Integrated battery module integrated with heat management device

Abstract

The invention discloses an integrated battery module integrated with a thermal management device, which belongs to the field of thermal management of lithium ion batteries and comprises a shell, an outer wall, an inner wall, a micro-channel, an inlet, an outlet, an accommodating bin, a bare roll core upper cover plate and a tab lead-out port. According to the invention, the heat dissipation shell is used as a battery core packaging shell, and as only one layer of water-cooled jacket (micro-channel) thin wall is arranged between the cooling liquid and the bare roll core for producing heat, the heat resistance is extremely small, and the heat dissipation path is shortest, the fastest heat dissipation rate and the optimal temperature uniformity can be realized, the heat management performance is improved, and the battery is particularly suitable for ultrahigh-rate charge and discharge scenes; a battery cell independent shell and a part of module structural members are omitted, high function integration is realized, the weight is reduced from the source of the system, and the potential of light weight is larger; the integrated heat dissipation shell serves as a main force bearing structure, and the compression resistance and impact resistance of the integrated heat dissipation shell are far better than those of a traditional liquid cooling plate only serving as an additional part in combination with the enhancement effect of metal foam. Redundant parts are reduced, and the mass energy density and the volume energy density of the battery pack are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of lithium-ion battery thermal management, and more particularly to an integrated battery module with an integrated thermal management device. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of lithium-ion battery technology, traditional battery systems typically employ a multi-tiered configuration of "cell-module-battery pack." Each individual cell (whether prismatic, cylindrical, or pouch) is an independent functional unit with its own metal or composite casing for encapsulating electrode cores / laminated sheets, separators, and electrolyte. At the module level, multiple such standard cells are electrically connected via busbars and housed within a mechanical structure. Thermal management, particularly liquid cooling, is usually "attached" to this structure as a separate subsystem, most commonly in the form of a liquid cooling plate mounted on the bottom or side of the module. The liquid cooling plate has internal channels through which coolant flows to dissipate heat. In this known technology, cell encapsulation, module mechanical support, and thermal management are implemented by separate, independent components.

[0003] Representative existing technologies include:

[0004] CN120280597A (Cell Cooling Device and Battery Pack): This patent represents an optimization of the aforementioned known technologies. It provides a cell cooling device that uses a first liquid cooling structure (top) and a second liquid cooling structure (bottom) to cool a standard cell on both sides. Its technical solution involves adding a high-efficiency liquid cooling system to the complete standard cell with its own casing, achieving unified liquid supply through branch / merging pipes. Although it improves heat dissipation performance, its essence still remains within the paradigm of "adding a cooling system to the outside of a standard cell."

[0005] "Research on Integrated Cooling and Fixing Cold Plate for Lithium-ion Batteries": This paper designs an integrated cooling and fixing cold plate that combines the functions of a battery mounting bracket and a liquid cooling plate. The cold plate uses mounting holes to partially enclose the high-heat areas of the cylindrical battery's sidewalls for heat dissipation. This functional integration is also performed at the module level and does not change the cell's inherent nature as an independent packaging unit.

[0006] The common feature of the above-mentioned prior art is that they are all based on standard, pre-packaged battery cells for thermal management design. The liquid cooling system is an independent or partially integrated component attached to the battery cell, rather than the battery cell itself.

[0007] Based on the aforementioned existing technology, its inherent drawbacks are as follows:

[0008] 1. High thermal resistance and long heat dissipation path: Heat must pass through the cell's own casing to be transferred to the external cooling system, which limits the heat dissipation efficiency and makes it difficult to cope with future scenarios with extremely high heat density.

[0009] 2. Complex system with low energy density: The multi-level structure of "cell-module-battery pack" contains a large number of non-functional structural components and connecting parts, resulting in a large system weight and low volumetric energy density.

[0010] 3. Separation of structure and thermal management: Cooling components (such as liquid cooling plates) mainly undertake heat dissipation functions and participate little or weakly in the main structural load-bearing, resulting in functional redundancy and material waste.

