as limiting.
[0058] Figure 1A A perspective view of a battery and cooling system 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown. A heat sink arrangement 102 is mounted on a battery 104, wherein the battery 104 includes a plurality of cells 106 stacked adjacent to each other. Of course, according to the present invention, the cells may be arranged to be connected in parallel or in series. However, in the exemplary battery structure shown, the terminals extending from adjacent cells 106 have alternating polarities, such that when a cell is connected to a cell adjacent thereto, they are connected in series.
[0059] exist Figure 1AIn the embodiment shown, the heat sink arrangement is enclosed on one side by a top portion 108, while on the other side, a base portion 110 is mounted to the battery 104. As will be explained in more detail below, the heat sink arrangement 102 is positioned so that it can carry away heat generated by the battery due to its thermal contact with the terminals of each battery cell.
[0060] Figure 1B A cross-sectional view of a first embodiment of a battery and cooling system 100 is shown (with the top portion 108 removed). Terminals 112 extend from each battery cell 106, and adjacent battery cells are electrically connected to each other via their terminals. The terminals from adjacent battery cells physically contact and engage each other. Figure 1B In the illustrated embodiment, the terminals from adjacent cells are bent so that they overlap and are joined in contact with each other using lap welding to form connection pairs 114. Alternatively, the terminals can be joined together using butt welds or edge welds (not shown). The terminals 112 extend through the base portion 110 of the heat sink arrangement so that the exposed portions 116 of the connection pairs of electrical terminals close and seal the corresponding openings in the base portion 110. As described below, therefore, the exposed portions 116 of each connection pair 114 of the terminals can be directly cooled by the coolant fluid flowing through the heat sink arrangement 102 to maximize heat transfer.
[0061] Figure 1C 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a battery and cooling system 100 (with the top portion 108 removed). The radiator arrangement 102 has an inlet channel 120, an outlet channel 122, and a plurality of cooling channels 124 extending between the inlet channel and the outlet channel. The inlet channel 120 has a cross-sectional area that decreases as it moves away from the inlet opening 134. Each cooling channel 124 is defined by a corresponding inflow wall 126 and an outflow wall 128, and a permeable barrier 130 is located within each cooling channel. (Thus, for a series of cooling channels adjacent to each other, the inflow wall 126 of one channel may also be the outflow wall 128 of an adjacent channel). The permeable barrier 130 is inclined relative to the inflow wall 126 and the outflow wall 128 of each cooling channel. This results in: the space between the inflow wall 126 and the permeable barrier 130 is the largest at the inlet of each cooling channel (at the end near the inlet channel) and decreases as it approaches the outlet channel. In this first embodiment, the permeable barrier 130 is formed by a plurality of protrusions 132 with passages 138 located between the protrusions 132. The exposed portions 116 of the connected pairs of terminals are aligned with the permeable barrier 130 so that they form the portion of the base portion 110 at the bottom of each passage 138.
[0062] Figure 1D1 is a plan view of a first embodiment of the heat sink arrangement 102 (with the top portion 108 removed). The arrows indicate the flow of the coolant fluid through the structure. The coolant fluid enters the heat sink arrangement 102 at the inlet opening 134 of the inlet channel 120 and then flows along the inlet channel. The reduced cross-sectional area of the inlet channel 120 results in substantially equal masses of coolant fluid being distributed to each cooling channel 124 because the conical cross-section of the channel matches the reduction in the mass of the coolant fluid in the inlet channel 120 when equal amounts of coolant fluid flow into the cooling channels.
[0063] Distributing a uniform mass of fluid to each cooling channel 124 means that the same cooling capacity is delivered to each cell of the battery. This helps prevent temperature gradients across the battery. This reduces the need to prematurely replace batteries due to failure or fatigue of only some of the cells in the system.
[0064] Similar principles then apply to each cooling channel 124. Because the permeable barriers 130 are inclined relative to the inflow wall 126, the coolant fluid is evenly distributed along each permeable barrier 130 before flowing through each permeable barrier 130, so that substantially equal masses of coolant fluid pass through each passage 138.
[0065] The fluid delivered to each passage 138 within the heat sink arrangement 102 should have substantially equal mass and substantially equal temperature. This reduces temperature gradients across each cell that may occur in the heat sink arrangement where no permeable barrier 130 is provided within the cooling channel 124. In a conventional arrangement, the coolant fluid would be delivered to the end of each cooling channel 124 near the inlet channel 120 at a lower initial temperature, and its temperature would increase as the fluid flows along the length of each cell terminal toward the outlet channel 122. Therefore, at the end of the cooling channel near the outlet channel 122, the temperature difference between the coolant fluid and the cell terminal 112 would be smaller. This means that the heat transfer capability of the fluid is reduced, resulting in uneven cooling along each cell. The heat sink arrangement 102 promotes uniform cooling by addressing this issue.
