Thermal management component of energy storage device, energy storage device and energy storage system
By dividing the thermal management component into upper and lower cavities and setting a ventilation structure on the top wall, the problems of thermal management and impurity erosion in energy storage devices are solved, achieving efficient heat dissipation and stable operation, and increasing the energy storage capacity.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-11-14
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-10
AI Technical Summary
Energy storage devices generate a large amount of heat during use, which can lead to temperature rise and pose risks of thermal runaway and explosion. Furthermore, existing thermal management components are susceptible to corrosion from external impurities, affecting their performance.
The thermal management component is divided into upper and lower chambers, with the heat exchange structure located in the upper chamber and the electrical equipment in the lower chamber. A ventilation structure is installed on the top wall using inclined supports and ventilation parts, combined with a centrifugal fan and a filter structure to reduce impurity corrosion and improve heat dissipation efficiency.
It effectively reduces the corrosion of electrical equipment by external impurities, improves the heat dissipation efficiency and stability of energy storage devices, increases the amount of electricity stored per unit land area, and reduces noise and maintenance costs.
Smart Images

Figure CN121642279A_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] This application claims priority to the international application No. PCT / CN2024 / 118059, filed with the international bureau on September 10, 2024, and entitled "Energy Storage Device and Energy Storage System", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of energy storage, more particularly, to a thermal management component of an energy storage device, an energy storage device and an energy storage system. BACKGROUND
[0003] Under the background of increasing support for the development of new energy technologies worldwide, various technologies related to energy storage have been widely used. Energy storage devices are gradually being widely used due to their high energy, long service life and other advantages.
[0004] During use, the energy storage device generates a large amount of heat, causing the temperature of the energy storage device to rise. When the temperature of the energy storage device rises to a certain extent, thermal runaway may occur and a large amount of flammable gas may be generated, resulting in a high risk of explosion of the energy storage device.
[0005] In order to reduce the temperature of the energy storage device, a thermal management component is usually provided in the energy storage device. The thermal management component is used to adjust the temperature of the energy storage device, and the performance of the thermal management component has a great influence on the energy storage device. SUMMARY
[0006] The embodiments of the present application provide a thermal management component of an energy storage device, an energy storage device and an energy storage system, which can ensure the performance of the thermal management component and thus ensure the performance and normal operation of the energy storage device.
[0007] In a first aspect, a thermal management component of an energy storage device is provided, comprising: a first cavity provided with a heat exchange structure, the heat exchange structure being used for heat exchange with the outside of the energy storage device to adjust the temperature of the energy storage device; a second cavity provided with an electrical equipment of the energy storage device, the second cavity being arranged below the first cavity along the height direction of the energy storage device.
[0008] In the embodiment of the present application, the inside of the thermal management component is divided into two cavities, the upper cavity mainly includes a heat exchange structure, and the lower cavity mainly includes electrical equipment, that is, the electrical equipment is isolated. On the one hand, the possibility of the electrical equipment being eroded by external impurities entering from the upper cavity into the inside of the thermal management component is reduced, the performance of the thermal management component is ensured, and the performance and normal operation of the energy storage device are ensured. On the other hand, the cavity including the heat exchange structure is arranged at the upper side. In the case that the external impurities are rainwater, the rainwater entering from the cavity can improve the heat exchange efficiency between the heat exchange structure and the outside of the energy storage device, and is conducive to maintaining the temperature of the energy storage device within a normal temperature range.
[0009] In some possible implementation manners, the heat exchange structure includes: a ventilation part arranged on a top wall of the thermal management component, the ventilation part being used for discharging heat in the inside of the thermal management component to the outside, the top wall being a wall of the thermal management component perpendicular to the height direction and located at the upper side of the thermal management component; a fan used for driving airflow in the thermal management component to discharge heat in the inside of the thermal management component to the outside through the ventilation part; and a support, on which the fan is arranged, and through which the cavity of the thermal management component is divided into the first cavity and the second cavity; wherein the support includes an inclined first wall, which is a wall of the support away from the second cavity.
