A liquid cooling flow channel reconstruction method and system under a high-density battery cell array

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a liquid cooling flow channel reconstruction method and system under a high-density battery cell array, and belongs to the technical field of battery thermal management. The method comprises the following steps: constructing a liquid cooling flow channel structure comprising a plurality of main cooling branches and at least two controllable branch channels; acquiring real-time temperature data of each battery cell module in a set period, and determining temperature variation based on the temperature data; determining a hot spot area of the battery cell module area based on the temperature variation and a preset thermal distribution judgment rule; controlling the electric control adjusting element according to the position of the hot spot area and the temperature variation, and adjusting the flow distribution of the cooling liquid in the controllable branch channel; and based on the flow distribution result, performing dynamic reconstruction of the liquid cooling flow channel structure. The scheme of the application realizes dynamic regulation and control of the cooling flow and adaptive reconstruction of the flow channel structure under the high-density battery cell array, thereby effectively improving the local thermal anomaly response capability and the overall thermal management efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of battery thermal management technology, specifically to a liquid cooling channel reconstruction method and a liquid cooling channel reconstruction system for a high-density cell array. Background Technology

[0002] With the widespread application of high-power-density battery cell arrays in power battery packs, energy storage systems, and industrial-grade power modules, liquid cooling has been widely adopted as a primary heat dissipation method to address the thermal safety risks posed by high heat flux. However, most existing liquid cooling systems rely on static structural designs, with cooling channels fixed during system installation and the flow path and flow distribution of the coolant preset unchanged. This makes it difficult to responsively adjust to dynamic changes in heat load during battery cell operation, resulting in localized hot spots that cannot be effectively cooled in a timely manner. Over long-term operation, this can easily lead to performance degradation and the risk of thermal runaway.

[0003] On the other hand, with the continuous improvement of system integration and the increasingly compact arrangement of battery cells, the size of cooling channels is limited. Liquid cooling systems are prone to deposit blockage during long-term operation, especially in multi-branch channel structures. In some branches, insufficient flow velocity or pressure fluctuations can easily lead to the formation of impurity accumulation zones, resulting in increased local flow resistance, decreased heat exchange efficiency, and in severe cases, even partial branch failure. Existing cleaning methods mostly rely on shutdown maintenance or full-channel chemical cleaning, lacking online adaptive unblocking capabilities, which poses a challenge to operational stability.

[0004] In summary, existing liquid cooling systems still have limitations in dealing with dynamic changes in cell heat load and channel operation stability. There is an urgent need for advanced technologies that can reconfigure cooling paths on demand and identify and clear blockages online to improve system thermal safety and cooling efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a liquid cooling channel reconstruction method and system for high-density battery cell arrays, so as to at least solve the problems that existing liquid cooling structures cannot adaptively adjust the flow rate according to the dynamic changes in battery cell heat load, and lack the ability to identify and handle channel blockages online during long-term operation.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the first aspect of the present invention provides a method for reconstructing liquid-cooled flow channels in a high-density battery cell array. The method includes: constructing a liquid-cooled flow channel structure comprising multiple main cooling branches and at least two controllable branch channels, wherein the main cooling branches are correspondingly arranged with multiple battery cell modules, and the controllable branch channels are connected to electronically controlled adjustment elements for adjusting the coolant flow rate; deploying multiple temperature acquisition units in the battery cell module area to acquire real-time temperature data of each battery cell module within a set period, and determining temperature changes based on the temperature data; determining hot spots in the battery cell module area based on the temperature changes and preset heat distribution judgment rules; controlling the electronically controlled adjustment elements to adjust the coolant flow distribution in the controllable branch channels according to the location of the hot spots and their temperature changes; and performing dynamic reconstruction of the liquid-cooled flow channel structure based on the flow distribution results.

[0007] Optionally, the coolant contains magnetorheological microparticles capable of forming local chain-like structures under the action of a magnetic field; an electromagnetic coil module is arranged along the channel axis inside the controllable branch channel, and the electromagnetic coil module is used to apply an alternating magnetic field to excite the magnetorheological microparticles to form a disturbed flow structure when it is determined that there is an abnormal flow resistance in the corresponding controllable branch channel, so as to perform the stripping of deposits attached to the inner wall of the corresponding controllable branch channel.

[0008] Optionally, the judgment rule for whether there is an abnormal flow resistance in the corresponding controllable branch channel is as follows: Differential pressure acquisition units are respectively installed at both ends of the corresponding controllable branch channel to acquire the inlet pressure data and outlet pressure data of the corresponding controllable branch channel in real time; the differential pressure change within a set period is determined based on the inlet pressure data and outlet pressure data of the corresponding controllable branch channel, and the instantaneous flow resistance value of the corresponding controllable branch channel is determined based on the differential pressure change; the deviation value between the instantaneous flow resistance value and the preset steady-state reference flow resistance is determined, and if the deviation exceeds the preset threshold in multiple consecutive periods, it is determined that there is an abnormal flow resistance.

[0009] Optionally, when an abnormal flow resistance is detected in the corresponding controllable branch channel, an alternating magnetic field is applied to excite the magnetorheological particles to form a disturbed flow structure. This includes: when an abnormal flow resistance is detected in the corresponding controllable branch channel, applying an alternating current with a frequency of 50 Hz - 150 Hz and a duty cycle of 30% - 70% to the electromagnetic coil to form an alternating magnetic field in the corresponding controllable branch channel; the alternating magnetic field is used to excite the magnetorheological particles to construct a chain-like microvortex structure along the streamline direction in the liquid of the corresponding controllable branch channel, and to form a local shear disturbance zone in the inner wall region of the corresponding controllable branch channel.

[0010] Optionally, a sheet-like ultrasonic transducer unit is integrated into the inner wall of a portion of the main cooling branch corresponding to the hot spot area;

[0011] The ultrasonic transducer unit is in direct contact with the coolant via coupling. It is used to excite high-frequency cavitation microbubbles when the hot spot triggering condition is met. The high-frequency cavitation microbubbles disturb the flow structure of the boundary layer formed between the coolant and the inner wall of the channel, thereby reducing the thermal resistance of the heat exchange film system of the liquid cooling system. The hot spot triggering condition is determined by: performing sliding window processing on the temperature data of the target area acquired by the temperature acquisition unit, and calculating the temperature rise rate within the corresponding window; when the temperature rise rate exceeds a first threshold and the number of consecutive frames exceeds a second threshold, the hot spot triggering condition is determined to be met.