[0066] Figure 2A and Figure 2B A second embodiment of a battery and cooling system 200 is shown. This differs from the first embodiment in that the enclosed top portion is replaced by a second mirror-image group of cells that are cooled. Thus, the heat sink arrangement 202 provides cooling for the first group of cells 204 (in a manner similar to that of the first group of cells). Figures 1B to 1D ), and also provides cooling for a second group of battery cells 206 located on the other side of the heat sink arrangement 202.
[0067] Figure 2B2 is a cross-sectional view of the second embodiment 200. The configuration of the first group of single cells 204 is the same as that of the first embodiment 100. Figure 1B As shown. Figure 2B In the embodiment, the cells are thus connected in series. However, as in the case of the first embodiment, in an alternative set of embodiments, Figure 2B The terminal connections shown can be modified to form parallel connections. Figure 2B , a second set of terminals 208 extends from each of the cells 210 in the second group of cells 206, wherein adjacent cells are electrically connected to each other via their terminals 208, thereby forming connection pairs 212. The terminals 208 extend through a top portion 214 of the heat sink arrangement 202, such that exposed portions 216 of the connection pairs 212 of the electrical terminals close and seal the corresponding openings in the top portion. Thus, the exposed portions 216 of each connection pair of the terminals 212 can also be directly cooled by the same coolant fluid flow flowing through the heat sink arrangement 202 that cools the first group of cells 106.
[0068] Figure 3A A perspective view of a battery and cooling system 300 according to a third embodiment of the present invention is shown. In a similar manner to the first embodiment, a heat sink arrangement 302 is coupled to a battery 304 of cells 306 stacked adjacent to one another. Figure 3B As shown, the heat sink arrangement 302 includes an inlet channel 310, an outlet channel 312, and a plurality of cooling channels 314. As previously described, the cross-sectional area of the inlet channel 310 decreases as it moves away from the inlet opening 328, and the inclined permeable barrier 316 in each cooling channel 314 is formed by a plurality of protrusions 318. However, in this third embodiment 300, the base portion 320 is closed and shaped so that it fits and fits over the terminal pair 324 extending from the top of the single battery 306, as shown in FIG. Figure 3C shown.
[0069] Figure 3C is a side cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of a battery and cooling system 300 (with the top portion 308 removed). As with all previous embodiments, the terminals 322 from adjacent cells form a connection pair 324, but as with Figure 3AAs described, the enclosed base portion 320 of the third embodiment is shaped to fit over the top of the connection pair 324 of the electrical terminals. In an alternative set of embodiments not shown, the base portion 320 can be flat, with a thermally conductive gap filler material filling the space between the base portion 320 and the battery to connect the two. In fact, thermally conductive filler materials can also be used in the fitted embodiment shown. Although enclosing the base portion adds an extra layer of material compared to the first two embodiments where the coolant fluid directly contacts the terminals, this arrangement allows the heat sink arrangement 302 to be more easily disassembled and may be suitable for a wider range of battery arrangements.
[0070] Figure 3D 3 is a plan view of a third embodiment 300 of a heat sink arrangement 302 (with the top portion 108 removed). In the same manner as the first embodiment, the inlet passage 310 has a cross-sectional area that decreases as one moves away from the inlet opening 328, and the permeable barrier 316 is inclined relative to the inflow wall 330 and the outflow wall 332 of each cooling passage 314. Thus, as in the first embodiment, substantially equal masses of coolant fluid are distributed into each cooling passage 314, and substantially equal masses of coolant fluid pass through each passage 334 along the permeable barrier 316.
[0071] However, in the third embodiment, the coolant fluid does not directly contact the electrical terminals 322. The upper surface 326 of the base portion of the heat sink arrangement 302 is made of a material that makes it thermally conductive and as shown in FIG. Figure 3C As shown, it is shaped to fit over the electrical terminals 322 aligned with each permeable barrier below. A thermally conductive filler material may also be used selectively. Thus, when the coolant fluid passes through the permeable barrier, it conducts heat away from the electrical terminals 322.