[0010] The above technical solution arranges the ventilation part used for discharging heat in the inside of the thermal management component to the outside on the top wall of the thermal management component. When multiple energy storage devices are arranged and installed, no extra space needs to be reserved between the front row of energy storage devices and the rear row of energy storage devices to ensure the heat dissipation effect, the installation spacing between multiple rows of energy storage devices is reduced, the shoulder-to-shoulder and back-to-back installation arrangement mode between two adjacent energy storage devices is met, and thus the power storage capacity per unit land area is increased. In addition, the first wall of the support is arranged in an inclined structure. On the one hand, the support is conducive to dividing the inside of the thermal management component into two cavities, and on the other hand, the existing structure in the inside of the thermal management component is reused to divide the inside of the thermal management component into two cavities, without the need to additionally arrange a new structure, thereby reducing the cost and improving the utilization rate of the inside space of the thermal management component.
[0011] In some possible implementation manners, the first wall is arranged in an inclined manner from a first direction to a second direction, the first direction is opposite to the direction of gravity, and the second direction is the same as the direction of gravity.
[0012] The first wall is arranged in an inclined manner from the first direction to the second direction. In this way, the external impurities entering the inside of the thermal management component through the ventilation part can enter the flow guide structure that can discharge the external impurities to the outside through the first wall at a faster speed, so as to reduce the influence of the external impurities on the thermal management component at a faster speed.
[0013] In some possible implementation manners, the first wall comprises two sides having a height difference in the height direction, and the two sides are oppositely arranged in the length direction.
[0014] The above technical solution sets the first wall as two sides oppositely arranged in the length direction and having a height difference in the height direction, so that the air inlet amount can be increased in the case of front air inlet of the energy storage device and the heat management component, and the heat dissipation efficiency of the heat management component and the energy storage device is further improved.
[0015] In some possible implementation manners, the support further comprises a collection part, and the collection part is used to collect external impurities entering from the ventilation part and passing through the first wall.
[0016] The technical solution sets the collection part used to collect external impurities entering from the ventilation part and passing through the first wall, so that the external impurities can be concentrated in the collection part, not only reducing the possibility of diffusion of the external impurities in the heat management component, such as diffusion of the external impurities into the second cavity, but also facilitating subsequent centralized discharge of the external impurities from the heat management component.
[0017] In some possible implementation manners, the collection part comprises a groove. The collection part is set to comprise a groove, which is simple in implementation and can improve the efficiency of collecting external impurities.
[0018] In some possible implementation manners, the support further comprises a second wall, and the second wall is a wall of the support close to the second cavity; and the collection part is arranged on the second wall.
[0019] The technical solution sets the collection part on the second wall of the support close to the second cavity, so that the influence of the collection part on other components arranged on the support is reduced, such as the influence of the collection part on the fan and the air duct, and the normal operation of the heat management component and the energy storage device is facilitated.
[0020] In some possible implementation manners, the support further comprises a side wall intersecting the first wall and the second wall; and the collection part is arranged on an edge region of the second wall close to the side wall.
[0021] The collection part is arranged on the edge region of the second wall close to the side wall, so that the external impurities passing through the first wall can smoothly enter the collection part, the possibility of diffusion of the external impurities in the heat management component and the energy storage device is reduced, and the performance of the heat management component and the energy storage device is ensured.
[0022] In some possible implementations, the thermal management component further includes: a housing, within which the first cavity and the second cavity are disposed; wherein the support member is retractably disposed relative to the housing.
[0023] By designing the support component to be removable relative to the housing, i.e., movable relative to the housing, maintenance or repair of the support component or the structure on the support component (such as a fan) can be performed simply by pulling out the support component, without disassembling the thermal management components and energy storage device. This not only facilitates maintenance or repair of the support component or the structure on the support component, but also improves the efficiency of maintenance or repair.
[0024] In some possible implementations, the fan includes at least one centrifugal fan, and each of the at least one centrifugal fan is mounted in the first cavity along its length.
[0025] Centrifugal fans have lower noise levels. The above technical solution configures the fan to include at least one centrifugal fan, which can effectively reduce the noise of the thermal management components and energy storage device during operation. Furthermore, by installing each fan along its length in the first cavity, the possibility of external impurities entering the fan can be reduced after they enter the first cavity through the ventilation section located on the top wall of the thermal management components, effectively ensuring the performance of the fan.
[0026] In some possible implementations, the thermal management component further includes a filter structure, which is inclinedly disposed in the top space of the first cavity along the height direction for filtering external impurities entering the first cavity.