[0012] Optionally, based on the temperature changes and preset heat distribution judgment rules, hotspot areas in the cell module region are determined, including: constructing a corresponding temperature change distribution map based on the temperature change data of each cell module, wherein the temperature change distribution map is used to reflect the spatial distribution of the temperature rise rate of each cell module; dividing the cell module region into multiple spatial units based on the temperature change distribution map, and calculating the average temperature change in each spatial unit as the thermal intensity index of the corresponding spatial unit; comparing the thermal intensity index of each spatial unit with a set hotspot identification threshold, determining the thermal status label of the corresponding unit, and generating a hotspot area mapping map.

[0013] Optionally, based on the location of the hot spot and its temperature changes, the electronically controlled regulating element is controlled to adjust the coolant flow distribution in the controllable branch channel, including: determining the controllable branch channel number corresponding to each hot spot based on the spatial coordinate information of the hot spot in the cell module area; for each hot spot, extracting its maximum temperature change rate within the target cooling cycle, and calculating the target coolant flow increment value according to a preset flow response mapping rule; combining the target coolant flow increment value with the current channel's base flow setting to generate an updated target flow setting value; and controlling the corresponding electronically controlled regulating element to perform valve opening adjustment operation according to the target flow setting value.

[0014] Optionally, based on the flow distribution results, dynamic reconstruction of the liquid cooling channel structure is performed, including: determining whether the target flow setting value is lower than the dynamic threshold range according to the target flow setting value corresponding to each controllable branch channel; when it is determined that the target flow of a certain branch channel is continuously lower than the dynamic threshold in multiple cooling cycles, the structure reconstruction module is triggered to perform channel-level flow path topology adjustment; wherein, the channel-level flow path topology adjustment process includes: switching the access path of the corresponding controllable branch channel by controlling the micro electric drive slide valve assembly, changing it from a series structure to a bypass structure, or disconnecting it from the main cooling circuit; and recalibrating the flow distribution relationship of the remaining controllable branch channels.

[0015] Optionally, the method further includes: constructing a heat load prediction model based on historical operating data and real-time temperature change data, and using the heat load prediction model to predict the temperature change trend of each cell module within a target time window; if the prediction result shows that a certain cell module will exceed the temperature threshold within a preset period, then controlling the corresponding electronic control regulating element in advance to perform pre-compensation flow adjustment to increase the coolant flow of the controllable branch channel according to the predicted over-temperature range; when there are multiple potential over-temperature areas, allocating cooling resources according to the predicted thermal risk priority.

[0016] A second aspect of the present invention provides a liquid cooling channel reconfiguration system for a high-density battery cell array. The system is applied to the aforementioned liquid cooling channel reconfiguration method for a high-density battery cell array. The system includes: a construction unit for constructing a liquid cooling channel structure comprising multiple main cooling branches and at least two controllable branch channels, wherein the main cooling branches are correspondingly arranged with multiple battery cell modules, and the controllable branch channels are connected to electronically controlled adjustment elements for adjusting the coolant flow rate; a acquisition unit for deploying multiple temperature acquisition units in the battery cell module area to acquire real-time temperature data of each battery cell module within a set period, and determining temperature changes based on the temperature data; a processing unit for determining hotspot areas in the battery cell module area based on the temperature changes and preset heat distribution judgment rules; a control unit for controlling the electronically controlled adjustment elements to adjust the coolant flow distribution in the controllable branch channels according to the location and temperature changes of the hotspot areas; and an execution unit for performing dynamic reconfiguration of the liquid cooling channel structure based on the flow distribution results.

[0017] Through the above technical solution, this invention constructs an adjustable flow rate liquid cooling channel structure, combined with real-time cell temperature acquisition and heat distribution assessment, to achieve accurate identification of hotspot areas and dynamic control of corresponding branch coolant flow rates, thereby supporting on-demand reconfiguration of the channel structure. Compared to existing fixed channel and constant flow rate designs, it possesses the ability to achieve differentiated cooling based on changes in cell thermal load, effectively suppressing local hotspots, improving cooling uniformity and system thermal response speed. Simultaneously, it has the ability to dynamically adjust the cooling path during operation, helping to reduce the risk of blockage and enhancing the stability and thermal management flexibility of the cooling system.

[0018] Other features and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail in the following detailed description section. Attached Figure Description

[0019] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate embodiments of the present invention and form part of the specification. They are used together with the following detailed description to explain the embodiments of the present invention, but do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings:

[0020] Figure 1This is a flowchart of the steps of a liquid cooling channel reconstruction method under a high-density cell array provided by one embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a dynamic control structure for a liquid cooling channel under a high-density battery cell array, provided by one embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the flow resistance change curve with a self-cleaning mechanism provided by one embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a system structure diagram of a liquid cooling flow channel reconfiguration system under a high-density cell array provided in one embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps of a liquid-cooled flow channel reconstruction method for a high-density battery cell array according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 As shown, this invention provides a method for reconstructing liquid-cooled flow channels in a high-density battery cell array, the method comprising:

[0026] Step S10: Construct a liquid cooling channel structure that includes multiple main cooling branches and at least two controllable branch channels. The main cooling branches are arranged corresponding to multiple battery cell modules, and the controllable branch channels are connected to electronically controlled adjustment elements for adjusting the coolant flow rate.

[0027] Specifically, in the thermal management scenario of high-density battery cell arrays, the battery cell arrangement matrix is ​​used as the geometric reference, and a main cooling branch is reserved below each row of battery cells to ensure that the coolant flows close to the heat source in the shortest path. The cross-sectional area of ​​each main branch is designed in stages according to the average heat flux density of adjacent battery cells. A larger channel width is adopted in the high heat flux region to reduce the pressure drop, while the channel width is appropriately narrowed in the low heat flux region to improve the local flow rate and heat transfer coefficient.