[0011] This application aims to solve the above-mentioned technical problems and provide an integrated battery module solution with an extremely short heat dissipation path, high system integration, and deep integration of structural strength and thermal management functions. Summary of the Invention

[0012] This invention overturns the traditional 'cell-module' configuration, using a shared, one-piece molded heat dissipation housing as the main load-bearing structure of the battery module, and directly accommodating multiple bare rolled cells within this housing. The aim is to provide an integrated battery module with an integrated thermal management device, solving the problems in the prior art.

[0013] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0014] The present invention discloses an integrated battery module with an integrated thermal management device, comprising a housing, the main body of which is provided with a sealed cavity for accommodating a temperature regulating working fluid, a plurality of receiving chambers provided inside the housing, a plurality of bare cores being provided in the receiving chambers, the top of the housing being sealed by an upper cover plate, and the upper cover plate being provided with a tab outlet and a liquid injection port.

[0015] Furthermore, the sealing cavity includes a sidewall cavity formed in the sidewall of the main body and a bottom cavity formed in the bottom of the main body, the sidewall cavity and the bottom cavity being in communication.

[0016] Furthermore, the side wall cavity and the bottom cavity are integrally formed.

[0017] Furthermore, both the sidewall cavity and the bottom cavity include an outer wall and an inner wall, with a microchannel configured between the outer wall and the inner wall. The outer wall is provided with an inlet and an outlet, which are used to connect to an external temperature regulating working fluid circuit.

[0018] Furthermore, the microchannel is configured as a parallel channel, a serpentine channel, or a combination thereof.

[0019] Furthermore, the microchannel is provided with metal foam.

[0020] Furthermore, the metal foam forms a stable metallurgical bond with the outer wall and the inner wall through high-temperature brazing or sintering processes.

[0021] Furthermore, the metal foam is made of high-porosity open-cell aluminum or copper foam, with a porosity set to 85%–95%.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial technical effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0023] 1. Improved thermal management performance: Because the coolant is separated from the heat-generating bare core by only a thin-walled water-cooling jacket (microchannel), the thermal resistance is extremely low, and the heat dissipation path is the shortest. This enables the fastest heat dissipation rate and the best temperature uniformity, making it particularly suitable for ultra-high rate charge and discharge scenarios.

[0024] 2. Improved system integration and lightweight design: By eliminating the separate casing for battery cells and some module structural components, a high degree of functional integration is achieved. Weight reduction at the system's core allows for greater potential for lightweighting.

[0025] 3. Enhanced structural strength: The integrated heat dissipation shell becomes the main load-bearing structure. Combined with the reinforcing effect of metal foam, its pressure resistance and impact resistance far exceed those of traditional liquid cooling plates, which are merely additional components.

[0026] 4. Improved energy density: Reduced redundant components improve the mass energy density and volumetric energy density of the battery pack. Attached Figure Description

[0027] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the integrated battery module with integrated thermal management device according to the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the integrated battery module with integrated thermal management device of the present invention after removing the top cover plate;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the integrated battery module with integrated thermal management device according to the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 This is a left view of the integrated battery module with integrated thermal management device according to the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5 This is a front view of the integrated battery module with integrated thermal management device according to the present invention;

[0033] Figure 6 This is a right view of the integrated battery module with integrated thermal management device according to the present invention;

[0034] Figure 7 This is a top-view structural schematic diagram of the serpentine flow channel of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the serpentine flow channel structure from a side view angle.