[0027] This technical solution, by setting an inclined filter structure in the top space of the first cavity, allows the filter structure to filter out some of the external impurities after they enter the first cavity, reducing the amount of external impurities entering other areas of the first cavity. Furthermore, by setting the filter structure at an incline, the first cavity can be divided into two spaces, further reducing the possibility of external impurities entering other areas of the first cavity.
[0028] In some possible implementations, the thermal management component further includes a flow guiding structure through which external impurities entering the first cavity are discharged to the outside.
[0029] This technical solution, by setting up a flow guiding structure, helps to discharge external impurities that enter the first cavity to the outside, reducing the probability that external impurities will remain in the first cavity for a long time and have an adverse effect on the thermal management components, thus ensuring the performance of the thermal management components and the energy storage device.
[0030] In a second aspect, an energy storage device is provided, comprising: at least one battery; and a thermal management component according to the first aspect or its various implementations, the thermal management component being used to regulate the temperature of the at least one battery.
[0031] Thirdly, an energy storage system is provided, comprising a plurality of energy storage devices as described in the second aspect or in various implementations thereof; wherein, two adjacent energy storage devices among the plurality of energy storage devices are fitted together.
[0032] In the above technical solution, two adjacent energy storage devices are closely fitted together. In this way, there is no need to reserve extra space between the front row of energy storage devices and the back row of energy storage devices to ensure heat dissipation. This reduces the installation spacing between multiple rows of energy storage devices and allows for side-by-side and back-to-back installation layouts between adjacent energy storage devices, thereby increasing the energy storage capacity per unit area of land. Attached Figure Description
[0033] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a thermal management component according to an embodiment of this application is shown.
[0034] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the appearance of an energy storage device according to an embodiment of this application is shown.
[0035] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of another thermal management component according to an embodiment of this application is shown.
[0036] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of another thermal management component according to an embodiment of this application is shown.
[0037] Figure 5 It shows the relationship with Figure 4 Schematic diagrams of thermal management components from different perspectives.
[0038] Figure 6 It shows Figure 4 and Figure 5 Schematic diagrams of thermal management components from different perspectives.
[0039] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of another thermal management component according to an embodiment of this application is shown.
[0040] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the air duct structure of the thermal management component according to an embodiment of this application is shown.
[0041] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of another thermal management component according to an embodiment of this application is shown.
[0042] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of an energy storage system according to an embodiment of this application is shown. Detailed Implementation
[0043] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0044] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this application have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains; the terminology used in the specification of this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the application; the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, in the specification, claims, and foregoing drawings of this application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. The terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, or foregoing drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order or hierarchy.
[0045] The directional terms used in the following description refer to the directions shown in the figures and are not intended to limit the specific structure of this application. It should also be noted in the description of this application that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "joining" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.
[0046] In this application, the reference to "embodiment" means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this application. The appearance of this phrase in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a mutually exclusive, independent, or alternative embodiment. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described in this application can be combined with other embodiments.
[0047] In this application, "multiple" refers to two or more (including two), and similarly, "multiple groups" refers to two or more (including two), and "multiple pieces" refers to two or more (including two).
[0048] With the promotion and application of new energy sources, energy storage technology has developed accordingly. An energy storage system is a device or system capable of storing energy and releasing it when needed. In the field of new energy, energy storage systems typically refer to devices that can store electrical energy and release it during peak electricity demand periods. Energy storage systems play multiple roles in the power system, including load balancing, frequency regulation, backup power, peak-valley pricing management, and improving grid stability. With the rapid development of renewable energy, the importance of energy storage systems is increasing daily.
[0049] Electrochemical energy storage, represented by lithium-ion batteries, is the most prevalent energy storage technology. An electrochemical energy storage system typically includes multiple energy storage devices, each of which may include one or more batteries. Each battery may include a casing and one or more individual battery cells encapsulated within that casing. Multiple battery cells can be connected in series, parallel, or a combination thereof, where a combination refers to a mix of series and parallel connections. In the embodiments of this application, the battery may also be referred to as a battery pack, battery module, or battery assembly.
[0050] Energy storage devices generate a large amount of heat during operation, causing their temperature to rise. When the temperature of the energy storage device rises to a certain level, thermal runaway may occur, producing a large amount of flammable gas, resulting in a high risk of combustion and explosion for the energy storage device.