[0028] Furthermore, at least two controllable branch channels are longitudinally opened between adjacent main branches. The ends of the branch channels are coupled to the main branches via detachable quick-connect interfaces. Temperature-sealing rings and metal springs are pre-embedded in the interfaces to ensure convenient assembly and disassembly without leakage. An electronically controlled regulating element is connected in series within the controllable branch, preferably a miniature proportional solenoid valve or a piezoelectric ceramic valve. The valve body diameter is no more than 60% of the main branch diameter to avoid a sudden drop in mainstream flow when the bypass is opened. The valve core uses a PFA-coated stainless steel structure, capable of withstanding 10... 6The high-frequency opening and closing is leak-proof; the coil drive voltage is 24V, maintaining a power of ≤2W to reduce self-heating. To ensure valve action is linked to cell temperature, a voltage-frequency-flow calibration curve label is integrated into the valve body. The calibration curve is written into the flow mapping table after assembly. The parameters in the mapping table are automatically corrected according to coolant viscosity and ambient temperature to avoid flow control failure due to viscosity changes. A Venturi throttling section is set at the junction of the main branch and the controllable branch. The expansion angle of the throttling section is ≤7° to prevent cavitation and provide a reliable differential pressure signal, facilitating subsequent identification of the flow status of each branch. A 50% ethylene glycol-water mixture is recommended as the coolant, and its viscosity-temperature characteristics are preset in the valve mapping table. Through the above structural arrangement, on-demand adjustment of rapid coolant replenishment and cooling in hot spots and automatic flow compression in non-hot spots can be achieved, reducing both the peak cell temperature difference and the average pressure drop across the entire flow channel. Experiments have verified this at 20kWm. -2 Under heat flux density conditions, the maximum temperature difference decreases by 18%, and the system energy consumption decreases by approximately 12%.

[0029] like Figure 2 Within the densely arranged cell module area, multiple temperature acquisition units are sequentially deployed to acquire real-time temperature data of each cell module during operation. The liquid cooling channel includes a main cooling loop and multiple controllable branch channels. Each branch channel integrates an electronically controlled regulating element to adjust the flow rate of the coolant based on temperature feedback. In this embodiment, when the temperature change of a cell module in a certain area exceeds a threshold and forms a hot spot, the corresponding controllable branch channel will increase the flow rate by adjusting the valve opening of the electronically controlled element, thereby enhancing the cooling capacity of that area. This structure can achieve a precise response to the cooling needs of different areas, effectively avoiding local overheating and improving the overall thermal management efficiency and operational stability of the cell array. It is particularly suitable for complex operating conditions or unattended high-safety scenarios.

[0030] Preferably, the coolant contains magnetorheological microparticles capable of forming local chain-like structures under the action of a magnetic field; an electromagnetic coil module is arranged along the channel axis inside the controllable branch channel, and the electromagnetic coil module is used to apply an alternating magnetic field to excite the magnetorheological microparticles to form a disturbed flow structure when it is determined that there is an abnormal flow resistance in the corresponding controllable branch channel, so as to perform the stripping of deposits attached to the inner wall of the corresponding controllable branch channel.

[0031] Specifically, the judgment rule for whether there is an abnormal flow resistance in the corresponding controllable branch channel is as follows: Differential pressure acquisition units are installed at both ends of the corresponding controllable branch channel to acquire the inlet pressure data and outlet pressure data of the corresponding controllable branch channel in real time; the differential pressure change within a set period is determined based on the inlet pressure data and outlet pressure data of the corresponding controllable branch channel, and the instantaneous flow resistance value of the corresponding controllable branch channel is determined based on the differential pressure change; the deviation value between the instantaneous flow resistance value and the preset steady-state reference flow resistance is determined, and if the deviation exceeds the preset threshold in multiple consecutive periods, it is determined that there is an abnormal flow resistance.

[0032] Specifically, when an abnormal flow resistance is detected in the corresponding controllable branch channel, an alternating magnetic field is applied to excite the magnetorheological particles to form a disturbed flow structure. This includes: when an abnormal flow resistance is detected in the corresponding controllable branch channel, applying an alternating current with a frequency of 50Hz-150Hz and a duty cycle of 30%-70% to the electromagnetic coil to form an alternating magnetic field in the corresponding controllable branch channel; the alternating magnetic field is used to excite the magnetorheological particles to construct a chain-like microvortex structure along the streamline direction in the liquid of the corresponding controllable branch channel, and to form a local shear disturbance zone in the inner wall region of the corresponding controllable branch channel.

[0033] In this embodiment of the invention, during long-term operation of the liquid cooling channel, especially in the complex cooling channel network corresponding to high-density cell arrays, some branch channels are prone to becoming high-risk areas for impurity deposition due to factors such as low flow rate, low velocity, and insufficient thermal disturbance. Typical manifestations include carbonate deposition, metal ion deposition, or the adhesion and accumulation of coolant aging products, ultimately leading to increased local flow resistance or even branch function failure. To improve the adaptive stability of the cooling system, introducing magnetorheological microparticles with magnetic response capabilities into the coolant is an effective strategy. These microparticles are in a cylindrical or plate-like dispersion state, with an average particle size preferably of 3-10 μm. The particle material can be iron-based coated magnetic core-shell particles, with a surface coated with a polymer stabilizer to prevent agglomeration. Under the action of an external magnetic field, the microparticles can rapidly align along the magnetic field lines to form a chain structure, thereby generating a disturbance effect on the local flow state.

[0034] To achieve a deposit stripping mechanism based on magnetorheological particles, a set of electromagnetic coil modules, evenly spaced along the channel axis, is installed on the outer wall of the controllable branch channel. Preferably, each controllable branch channel has 12 independent electromagnetic coils, with 300-500 turns, and the magnetic core is made of Mn-Zn ferrite material, which has high permeability and low eddy current loss characteristics. Each electromagnetic coil is structurally arranged close to the channel, maximizing the penetration of magnetic flux lines through the fluid region inside the pipe to enhance magnetic field strength coverage. When a blockage risk is detected in the target channel, the control circuit applies an alternating current with a frequency of 50Hz to 150Hz and a duty cycle of 30% to 70% to the electromagnetic coil module. This parameter setting aims to excite magnetorheological particles to construct chain-like microvortex structures along the streamline direction in the fluid without causing coolant vaporization or electromagnetic interference risks. The alternating magnetic field causes the magnetorheological chain structure to continuously form and disintegrate, generating high-speed micro-disturbances on the deposition area near the channel wall, thereby achieving effective online stripping of sediments without changing the overall topology of the liquid cooling system.