[0072] Figure 4A A perspective view of a battery and cooling system 400 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown. A heat sink arrangement 402 is coupled to a battery 404 of battery cells 406 stacked adjacent to each other. The heat sink arrangement 402 has an inlet channel 412, an outlet channel 414, and a plurality of cooling channels 416. In this fourth embodiment, the cooling channels 416 are located between the connected pairs 410 of the terminals, so that each electrical terminal 408 extends from the battery cell 406 and forms a side wall of the cooling channel 416.
[0073] Figure 4B A cross-sectional side view of a battery and cooling system 400 is shown, along with a plan view of a heat sink arrangement 402. The location of the cross-sectional view is indicated by section line BB in the plan view.
[0074] Figure 4Cis a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a battery and cooling system 400 with one electrical terminal 408 of each connection pair 410 removed to illustrate the structure of the internal angled permeable barrier 418 .
[0075] like Figure 4B and Figure 4C As shown, in the fourth embodiment, a permeable barrier 418 is located in each cooling channel 416 between the connected pairs 410 of the terminals. Thus, the terminals 408 themselves provide an integral structural portion of the heat sink arrangement 402, rather than defining the cooling channels 416 between walls provided on a separate heat sink arrangement. Figure 4B In the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4 , it can be seen that the connection pairs 410 of electrical terminals from adjacent single cells form three sides of the cooling channel 416 .
[0076] Figure 4D A cross-sectional view (part B) of one of the cooling channels 416 in the battery and cooling system 400 is shown. The cooling channel 416 includes: an inflow wall 426 and an outflow wall 428 located on both sides of the permeable barrier 418. One of the electrical terminals 408 forms a portion of the outflow wall 428, wherein the upper surface of the base portion 422 of the cooling channel 416 forms the inflow wall 426. The inflow space 430 is defined between the inflow wall 426 and the permeable barrier 418, and the outflow space 432 is defined between the outflow wall 428 and the permeable barrier 418. The inflow passage 420 and the outflow passage 424 passing through the permeable barrier are periodically spaced apart along the length of the permeable barrier. An elongated intermediate chamber 436 is formed along the left and right sides of the cooling channel 416. These intermediate chambers are defined by the base portion 422, the electrical terminal 408 and the permeable barrier 418.
[0077] Figure 4E 4 is a perspective view of one of the cooling channels in the fourth embodiment. A series of longitudinally spaced inflow passages 420 can be seen along the permeable barrier 418, adjacent to the base portion 422 of the cooling channel. An outflow passage 424 is located adjacent to the overlapping portion of the connected pair 410 of the electrical terminals.
[0078] refer to Figure 4D and Figure 4E The coolant fluid flows through the heat sink arrangement 402 as described below. The coolant fluid enters the inlet channel 412 at the inlet opening 438, and a corresponding portion of the coolant fluid is distributed to each cooling channel 416 at its respective inlet 440 and enters the inflow space 430 of the cooling channel.
[0079] In each cooling channel 416, a portion of the coolant fluid flows from the inflow space 430 below the permeable barrier 418 through the inflow passages 420 on both sides of the permeable barrier 418 and spaced apart along the cooling channel. When the coolant fluid passes through the inflow passages, it enters the elongated intermediate chambers 436 extending along the left and right edges of the cooling channel 416. Therefore, the coolant fluid directly impacts the surface of the electrical terminal 408 forming the side wall of the cooling channel. The coolant fluid then flows along the Figure 4D and Figure 4E The direction indicated by the middle arrow flows back to the outflow space 432 above the permeable barrier through the outflow passage 424 and forms the outlet channel 414 there.
[0080] Figure 4F The inclination of the permeable barrier 418 from the inlet end to the outlet end can be seen in , which shows a cross-sectional view of the cooling channel 416 of the battery and cooling system 400 at three sections along the length of the single cell. Section AA is located at the end of the cooling channel 416 near the inlet of the heat sink arrangement structure 402, section BB is located at the center of the cooling channel 416, and section CC is located at the end of the cooling channel 416 near the outlet of the heat sink arrangement structure CC. As with the previous embodiment, the permeable barrier 418 is inclined within the cooling channel 416 because the position of the horizontal portion 434 of the permeable barrier 418 varies along the length of the cooling channel so that it is closest to the outflow wall 428 at the inlet of the cooling channel 416 and farthest from the outflow wall 428 at the end of the cooling channel near the outlet of the heat sink arrangement structure 402. It can be seen in FIG. Figure 4G The inclination of the horizontal portion 434 of the permeable barrier 434 can be further seen in FIG. Figure 4G A side cross-sectional view through one of the cooling passages 416 is shown.