[0051] To reduce the temperature of an energy storage device, a thermal management component is typically installed inside the device, and ventilation sections are provided on two side walls. The thermal management component uses the ventilation sections to regulate the temperature of the energy storage device and dissipate heat from inside the device to the outside. These two side walls are the two walls perpendicular to the length of the energy storage device out of its four side walls; in this embodiment, they are referred to as the front wall and the rear wall. Correspondingly, the front and rear of the energy storage device can also be defined.
[0052] Energy storage systems typically involve multiple energy storage devices working together. To ensure the ventilation on the rear wall of the front-row energy storage devices is not blocked by the rear-row devices, thus guaranteeing the heat dissipation performance of the front-row devices, a certain distance needs to be maintained between the front-row and rear-row energy storage devices during layout and installation. However, individual energy storage devices usually occupy a large area, and in situations with limited site space, this arrangement results in a lower energy storage capacity per unit area of land.
[0053] To address this issue, a ventilation unit can be installed on the top wall of the energy storage device. This top wall is perpendicular to the height of the energy storage device and is positioned above it when the device is in operation. This not only achieves heat dissipation for the energy storage device but also eliminates the need for additional space between rows of devices to ensure effective heat dissipation when multiple energy storage devices are installed in a layout. This reduces the installation spacing between multiple rows of devices and allows for side-by-side or back-to-back installation arrangements, thereby increasing the energy storage capacity per unit area.
[0054] Correspondingly, the top wall of the thermal management component also has a ventilation section. This allows the heat generated during the temperature regulation process of the energy storage device to be discharged to the outside through the ventilation sections on the top walls of both the thermal management component and the energy storage device. However, placing the ventilation section on the top wall of the thermal management component may allow external impurities (such as rainwater) to enter the interior of the thermal management component, potentially affecting the performance of both the thermal management component and the energy storage device. For example, electrical equipment may be installed inside the thermal management component. If rainwater seeps into this electrical equipment, it may cause short circuits or component damage, thus affecting the normal operation of the energy storage device.
[0055] In view of this, the present application provides a thermal management component for an energy storage device. The thermal management component includes a first cavity and a second cavity. The first cavity is provided with a heat exchange structure for exchanging heat with the outside of the energy storage device to regulate the temperature of the energy storage device. Along the height direction of the energy storage device, the second cavity is located below the first cavity, and electrical equipment is provided in the second cavity.
[0056] The thermal management component is internally divided into upper and lower chambers. The upper chamber mainly contains the heat exchange structure, while the lower chamber mainly contains the electrical equipment. This isolation of the electrical equipment reduces the possibility of external impurities entering the thermal management component from the upper chamber and corroding the electrical equipment, thus ensuring the performance of the thermal management component and consequently the performance and normal operation of the energy storage device. Furthermore, placing the chamber containing the heat exchange structure at the top, in the case of rainwater as the external impurity, allows the rainwater entering through this chamber to improve the efficiency of heat exchange between the heat exchange structure and the exterior of the energy storage device, which helps maintain the temperature of the energy storage device within its normal range.
[0057] The technical solutions described in the application embodiments are applicable to energy storage devices of various types and sizes. Exemplarily, the energy storage device can be an energy storage container or an energy storage cabinet. For example, the energy storage device can be a regular cuboid structure, wherein the six faces of the cuboid are the six outer walls of the energy storage device. Setting the energy storage device as a cuboid structure facilitates its fixed placement and transportation. Of course, the energy storage device can also be of other shapes; for example, at least one wall of the energy storage device may be inclined.
[0058] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the thermal management component 10 is shown. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the thermal management component 10 includes a first cavity 20 and a second cavity 30. A heat exchange structure is disposed within the first cavity 20 for exchanging heat with the outside of the energy storage device to regulate its temperature. The electrical equipment of the energy storage device is disposed within the second cavity 30, which is located below the first cavity 20 along the height direction of the energy storage device.