[0035] Before initiating magnetic excitation, anomaly detection of flow resistance needs to be performed based on the real-time flow resistance status of the target channel. To this end, differential pressure acquisition units are installed at the inlet and outlet of the corresponding controllable branch channel. Each unit embeds a piezoelectric ceramic pressure sensor chip with a sampling frequency of at least 10Hz and a resolution better than 0.5kPa. The acquired inlet and outlet pressure data are differentially calculated at set intervals (e.g., a 10-second sliding window) to obtain the pressure difference change within the current period. By comparing this with the steady-state differential pressure model recorded during the static calibration phase, the instantaneous flow resistance value of the current channel is calculated. The steady-state reference flow resistance model considers multiple factors such as channel length, coolant type, valve opening, and ambient temperature, and is typically preset to a multivariable surface fitting form. If the deviation between the instantaneous flow resistance and the reference value exceeds a set threshold (e.g., ±25%) for three or more consecutive periods, an anomaly in the flow resistance of that branch channel is determined.

[0036] Once the flow resistance anomaly detection logic is triggered, an alternating magnetic field with a set frequency and duty cycle is immediately applied to the corresponding electromagnetic coil. Magnetorheological particles then respond and aggregate within the magnetic field's area of ​​effect, forming chain-like structures. Under the periodic perturbation of the alternating magnetic field, these micro-chains continuously deconstruct and reconstruct, resulting in a high-shear perturbation zone near the channel wall. This perturbation effectively disrupts the boundary layer adhesion between the deposit and the channel wall, and is particularly suitable for easily deposited iron oxide particles, polymerization products, or biofilm contaminants at low flow rates. Throughout the excitation cycle, to prevent secondary blockage due to particle deposition, the basic flow rate of the coolant should be maintained at no less than 30% of its rated value to ensure that the stripped material can be carried away by the main cooling flow. Furthermore, to prevent magnetic field interference with other electronic components, a shielding layer can be used to limit the magnetic flux leakage area; the shielding material is preferably a composite structure of μ metal or aluminum foil.

[0037] like Figure 3 In one possible implementation, a 4×5 array of 20 high-density battery cells is used as the target. Ethylene glycol-water (50%) coolant is injected into the main cooling branch, maintaining an inlet temperature of 25°C. 6wt% iron-based core-shell magnetorheological microparticles are incorporated into two controllable branch channels, and 400 turns of Mn-Zn ferrite electromagnetic coils are attached axially along the channel. 0.5 kPa resolution differential pressure sensors are placed at the inlet and outlet, with a sampling period of 10 s. The system is first run at 50% valve opening for 30 minutes to intentionally accelerate CaCO3 deposition on the channel walls. Then, flow resistance monitoring logic is activated; when the measured flow resistance deviation from the reference value of the branch channel exceeds 25% for three consecutive cycles, an alternating current of 100 Hz and 50% duty cycle is immediately applied to the electromagnetic coil for 60 s. During excitation, the magnetorheological microparticles circulate within the channel, building and dismantling chain-like microvortices, generating high-shear stripping of the wall deposition layer, and carrying out debris via the main flow. The change in relative flow resistance is recorded throughout the test. Figure 3 For the measured relative flow resistance-time curves: In the conventional scheme (dotted line), the flow resistance increased from 1.0 to 2.2 within 60 minutes due to continuous deposition growth; in this embodiment (square line), the flow resistance quickly dropped back to 1.3 and remained stable after magnetic excitation was triggered within 30 minutes. The results show that the magnetorheological self-cleaning mechanism can suppress the increase in flow resistance caused by deposition by about 40% without shutting down the system, effectively extending the maintenance-free operation time of the liquid cooling channel and reducing the additional power consumption of the pump.

[0038] Step S20: Deploy multiple temperature acquisition units in the cell module area to acquire real-time temperature data of each cell module within a set period, and determine the temperature change based on the temperature data.

[0039] Specifically, in the high-density cell array deployment, multiple temperature acquisition units need to be set up in the cell module area according to the row and column structure. Preferably, each cell module is equipped with at least one thermocouple or thermistor closely attached to the shell to ensure the proximity and responsiveness of the acquired data. The sampling period can be set to 5-10 seconds, specifically adjusted according to the system's thermal inertia to meet the requirements of dynamic change response. The acquired real-time temperature data needs to be processed by a sliding window according to the set period, and the temperature change rate ΔT per unit time is calculated by combining it with the historical temperature values ​​in the previous period. Furthermore, to enhance stability, median filtering or exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) can be used to suppress short-term fluctuations. This processing method can avoid misjudging instantaneous anomalies and causing erroneous control operations while ensuring thermal response sensitivity. Through the above methods, a structured temperature change matrix is ​​finally formed, providing data support for subsequent heat distribution judgment, hot spot identification, and cooling flow allocation, thereby improving the accuracy and adaptability of liquid cooling control.

[0040] Step S30: Based on the temperature change and the preset heat distribution judgment rule, determine the hot spot area of ​​the battery cell module area.

[0041] Specifically, a corresponding temperature change distribution map is constructed based on the temperature change data of each cell module. The temperature change distribution map is used to reflect the spatial distribution of the temperature rise rate of each cell module. Based on the temperature change distribution map, the cell module area is divided into multiple spatial units, and the average temperature change in each spatial unit is calculated as the thermal intensity index of the corresponding spatial unit. The thermal intensity index of each spatial unit is compared with the set hot spot identification threshold to determine the thermal status label of the corresponding unit and generate a hot spot area mapping map.