[0081] Therefore, if Figure 4F As shown, the cross-sectional area of the inflow space 430 is largest in section AA and decreases along the length of the cooling channel so that it is smallest in section CC. Similarly, the cross-sectional area of the outflow space 432 is smallest in section AA and largest in section CC. This produces the same effect as other embodiments of the present invention, namely, the mass of the coolant fluid in the inflow space 430 gradually decreases along its length by a uniform amount, while the mass of the coolant fluid in the outflow space 432 gradually increases as the cumulative mass of the coolant fluid that has passed through the permeable barrier 418 increases along the length of the cooling channel 416. Therefore, the coolant fluid is evenly distributed on each permeable barrier 418 before flowing through each permeable barrier 418, so that substantially equal masses of coolant fluid pass through each inflow passage 420 at substantially equal temperatures and are provided to the surface of the electrical terminal 408 that forms the side wall of the cooling channel 416.
[0082] Figure 5A A perspective view of a battery and cooling system 500 according to a fifth embodiment of the invention is shown. A heat sink arrangement 502 is coupled to a battery 504 of battery cells 506 stacked adjacent to one another. The heat sink arrangement 502 has an inlet opening 508 for receiving a coolant fluid.
[0083] Figure 5B A cross-sectional side view of the battery and cooling system 500 and a plan view of the heat sink arrangement 502 are shown. The location of the cross-sectional view is indicated by the section line BB in the plan view. As with the other embodiments described above, the terminals 510 from adjacent cells form a connection pair 512. The terminals 510 extend through the heat sink arrangement 502 so that the connection pair of electrical terminals forms part of the internal structure of the heat sink arrangement 502.
[0084] Figure 5C A cross-sectional view (section B) of a cooling channel 514 in a battery and cooling system 500 is shown. For each cooling channel 514, a connection pair 512 of an electrical terminal 510 forms a side wall of the cooling channel, and an electrical terminal 528 of an adjacent connection pair forms a second wall of the cooling channel. In this fifth embodiment, therefore, each cooling channel 514 is shared by two connected terminal pairs. The cooling channel 514 includes a permeable barrier 516, an inflow wall 518, and an outflow wall 520. An inflow space 522 is defined between the inflow wall 518 and the permeable barrier 516, and an outflow space 524 is defined between the outflow wall 520 and the permeable barrier 516. The inflow passage 526 and the outflow passage 530 through the permeable barrier are periodically spaced apart along their length.
[0085] In a manner similar to the fourth embodiment, as Figure 5C As shown by the arrows in , the coolant fluid is distributed between the cooling channels 514 and initially enters each cooling channel 514 in the inflow space 522 formed below the permeable barrier 516 at the end near the inlet of the radiator arrangement structure 502. At periodic points along the length of each cooling channel, a portion of the coolant fluid enters the corresponding left and right intermediate chambers 532 from the inflow space 522 through a pair of inflow passages 526 on both sides of the permeable barrier, so that the coolant fluid directly impacts the surface of the electrical terminals (510, 528) forming the side walls of the cooling channel. After impacting the terminals 510, 528, the coolant fluid then flows into the outflow space 524 formed below the permeable barrier through the outflow passage 530 in the direction shown by the arrow. The used coolant fluid then flows to the outlet of the radiator arrangement structure 502 through the outflow space 524.
[0086] Figure 5DA cross-sectional view of the cooling channel 514 at three sections along the length of the single cell is shown. Section AA is located at the end of the cooling channel 514 near the outlet of the heat sink arrangement 502, section BB is located at the center of the cooling channel 514, and section CC is located at the end of the cooling channel 514 near the inlet of the heat sink arrangement. As with the previous embodiment described above, the permeable barrier 516 is tilted within the cooling channel 514. The tilted configuration means that the horizontal section 534 of the permeable barrier 516 is closest to the outflow wall 520 at the inlet of each cooling channel 514, and is farthest from the outflow wall 520 at the end of the cooling channel near the outlet of the heat sink arrangement 502.
[0087] Therefore, the cross-sectional area of the inflow space 522 is largest in section CC and decreases along the length of the cooling channel so that it is smallest in section AA. Similarly, the cross-sectional area of the outflow space 524 is smallest in section CC and largest in section AA. This produces the same effect as other embodiments of the present invention, namely that the mass of the coolant fluid in the inflow space 522 gradually decreases along its length by a uniform amount, and the mass of the coolant fluid in the outflow space 524 gradually increases as the cumulative mass of the coolant fluid that has passed through the permeable barrier 516 increases along the length of the cooling channel 514. Therefore, the fifth embodiment also achieves uniform cooling of the entire battery due to the inclined permeable barrier 516.