[0036] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1. Shell; 101. Outer wall; 102. Inner wall; 103. Microchannel; 104. Inlet; 105. Outlet; 2. Receiving chamber; 3. Bare core; 4. Top cover plate; 401. Electrode outlet; 402. Liquid injection port. Detailed Implementation

[0037] like Figure 1-2 As shown, an integrated battery module with an integrated thermal management device includes a housing 1. The main body of the housing 1 has a sealed cavity for containing a temperature-regulating working fluid. Several receiving chambers 2 are provided inside the housing 1, and several bare coiled cores 3 are placed in each receiving chamber 2. The top of the housing 1 is sealed by a top cover plate 4, which has a tab outlet 401 and a liquid injection port 402. Specifically, the housing 1 is manufactured from a high thermal conductivity metal (such as aluminum alloy 6061 or 6063) through precision extrusion molding or mold casting. The temperature-regulating working fluid is selected according to the season. In summer, a low-temperature cooling working fluid is pumped in to rapidly cool the bare coiled cores 3; in winter, a high-temperature working fluid is introduced to rapidly preheat the bare coiled cores 3. The bare coiled cores 3 adopt a rectangular, square, or cylindrical structure. The top cover plate 4 needs to pre-fabricate the tab outlet 401, which uses glass-metal sealing or ceramic-metal sealing technology to achieve absolute sealing and insulation between the electrical lead-out of the tabs and the environment.

[0038] The shell 1 is divided into several receiving compartments 2, which are arranged in a dense matrix in the horizontal and vertical directions. In this arrangement, the sidewalls of adjacent units are integrated with the shell 1. The shell 1 itself is made of metal, which can effectively conduct heat. At the same time, the microchannels inside the shell 1 are filled with temperature regulating working fluid (low-temperature cooling fluid or high-temperature working fluid), which can enhance heat dissipation or preheating through convection. In addition, the shell 1 constitutes a stable and rigid whole, thereby simplifying or replacing the traditional independent module frame, realizing the overall simplification, lightweighting and high space utilization of the module structure.

[0039] In this embodiment, the housing 1 is provided with six receiving chambers 2, which are arranged in a 3×2 matrix in the horizontal and vertical directions. Each receiving chamber 2 is provided with a cuboid bare core 3. The top of the housing 1 is sealed by an upper cover plate 4. The top surface of the upper cover plate 4 is provided with six sets of tab outlets 401 and six liquid injection ports 402. Each set of tab outlets 401 corresponds to one bare core 3, and a liquid injection port 402 is provided between the two tab outlets 401 of a set of tab outlets 401.

[0040] In actual production, one bare core 3 can be placed in each storage compartment 2; or multiple bare cores 3 can be first encapsulated in an extremely thin insulating flexible sleeve, and multiple bare cores 3 can be combined into a large core, and then placed into the storage compartment 2 (equivalent to increasing the number of cores in a single compartment).

[0041] The sealed cavity includes a sidewall cavity formed within the sidewall of the main body and a bottom cavity formed within the bottom of the main body, the sidewall cavity and the bottom cavity communicating with each other. The sidewall cavity and the bottom cavity are integrally formed. Both the sidewall cavity and the bottom cavity include an outer wall 101 and an inner wall 102, a microchannel 103 is provided between the outer wall 101 and the inner wall 102, and an inlet 104 and an outlet 105 are provided on the outer wall 101, the inlet 104 and the outlet 105 being used to connect to an external temperature regulating working fluid circuit.

[0042] The microchannels 103 are configured as parallel channels, serpentine channels, or a combination thereof to ensure that the coolant flows evenly throughout the entire casing, carrying away heat. Figure 3 The diagram shown is a schematic of a simple microchannel. Figure 7-8 The diagram shown is a schematic of the serpentine flow channel.

[0043] Metal foam is disposed within the microchannel 103. The metal foam forms a stable metallurgical bond with the outer wall 101 and the inner wall 102 through a high-temperature brazing or sintering process. The metal foam is made of high-porosity open-cell aluminum foam or copper foam, with a porosity set to 85%–95%.

[0044] The specific functions and effects of metal foam are as follows:

[0045] 1. Enhanced heat dissipation: The huge specific surface area of ​​metal foam elevates convective heat transfer from the "macro-channel" scale to the "micro-pore" scale, greatly disrupting the thermal boundary layer and increasing heat transfer efficiency by orders of magnitude.

[0046] 2. Structural reinforcement: As a three-dimensional continuous network structure, metal foam fills the microchannels, which is equivalent to providing countless microscopic supports for the inner wall of the shell, significantly improving the compressive strength and bending stiffness of the entire shell assembly, enabling it to serve as the main load-bearing structure.