[0042] In this embodiment of the invention, to achieve real-time and fine-grained classification of the thermal field of a high-density battery cell array, the temperature change rate ΔT(i,j) of each battery cell module is first mapped to a two-dimensional matrix TΔ according to the row and column indices. Based on this matrix, a temperature change distribution map G(x,y) is constructed at the pixel level using bilinear interpolation. The resolution is preferably no less than four times the center-to-center distance of the battery cells to avoid spatial aliasing. Subsequently, G(x,y) is divided into regular grid cells Ck according to the equivalent area of ​​4-8 battery cells. The temperature change rate of n pixels in each cell is summarized and the weighted average is calculated. The weight wk is obtained by inversely proportional to the distance from the pixel to the centroid of the unit, ensuring that edge information is not diluted by average. Compared with the preset hotspot threshold TH:

[0043] when It has been identified as a Level 1 hot topic.

[0044] when It has been identified as a secondary hot topic.

[0045] when Then it is marked as a non-hotspot.

[0046] β is typically set to 0.15 to create a gradient in the thermal regions. The initial threshold TH is determined by the mean μΔT and standard deviation σΔT of the entire array, i.e. It is recommended that λ be set between 1.0 and 1.5, and updated adaptively according to the thermal dispersion of the scene. After label assignment is completed, it can be displayed on the same distribution map with varying shades of gray or hash texture overlay, forming a hotspot mapping map Mhot, where grayscale 0 represents the cold state and 255 represents the primary hotspot. This mapping map is pushed to the flow control module in real time, supporting differentiated allocation of controllable branch valves according to spatial units. Experiments show that compared with the threshold triggering method based solely on the highest temperature at a single point, this spatial thermal intensity determination strategy can reduce the hotspot misjudgment rate by about 27% and reduce the maximum temperature difference of the array to 78% of the original scheme within 30 minutes, significantly improving cooling efficiency and cell safety margin.

[0047] Preferably, a sheet-like ultrasonic transducer unit is integrated into the inner wall of a portion of the channel corresponding to the hot spot area in the main cooling branch. The ultrasonic transducer unit is in direct contact with the coolant through coupling and is used to excite high-frequency cavitation microbubbles when the hot spot triggering condition is met. This high-frequency cavitation microbubbles disturb the flow structure of the boundary layer formed between the coolant and the inner wall of the channel, thereby reducing the thermal resistance of the heat exchange film system of the liquid cooling system. The rule for determining the hot spot triggering condition is as follows: a sliding window process is performed on the temperature data of the target area acquired by the temperature acquisition unit, and the temperature rise rate within the corresponding window is calculated. When the temperature rise rate exceeds a first threshold and the number of consecutive frames exceeds a second threshold, the hot spot triggering condition is determined to be met.

[0048] In this embodiment of the invention, to significantly improve the local heat transfer capacity of the hot spot area in the liquid cooling channel of the high-density cell array, a sheet-like ultrasonic transducer unit is arranged in the main cooling branch corresponding to the hot spot area. This transducer is made of thin-film piezoelectric ceramic or PVDF polymer material and is embedded in the inner wall of the cooling channel with a low thermal resistance coupling layer (such as a gel medium or thermally conductive silicone grease), allowing it to achieve direct coupling with the coolant without affecting the main flow resistance. This structure has excellent frequency response characteristics and can stably excite microbubbles in the range of 10~80kHz.

[0049] Specifically, the ultrasonic transducer activates when triggering conditions are met, exciting the local coolant to form a high-frequency cavitation microbubble community. The cavitation nuclei repeatedly expand and collapse near the channel wall, creating microscale eddy current disturbances. This effectively disrupts the thermal boundary layer between the coolant and the channel wall, enhancing local turbulence. This process significantly reduces the film thermal resistance within the liquid-cooled channel, allowing heat to be transferred more quickly from the wall to the mains flow, resulting in a "hotspot-enhanced local heat transfer" effect. Tests show that with ultrasonic cavitation disturbances activated, the local heat transfer coefficient per unit area can increase by 1.5 to 2.1 times.

[0050] Regarding the strategy for determining hotspot triggering conditions, a sliding window of length T frames (e.g., 10 frames) is first constructed based on the temperature sequence collected by each temperature acquisition unit. The temperature rise rate within this window, ΔT / Δt, is recalculated with each update. The maximum temperature rise rate within the window is compared with a set first threshold TH1. If the maximum rate exceeds TH1 for a number of consecutive frames, reaching or exceeding a second threshold N (e.g., 3 frames), the transducer is triggered. This rule avoids malfunctions caused by instantaneous fluctuations or short-term anomalies, while also identifying potential persistent hotspot development trends.

[0051] Furthermore, to ensure the stability of microbubble excitation, the ultrasonic transducer unit can also be set with a "drive time threshold" and a "cooling interval cycle" to prevent over-excitation from causing excessively high local liquid temperatures or transducer fatigue. A preferred method is to set each excitation cycle to 3-5 seconds, followed by a minimum 30-second interval to allow the thermal field to stabilize. The drive frequency and waveform (sine wave, pulse) can be optimized and adjusted according to the type of coolant and the channel material. If pure water or low-viscosity glycol-based coolant is used, continuous wave excitation is recommended; if the liquid contains suspended particles or has a high viscosity, a frequency-modulated pulse mode can be used to improve micro-perturbation penetration efficiency.

[0052] This invention utilizes an integrated, sheet-like ultrasonic transducer and introduces an excitation triggering mechanism based on temperature rise trend assessment. This not only improves the heat transfer efficiency between the coolant and the channel walls but also achieves a dynamic balance between system power consumption and structural stability. Experimental results show that in a typical cell array with unevenly distributed hotspots, this solution reduces the hotspot temperature rise rate by approximately 46% and shortens the hotspot duration to 62% of the original system, effectively preventing localized overheating and runaway. This approach has significant engineering value in confined spaces such as vehicle-mounted energy storage systems and UAV power bays.

[0053] Step S40: Based on the location of the hot spot and its temperature changes, control the electronically controlled regulating element to adjust the flow distribution of coolant in the controllable branch channel.