[0088] In a sixth embodiment of the present invention (not shown), it is possible to adjust FIG. 5A to FIG. 5D In the embodiment shown in , the intermediate chamber 532 is merged with the outflow space 524. This removes the portion of the permeable barrier 516 that provides the outflow passage 530. This is because, while the inflow passage 526 is conducive to generating the jet and performing the impact on the surface of the terminal 510, 528, the outflow passage performs a less important function, namely helping to distribute the flow into the outflow space. This sixth embodiment can advantageously reduce the complexity of the construction of the permeable barrier 516 in the cooling channel 514.
[0089] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the present invention has been described by describing one or more specific embodiments thereof, but is not limited to these embodiments; many variations and modifications are possible within the scope of the appended claims. For example, as described above, in addition to or instead of being cooled as in the specific embodiments described, the principles of the present invention can be used in applications where the battery needs to be heated.
Claims
1. A battery and thermal management system, comprising: A battery and heat transfer arrangement, the battery comprising a plurality of mutually adjacent single cells, each of the single cells comprising an electrical terminal extending therefrom, an adjacent pair of the terminals being electrically connected together to form a connected pair; The heat transfer arrangement comprises: Entryway, Exit routes, and a plurality of heat transfer channels defined between respective inflow walls and outflow walls, wherein the heat transfer channels extend between the inlet channel and the outlet channel; Each heat transfer channel further includes: a respective permeable barrier disposed therein, the permeable barrier being inclined relative to the respective inflow wall and outflow wall so as to be positioned furthest from the inflow wall at a first end of the respective heat transfer channel proximate the inlet channel and closest to the inflow wall at a second end of the respective heat transfer channel proximate the outlet channel; and Wherein each permeable barrier is in thermal contact with a terminal of a corresponding connection pair along the length of the permeable barrier.
2. The battery and thermal management system of claim 1 further comprising a pumping system arranged to pump a heat transfer fluid from the inlet channel through the heat transfer channel to the outlet channel through the heat transfer arrangement.
3. A battery and thermal management system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The heat transfer arrangement is arranged such that, in use, a substantially equal mass flow of heat transfer fluid is distributed into each heat transfer channel.
4. A battery and thermal management system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The inlet passage includes a cross-sectional area that varies between a maximum value at a proximal end of the inlet passage and a minimum value at a distal end of the inlet passage.
5. A battery and thermal management system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The outlet passage includes a cross-sectional area that varies between a maximum value at a proximal end of the outlet passage and a minimum value at a distal end of the outlet passage.
6. A battery and thermal management system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: At least one of the permeable barriers includes a series of longitudinally spaced heat transfer features.
7. The battery and thermal management system according to claim 6, wherein: At least some of the heat transfer features include walls or protrusions, and flow of a heat transfer fluid through spaces between adjacent protrusions.
8. The battery and thermal management system according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: At least some of the heat transfer features include holes.
9. A battery and thermal management system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The heat transfer channels are arranged such that, in use, a heat transfer fluid is in direct contact with surfaces of the terminals of the connection pairs.
10. The battery and thermal management system according to claim 9, wherein: The heat transfer fluid impinges substantially vertically upon the one or more terminal surfaces.
11. The battery and thermal management system according to claim 9 or 10, wherein: For each heat transfer channel, a connected pair of electrical terminals forms a first wall of the heat transfer channel, and an adjacent connected pair of electrical terminals forms a second wall of the heat transfer channel.
12. The battery and thermal management system according to claim 9 or 10, wherein: For each heat transfer channel, the first electrical terminal of a connection pair forms a first wall of the heat transfer channel, and the second electrical terminal of the same connection pair forms a second wall of the heat transfer channel.
13. The battery and thermal management system according to claim 9 or 10, wherein: The terminals of each connection pair extend through a base portion of the heat transfer arrangement such that the connection pair forms part of a base wall of each heat transfer channel.
14. A battery and thermal management system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein: The heat transfer arrangement includes a base portion having an outer wall through which the terminals of the connection pairs do not extend.
15. The battery and thermal management system of claim 14, wherein: The outer wall of the base portion is shaped to fit over the terminals of the connection pair.
16. A battery and thermal management system according to claims 14 and 15, wherein: A thermally conductive gap filler material is used to provide thermal contact between the terminals of the connection pair and the base portion.