[0059] In this embodiment, the thermal management component 10 is internally divided into upper and lower cavities. The upper cavity mainly includes a heat exchange structure, while the lower cavity mainly includes electrical equipment. This isolation of the electrical equipment reduces the likelihood of external impurities entering the thermal management component 10 from the upper cavity and corroding the electrical equipment, thus ensuring the performance of the thermal management component 10 and consequently guaranteeing the performance and normal operation of the energy storage device. Furthermore, placing the cavity containing the heat exchange structure at the top, in the case of rainwater as the external impurity, allows the rainwater entering through this cavity to improve the efficiency of heat exchange between the heat exchange structure and the outside of the energy storage device, which is beneficial for maintaining the temperature of the energy storage device within its normal range.
[0060] The thermal management component 10 is used to regulate the temperature of at least one battery in the energy storage device. The battery can be a power battery. In terms of battery type, the battery can be a lithium-ion battery, lithium metal battery, lead-acid battery, nickel-metal hydride battery, lithium-sulfur battery, lithium-air battery, or sodium-ion battery, etc., and no specific limitation is made in this embodiment. In terms of battery size, the battery in this embodiment can be a cell / battery unit, or a battery module or battery pack, and no specific limitation is made in this embodiment.
[0061] At least one battery may include multiple batteries, and multiple batteries may include multiple battery clusters connected in parallel. Each battery cluster may include, for example, four batteries, and each battery may include, for example, 104 battery cells connected in series. One battery cluster may correspond to one slave battery management unit (SBMU), and multiple battery clusters may correspond to one master battery management unit (MBMU).
[0062] Normally, during battery use, the temperature will rise during charging and discharging. If the battery is not cooled in time, the continuous rise in battery temperature may affect the stable operation of the entire energy storage device 10. Alternatively, in some cold environments, the battery temperature will continuously drop, such as to 5°C. In this case, lithium plating may occur, for example, during battery charging.
[0063] Therefore, the energy storage device may include a thermal management component 10 for regulating the temperature of at least one battery. Regulating the temperature of the at least one battery may include heating or cooling the at least one battery. The thermal management component 10 may contain a fluid used to regulate the temperature of the at least one battery. In this case, the fluid may also be referred to as a cooling medium or cooling fluid. More specifically, it may be referred to as a coolant or cooling gas. The cooling medium may specifically be, for example, water, or a mixture of water and ethylene glycol.
[0064] Electrical equipment may include compressors, water pumps, electric heaters, electrical control boxes, etc. In addition, the second cavity 30 may also contain plate heat exchangers, liquid receivers, expansion tanks, etc.
[0065] The heat exchange structure can regulate the temperature of the energy storage device by heating or cooling the energy storage device.
[0066] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1As shown, the heat exchange structure may include a ventilation section 12 and a fan 13. The ventilation section 12 is disposed on the top wall 11 of the thermal management component 10, and is used to discharge heat from inside the thermal management component 10 to the outside. The top wall 11 is a wall of the thermal management component 10 perpendicular to its height direction (i.e., the z-direction) and located above the thermal management component 10. The fan 13 is used to drive airflow within the thermal management component 10 so that heat inside the thermal management component 10 is discharged to the outside through the ventilation section 12. The fan 13 is mounted on a support member 14, and the cavity of the thermal management component 10 is divided into a first cavity 20 and a second cavity 30 by the support member 14. The support member 14 includes an inclined first wall 141, which is the wall of the support member 14 away from the second cavity 30.
[0067] In this embodiment of the application, "upper" refers to a direction opposite to the direction of gravity, and "lower" refers to a direction in the same direction as the direction of gravity.
[0068] This technical solution places a ventilation section 12, used to dissipate heat from the interior of the thermal management component 10 to the exterior, on the top wall 11 of the thermal management component 10. When multiple energy storage devices are installed in a layout, no additional space needs to be reserved between the front and rear rows of energy storage devices to ensure heat dissipation, reducing the installation spacing between multiple rows of energy storage devices and allowing for side-by-side or back-to-back installation arrangements between adjacent energy storage devices, thereby increasing the energy storage capacity per unit area. Furthermore, by setting the first wall 141 of the support member 14 as an inclined structure, on the one hand, the support member 14 helps divide the interior of the thermal management component 10 into upper and lower cavities; on the other hand, it reuses the existing internal structure of the thermal management component 10 to divide the interior into two cavities without the need for additional structures, thus reducing costs and improving the utilization rate of the internal space of the thermal management component 10.