[0054] Specifically, based on the spatial coordinates of the hotspot area within the cell module area, the controllable branch channel number corresponding to each hotspot area is determined; for each hotspot area, its maximum temperature change rate within the target cooling cycle is extracted, and the target coolant flow rate increment is calculated according to the preset flow response mapping rules; combined with the target coolant flow rate increment and the current channel's base flow rate setting, an updated target flow rate setting is generated; and the corresponding electronic control regulating element is controlled to perform valve opening adjustment operations according to the target flow rate setting.

[0055] In this embodiment of the invention, the two-dimensional coordinates (xh, yh) of the hotspot area are mapped to a cooling channel topology table (LUT). This table is established during the assembly stage according to the cell column number and branch number. For example, the cell in column 3 corresponds to branch channel B3. If the hotspot is distributed across columns, it is split into two adjacent branches according to the weight. After each temperature determination cycle, a triple <hotspot number - branch number - ΔTmax> is written to the ring buffer for the control logic to read.

[0056] Next, for each hotspot area, the maximum temperature rise rate ΔTmax within the current cooling cycle is extracted, and the flow response mapping rule F is queried. This rule is stored in the form of a "temperature rise rate - flow increment" key-value pair. For example, if ΔTmax is located in... to The interval corresponds to the traffic increment ΔQ as follows: If higher Then take The mapping table can be written based on the pump curve and heat load test during the system calibration phase. During operation, only interpolation is performed without fitting, ensuring real-time performance.

[0057] Subsequently, the obtained ΔQ is added to the current base flow rate Qbase of the branch to obtain the target flow rate Qtar, and the valve-flow calibration function G is called to convert Qtar into valve opening θtar. Function G internally stores the "valve opening - instantaneous flow rate" calibration curve with a resolution of 0.5 degrees, using spline interpolation to avoid nonlinear segment jumps. To prevent multiple hotspots from simultaneously increasing their flow rates, leading to excessive total loop voltage drop, the scheduling logic superimposes a global constraint before writing θtar: the sum of all new flow rates ΣQnew is calculated. If ΣQnew exceeds the pump's rated outflow Qpump, the corresponding ΔQ is rolled back according to hotspot priority from low to high until ΣQnew ≤ Qpump is satisfied.

[0058] After the target opening degree calculation is completed, it is sent to the valve driver board via the SPI bus. The microstepping chip inside the driver board converts θtar into a step pulse sequence. The valve shaft, in conjunction with a magnetic-optical dual-channel encoder, performs closed-loop correction of the initial action error. After steady state, it only needs to be checked once every ten cycles, reducing communication overhead. To suppress valve mechanical shock, the opening degree change is pulsed according to an "S-shaped gradual opening" curve, with a typical acceleration time of 200ms, ensuring a smooth transition of coolant inertia.

[0059] Through the above process, the actual flow rate (Qact) of the branch corresponding to the hotspot can be adjusted to Qtar ± 0.02 Lmin within a single cooling cycle. -1 Within the specified range, local heat exchange is significantly improved; if ΔTmax drops below the threshold in the next cycle, the scheduling logic automatically recovers the valve opening to prevent overcooling. The entire control system can respond to the dynamic changes in cell heat load without manual intervention. After three hours of steady-state testing, the peak temperature in the hot spot area decreased by about eight degrees, and the maximum temperature difference of the array converged to 70% of the initial value, verifying the reliability and energy-saving effect of the on-demand flow distribution strategy.

[0060] Step S50: Based on the flow distribution results, perform dynamic reconstruction of the liquid cooling channel structure.

[0061] Specifically, based on the target flow rate setting value corresponding to each controllable branch channel, it is determined whether the target flow rate setting value is lower than the dynamic threshold range; when it is determined that the target flow rate of a certain branch channel is continuously lower than the dynamic threshold in multiple cooling cycles, the structure reconstruction module is triggered to perform channel-level flow path topology adjustment; wherein, the channel-level flow path topology adjustment process includes: switching the access path of the corresponding controllable branch channel by controlling the micro electric drive slide valve assembly, changing it from a series structure to a bypass structure, or disconnecting it from the main cooling circuit; and recalibrating the flow distribution relationship of the remaining controllable branch channels.

[0062] In this embodiment of the invention, after setting the target flow rate of the coolant, the operating status of the branch channels needs to be comprehensively evaluated to determine whether dynamic reconfiguration of the flow channel structure is necessary. Specifically, the system continuously monitors the flow command value of each controllable branch channel and records its changes within a certain time range. If the target flow rate of a certain branch channel remains in the set low range for multiple cooling cycles, and the temperature change also shows a trend of low heat load, it can be determined that the channel is in an inactive state of "insufficient cooling load".

[0063] In this state, the structural reconfiguration module is preferably triggered to reconfigure the connection method of the branch channel. Typical structural reconfiguration methods include: using precise control of a micro-electrically driven slide valve to disconnect the branch channel from the main cooling circuit, or switching it to the secondary circuit to achieve bypass operation, thereby avoiding energy waste and flow field interference caused by coolant circulation in ineffective areas. The slide valve has a fast switching response speed, achieving adjustments at the level of hundreds of milliseconds, enabling flexible changes to the channel-level flow path structure without interrupting the overall system operation.

[0064] It's important to note that structural reconfiguration is not a one-way operation. Even after a channel is disconnected, the temperature changes in its surrounding area are continuously monitored. If a subsequent increase in heat load occurs, exceeding the set temperature control redundancy range, the structural reconfiguration module can initiate a channel reconnection in real time, reconnecting the previously disconnected channel to the main cooling path, ensuring the system has adaptive temperature control capabilities. Furthermore, to prevent significant fluctuations in total system flow during structural reconfiguration, after disconnecting a channel, a flow redistribution calculation is automatically performed on the remaining active branch channels. This redistribution logic prioritizes branch channels in hotspot areas, ensuring efficient utilization of cooling resources according to the actual current heat load distribution.

[0065] This solution addresses the heat load mismatch and cooling resource waste issues inherent in traditional liquid cooling systems caused by "fixed channels and constant flow" through online dynamic adjustment of the structural topology. It is particularly suitable for battery array environments with multiple parallel cells and highly uneven heat dissipation requirements. Field tests show that this structural reconfiguration mechanism significantly reduces the cooling pump load while ensuring system temperature control capabilities, effectively extending the coolant circulation cycle and continuous system operation time, demonstrating strong engineering practicality and system-level energy efficiency advantages.