[0047] 3. Lightweight: The porous structure makes the density of the metal foam much lower than that of solid metal, achieving lightweight while strengthening.

[0048] The assembly process of this device is as follows:

[0049] Cell-casing integration: The prepared bare lithium-ion battery core 3 is placed inside the casing 1 in a dry environment. In this embodiment, multiple bare cores 3 are placed into each receiving compartment 2.

[0050] Encapsulation and sealing: The upper cover plate 4 is sealed to the housing 1 by laser welding or electron beam welding to achieve a high airtightness.

[0051] Liquid injection and formation: Liquid is injected through the pre-reserved injection port 402 on the upper cover plate 4 to ensure that the bare core 3 is fully wetted with electrolyte. After the liquid injection is completed, high-temperature formation is carried out to activate the battery.

[0052] Cooling circulation: Coolant is pumped from inlet 104 into microchannel 103, flows through the entire module and then flows out from outlet 105, completing heat exchange.

[0053] Furthermore, multiple integrated battery modules can form a fluid system integration: multiple integrated battery modules are connected through pipelines to form a module-level temperature-regulating working fluid circulation. The connection methods include, but are not limited to, parallel or series connections. This integration solution utilizes the standard fluid interfaces (inlet 104 and outlet 105) inherent in the integrated battery module to realize the construction of a module-level thermal management system.

[0054] The core of this invention lies in the fundamental reconstruction of the traditional battery architecture, aiming to solve the inherent drawbacks of the separation between thermal management (including cooling and heating), structural functions, and cell packaging. By directly using the battery's heat dissipation shell as the cell's packaging shell, the bare core is in full contact with the cooling channels, achieving a holistic integration of thermal management, packaging, and structural functions.

[0055] The present invention fills the microchannels 103 of the shell 1 with metal foam, thereby achieving both enhanced heat transfer and increased structural rigidity.

[0056] The integrated battery module construction method described in this invention eliminates the need for separate battery casings and module structural components, thereby reducing the complexity of the system.

[0057] The embodiments described above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Various modifications and improvements made by those skilled in the art to the technical solutions of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present invention should fall within the protection scope defined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. An integrated battery module with an integrated thermal management device, characterized in that: The device includes a housing (1), the main body of which is provided with a sealed cavity for containing a temperature regulating working fluid. The housing (1) contains several storage chambers (2), and the storage chambers (2) contain several bare cores (3). The top of the housing (1) is sealed by an upper cover plate (4), and the upper cover plate (4) is provided with an electrode tab outlet (401) and a liquid injection port (402).

2. The integrated battery module with integrated thermal management device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealed cavity includes a sidewall cavity formed in the sidewall of the main body and a bottom cavity formed in the bottom of the main body, the sidewall cavity and the bottom cavity being in communication.

3. The integrated battery module with integrated thermal management device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The side wall cavity and the bottom cavity are integrally formed.

4. The integrated battery module with integrated thermal management device according to claim 3, characterized in that: Both the side wall cavity and the bottom cavity include an outer wall (101) and an inner wall (102). A microchannel (103) is provided between the outer wall (101) and the inner wall (102). An inlet (104) and an outlet (105) are provided on the outer wall (101). The inlet (104) and the outlet (105) are used to connect to an external temperature regulating working fluid circuit.

5. The integrated battery module with integrated thermal management device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The microchannel (103) is configured as a parallel channel, a serpentine channel, or a combination thereof.

6. The integrated battery module with integrated thermal management device according to claim 4, characterized in that: Metal foam is provided inside the microchannel (103).

7. The integrated battery module with integrated thermal management device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The metal foam forms a stable metallurgical bond with the outer wall (101) and the inner wall (102) through a high-temperature brazing or sintering process.

8. The integrated battery module with integrated thermal management device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The metal foam is made of high-porosity open-cell aluminum foam or copper foam, with a porosity set at 85% to 95%.

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