[0069] When a ventilation section 12 is provided on the top wall 11 of the thermal management component 10, correspondingly, such as Figure 2 As shown, the top wall of the energy storage device is also provided with a ventilation section. The thermal management component 10 is disposed in the first part 1 of the energy storage device, and at least one battery is disposed in the second part 2 of the energy storage device.
[0070] The ventilation section 12 can be implemented in various ways. For example, the ventilation section 12 can be, but is not limited to, a tubular structure, a cylindrical structure, a perforated structure, etc. For instance, the ventilation section 12 can be a louver or a mesh.
[0071] External impurities may include, but are not limited to, rainwater, dust, corrosive substances, organic matter (such as plant pollen and leaf fragments), and metal particles.
[0072] The number of ventilation sections 12 provided on the top wall 11 can be one or more. If there are multiple ventilation sections 12, the size and shape of the multiple ventilation sections 12 can be the same or different.
[0073] The fan 13 may include at least one centrifugal fan. Centrifugal fans have lower noise levels, and configuring the fan 13 to include at least one centrifugal fan can effectively reduce the noise of the thermal management component 10 during operation.
[0074] Of course, fan 13 may also include other types of fans, such as axial flow fans, mixed flow fans, etc.
[0075] When there are multiple fans, they can be arranged along the width direction (y-direction), and at least some fans can also be arranged along the length direction (x-direction). For example, Figure 1 It includes three fans, all of which are arranged along the width direction.
[0076] Refer again Figure 1 Each fan is installed along its length within the first cavity 20. That is, the fans are not installed vertically within the first cavity 20, and the fan impellers do not face the top wall. By installing each fan along its length within the first cavity 20, the possibility of external impurities entering the fans is reduced after they enter the first cavity 20 through the ventilation section 12 located on the top wall of the heat management component 10, effectively ensuring the performance of the fans.
[0077] It should be understood that the number and arrangement of the fans 13 can be flexibly set according to actual applications. For example, the fans 13 can be set according to factors such as the heat dissipation requirements of the energy storage device, the heat dissipation requirements of the thermal management component 10, the size of the thermal management component 10, and the external environment.
[0078] The support member 14 can be made of metal, such as steel or aluminum alloy. For example, the support member 14 can be a sheet metal structure.
[0079] In some embodiments, again as Figure 1 As shown, the first wall 141 is inclined from a first direction to a second direction, the first direction being opposite to the direction of gravity, and the second direction being the same as the direction of gravity. In other words, the support member 14 is arranged from top to bottom.
[0080] The first wall 141 is inclined from the first direction toward the second direction, so that external impurities entering the interior of the thermal management component 10 through the ventilation section 12 can quickly pass through the first wall 141 into other structural components of the thermal management component 10, such as the flow guide structure that discharges external impurities to the outside, thereby reducing the impact of external impurities on the thermal management component 10 at a faster speed.
[0081] Alternatively, the first wall 141 can be arranged from bottom to top. In this way, external impurities entering the heat management component 10 through the ventilation section 12 can be concentrated on the first wall 141, avoiding the influence of external impurities on the structure below the support member 14.
[0082] Furthermore, the first wall includes two sides having a height difference in the height direction, which are arranged opposite each other in the length direction.
[0083] The first wall is configured such that two sides are arranged opposite each other along the length direction and have a height difference in the height direction. In this way, when air enters from the front of the energy storage device and the thermal management component 10, the air intake can be increased, which further improves the heat dissipation efficiency of the thermal management component 10 and the energy storage device.
[0084] Alternatively, the two sides can be positioned opposite each other along the width direction.
[0085] In some embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, the support member 14 may also include a collection section 142 for collecting external impurities that enter from the ventilation section 12 and pass through the first wall 141.
[0086] This technical solution, by setting up a collection section 142 for collecting external impurities that enter from the ventilation section 12 and pass through the first wall 141, allows external impurities to be concentrated in the collection section 142. This not only reduces the possibility of external impurities spreading inside the thermal management component 10, such as spreading to the second cavity 30, but also facilitates the subsequent centralized discharge of external impurities from inside the thermal management component 10.
[0087] The collecting section 142 may include a groove. By configuring the collecting section 142 to include a groove, on the one hand, implementation is simple, and on the other hand, the efficiency of collecting external impurities can be improved.