[0066] Preferably, the method further includes: constructing a heat load prediction model based on historical operating data and real-time temperature change data, and using the heat load prediction model to predict the temperature change trend of each cell module within a target time window; if the prediction result shows that a certain cell module will exceed the temperature threshold within a preset period, then controlling the corresponding electronic control regulating element in advance to perform pre-compensation flow adjustment, so as to increase the coolant flow of the controllable branch channel according to the predicted over-temperature range; when there are multiple potential over-temperature areas, allocating cooling resources according to the predicted thermal risk priority.

[0067] In this embodiment of the invention, in a high-density battery cell array environment, the evolution of thermal load typically exhibits a certain degree of lag and spatial coupling characteristics. Relying solely on real-time temperature feedback to adjust cooling flow may not effectively suppress the formation or expansion of hot spots. To enhance the foresight and proactiveness of regulation, a thermal load prediction model based on historical and real-time temperature data can be introduced to achieve dynamic prediction of temperature rise trends and advance response control of flow.

[0068] Specifically, historical temperature data, flow distribution records, and load parameters such as cell operating current and voltage within a stable operating period are first selected to construct a feature set based on time series. A heat load prediction model is then constructed using multidimensional regression or a lightweight neural network model (such as GRU), outputting the predicted temperature rise curves for each cell module within the target time window. During model construction, the real-time temperature change rate of the current period can be incorporated as a dynamic correction term to improve short-term prediction accuracy.

[0069] During each cooling scheduling cycle, the model outputs the temperature rise trend of each cell module over the next few minutes (e.g., 5-10 minutes) and compares it with the system's set temperature safety threshold. If the predicted temperature of a cell module exceeds the temperature threshold within the target window, the system will not wait for the actual temperature to rise but will immediately perform "pre-compensation" flow regulation on the corresponding controllable branch channel. The compensation amount is calculated based on the mapping relationship between the over-temperature amplitude and the heat transfer capacity per unit flow rate of the channel. For example, if the predicted temperature exceeds the threshold by 3°C, the base coolant flow rate will be increased by 20%. This proportional relationship can be obtained through experimental calibration.

[0070] When multiple battery cell modules are simultaneously predicted as potential sources of thermal risk, cooling resources must be allocated according to their thermal risk priority. Priority determination dimensions include: the predicted over-temperature magnitude, the duration of the over-temperature, and the module's positional weight in the array (e.g., core or edge position). In scenarios with limited cooling resources, priority should be given to allocating cooling flow to areas with higher predicted risk levels; for secondary risk areas, only basic flow should be maintained, with gradual compensation as resources are released.

[0071] This predictive-driven pre-flow intervention mechanism can significantly reduce the lag in temperature control response. In some high-heat-power applications, it can intervene in regulation 1-2 cooling cycles in advance, effectively delaying the hot spot formation process. Experimental results show that, compared to the traditional passive adjustment strategy that relies on actual temperature exceeding limits for triggering, the pre-regulation method combined with the predictive model can control the average temperature fluctuation of the entire array within ±1.2℃ and significantly reduce the frequency of hot spot peaks, effectively enhancing the thermal stability and energy efficiency of the liquid cooling system.

[0072] Figure 4 This is a system structure diagram of a liquid-cooled flow channel reconfiguration system under a high-density cell array provided by one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 As shown, this invention provides a liquid cooling channel reconfiguration system for a high-density battery cell array. The system includes: a construction unit for constructing a liquid cooling channel structure comprising multiple main cooling branches and at least two controllable branch channels, wherein the main cooling branches are correspondingly arranged with multiple battery cell modules, and the controllable branch channels are connected to electronically controlled adjustment elements for adjusting the coolant flow rate; a acquisition unit for deploying multiple temperature acquisition units in the battery cell module area to acquire real-time temperature data of each battery cell module within a set period, and determining temperature changes based on the temperature data; a processing unit for determining hot spots in the battery cell module area based on the temperature changes and preset heat distribution judgment rules; a control unit for controlling the electronically controlled adjustment elements to adjust the coolant flow distribution in the controllable branch channels according to the location and temperature changes of the hot spots; and an execution unit for performing dynamic reconfiguration of the liquid cooling channel structure based on the flow distribution results.

[0073] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps in the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by a program instructing related hardware. This program is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a microcontroller, chip, or processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, a portable hard drive, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0074] The optional embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the specific details described above. Within the scope of the technical concept of the embodiments of the present invention, various simple modifications can be made to the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and these simple modifications all fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present invention. It should also be noted that the various specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. To avoid unnecessary repetition, the embodiments of the present invention will not further describe the various possible combinations.

[0075] Furthermore, various different embodiments of the present invention can be combined in any way, as long as they do not violate the spirit of the embodiments of the present invention, they should also be regarded as the content disclosed by the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for reconstructing liquid-cooled flow channels in a high-density battery cell array, characterized in that, The method includes: A liquid cooling channel structure is constructed, comprising multiple main cooling branches and at least two controllable branch channels. The main cooling branches are arranged corresponding to multiple battery cell modules, and the controllable branch channels are connected to electronically controlled adjustment elements for adjusting the coolant flow rate. Multiple temperature acquisition units are deployed in the cell module area to acquire real-time temperature data of each cell module within a set period, and temperature changes are determined based on the temperature data. Based on the temperature changes and preset heat distribution judgment rules, hot spots in the cell module area are determined, including: Based on the temperature change data of each cell module, a corresponding temperature change distribution map is constructed. The temperature change distribution map is used to reflect the spatial distribution of the temperature rise rate of each cell module. Based on the temperature change distribution map, the cell module area is divided into multiple spatial units, and the average temperature change in each spatial unit is calculated as the thermal intensity index of the corresponding spatial unit. The thermal intensity index of each spatial unit is compared with the set hot spot identification threshold to determine the thermal status label of the corresponding unit and generate a hot spot area mapping map. Based on the location of the hot spot and its temperature changes, the electronically controlled regulating element is controlled to adjust the flow distribution of coolant in the controllable branch channel; Based on the flow distribution results, the liquid cooling channel structure is dynamically reconfigured.

2. The liquid cooling channel reconstruction method under high-density cell array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coolant contains magnetorheological microparticles that are capable of forming local chain-like structures under the influence of a magnetic field. An electromagnetic coil module is installed inside the controllable branch channel and arranged along the channel axis. The electromagnetic coil module is used to apply an alternating magnetic field to excite the magnetorheological particles to form a disturbed flow structure when it is determined that there is an abnormal flow resistance in the corresponding controllable branch channel, so as to perform the stripping of deposits attached to the inner wall of the corresponding controllable branch channel.

3. The liquid cooling channel reconstruction method under high-density cell array according to claim 2, characterized in that, The rule for determining whether there is an abnormal flow resistance in the corresponding controllable branch channel is as follows: Differential pressure acquisition units are installed at both ends of the corresponding controllable branch channel to acquire the inlet pressure data and outlet pressure data of the corresponding controllable branch channel in real time. The pressure difference change within a set period is determined based on the inlet and outlet pressure data of the corresponding controllable branch channel, and the instantaneous flow resistance value of the corresponding controllable branch channel is determined based on the pressure difference change. The deviation between the instantaneous flow resistance value and the preset steady-state reference flow resistance is determined. If the deviation exceeds the preset threshold for multiple consecutive cycles, it is determined that there is an abnormal flow resistance.

4. The liquid cooling channel reconstruction method under high-density cell array according to claim 2, characterized in that, When an abnormal flow resistance is detected in the corresponding controllable branch channel, an alternating magnetic field is applied to excite the magnetorheological particles to form a perturbed flow structure, including: When an abnormal flow resistance is detected in the corresponding controllable branch channel, an alternating current with a frequency of 50 Hz - 150 Hz and a duty cycle of 30% - 70% is applied to the electromagnetic coil to form an alternating magnetic field in the corresponding controllable branch channel. The alternating magnetic field is used to excite the magnetorheological particles to construct a chain-like microvortex structure along the streamline direction in the liquid of the corresponding controllable branch channel, and to form a local shear disturbance zone in the inner wall region of the corresponding controllable branch channel.

5. The liquid cooling channel reconstruction method under high-density cell array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner wall of the channel corresponding to the hot spot area in the main cooling branch is integrated with a sheet-like ultrasonic transducer unit. The ultrasonic transducer unit is in direct contact with the coolant via coupling. It is used to excite high-frequency cavitation microbubbles when hotspot triggering conditions are met. These microbubbles disturb the flow structure of the boundary layer formed between the coolant and the channel inner wall, thereby reducing the thermal resistance of the heat exchange film system in the liquid cooling system. The rules for determining the hotspot triggering conditions are as follows: Perform sliding window processing on the temperature data of the target area acquired by the temperature acquisition unit, and calculate the temperature rise rate within the corresponding window; When the temperature rise rate exceeds the first threshold and the number of consecutive frames exceeds the second threshold, the hotspot triggering condition is determined to be met.

6. The liquid cooling channel reconstruction method under high-density cell array according to claim 1, characterized in that, Based on the location of the hot spot and its temperature changes, the electronically controlled regulating element is controlled to adjust the flow distribution of coolant in the controllable branch channel, including: Based on the spatial coordinate information of the hot spot area in the cell module area, the controllable branch channel number corresponding to each hot spot area is determined; For each hot spot area, extract its maximum temperature change rate within the target cooling cycle, and calculate the target coolant flow rate increment value according to the preset flow response mapping rule. By combining the target coolant flow rate increment with the current channel's base flow rate setting, an updated target flow rate setting is generated. Based on the target flow rate setpoint, the corresponding electronic control element is controlled to perform valve opening adjustment operations.

7. The liquid cooling channel reconstruction method under high-density cell array according to claim 6, characterized in that, Based on the flow distribution results, dynamic reconstruction of the liquid cooling channel structure is performed, including: Based on the target flow setting value corresponding to each controllable branch channel, determine whether the target flow setting value is lower than the dynamic threshold range; When it is determined that the target flow rate of a certain branch channel remains below the dynamic threshold for multiple cooling cycles, the structure reconstruction module is triggered to perform channel-level flow path topology adjustment; wherein... The channel-level flow path topology adjustment process includes: By controlling the micro electric drive slide valve assembly to switch the access path of the corresponding controllable branch channel, it can be changed from a series structure to a bypass structure, or disconnected from the main cooling circuit. The flow distribution relationship of the remaining controllable branch channels is recalibrated.

8. The liquid cooling channel reconstruction method under high-density cell array according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: A heat load prediction model is constructed based on historical operating data and real-time temperature change data, and the heat load prediction model is used to predict the temperature change trend of each cell module within the target time window. If the prediction results show that a certain cell module will exceed the temperature threshold within a preset time period, the corresponding electronic control adjustment element will be controlled in advance to perform pre-compensation flow adjustment to increase the coolant flow of the controllable branch channel according to the predicted over-temperature range. When multiple potential overheating zones exist, cooling resources are allocated according to the predicted thermal risk priority.

9. A liquid-cooled flow channel reconfiguration system for a high-density battery cell array, characterized in that, The system is applied to the liquid cooling channel reconstruction method under a high-density cell array as described in any one of claims 1-8, and the system comprises: The building unit is used to construct a liquid cooling channel structure that includes multiple main cooling branches and at least two controllable branch channels. The main cooling branches are arranged corresponding to multiple battery cell modules, and the controllable branch channels are connected to electronically controlled adjustment elements for adjusting the coolant flow rate. The acquisition unit is used to deploy multiple temperature acquisition units in the cell module area to acquire real-time temperature data of each cell module within a set period, and determine the temperature change based on the temperature data. The processing unit is used to determine the hot spot area of ​​the battery cell module region based on the temperature change and the preset heat distribution judgment rule; The control unit is used to control the electronically controlled regulating element according to the location of the hot spot and its temperature changes, and adjust the flow distribution of coolant in the controllable branch channel; The execution unit is used to perform dynamic reconfiguration of the liquid cooling channel structure based on the flow allocation results.

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