[0088] Optionally, the collecting portion 142 may include only one groove, or the collecting portion 142 may include multiple grooves spaced apart. For example, the grooves may extend from one wall to the other along the two walls of the thermal management component 10 arranged in the width direction. As another example, the collecting portion 142 may include multiple grooves spaced apart along the width direction.
[0089] The embodiments of this application do not specifically limit the size and shape of the groove. For example, the groove can be circular, square, or trapezoidal, etc.
[0090] The collecting part 142 may be provided on the first wall 141 of the support member 14. For example, the collecting part 142 may be provided in the edge region of the first wall 141 near the side wall 144, where the side wall 144 is the wall of the support member 14 that intersects with the first wall 141 and the second wall. The collecting part 142 may be provided in the edge region of the first wall 141 near one side wall 144, or the collecting part 142 may be provided in the edge regions of the first wall 141 near multiple side walls 144.
[0091] Or, again as Figure 3 As shown, the support member 14 also includes a second wall 143, which is the wall of the support member near the second cavity 30, and the collection part 142 is disposed on the second wall 143.
[0092] In other words, the second wall 143 of the support member 14 is the bottom wall of the support member 14, and the collecting part 142 is provided on the bottom wall of the support member 14.
[0093] This technical solution places the collection part 142 on the second wall 143 opposite to the first wall 141. This reduces the impact of the collection part 142 on other components installed on the support member 14, such as reducing the impact of the collection part 142 on the fan 13 and the air duct, which is beneficial to the normal operation of the thermal management component 10 and the energy storage device.
[0094] As described above, the support member 14 may further include a sidewall 144, which intersects with the first wall 141 and the second wall 143. Figure 3 As shown, the collecting part 142 can be located in the edge region of the second wall 143 near the side wall 144.
[0095] The collecting part 142 may be provided in the edge region of the second wall 143 near one side wall 144, or the collecting part 142 may be provided in the edge region of the second wall 143 near multiple side walls 144.
[0096] The collection section 142 is located in the edge region of the second wall 143 near the side wall 144. In this way, external impurities passing through the first wall 141 can smoothly enter the collection section 142, reducing the possibility of external impurities spreading inside the thermal management component 10 and the energy storage device, and ensuring the performance of the thermal management component 10 and the energy storage device.
[0097] To ensure the performance of the thermal management component 10, the user can perform periodic maintenance on the thermal management component 10. Alternatively, in the event of a malfunction, the user can repair the thermal management component 10. To facilitate maintenance and repair, in some embodiments, the thermal management component 10 may further include a housing, with a first cavity 20 and a second cavity 30 disposed within the housing, and structures within the thermal management component 10 being removable relative to the housing. For example, a support member may be removable relative to the housing.
[0098] The structure inside the thermal management component 10 is designed to be removable relative to the housing, i.e., movable relative to the housing. In this way, when the structure inside the thermal management component 10 needs maintenance or repair, it can be simply pulled out without disassembling the thermal management component 10. This not only facilitates the maintenance or repair of the thermal management component 10, but also improves the efficiency of maintenance or repair.
[0099] For example, the support member 14 is retractable relative to the housing, so that when the fan 13 needs maintenance, the fan 13 can be pulled out from the front wall by relying on the support member 14.
[0100] As an example, the thermal management component 10 may also include a guide rail disposed within the housing, and a groove provided on the support member 14, with the guide rail slidingly engaging with the groove. This allows the support mechanism to be pulled out of the thermal management component 10 more smoothly, thereby improving maintenance or repair efficiency.
[0101] In some embodiments, the thermal management component 10 may further include a flow guiding structure, through which external impurities entering the first cavity 20 may be discharged to the outside.
[0102] This technical solution, by setting a flow guiding structure, helps to discharge external impurities that have entered the first cavity 20 to the outside, avoiding the probability of external impurities remaining in the first cavity 20 for a long time and causing adverse effects, thus ensuring the performance of the thermal management component 10 and the energy storage device.
[0103] For example, the flow guiding structure can discharge external impurities collected by the collection section to the outside. Optionally, the flow guiding structure may include a through hole and a flow guiding pipe, the flow guiding pipe being connected to the collection section 142, and the through hole being disposed on the wall of the thermal management component 10 and connected to the flow guiding pipe. In this way, external impurities can be discharged to the outside of the thermal management component 10 through the flow guiding pipe and the through hole.
[0104] To further reduce the probability of external impurities entering the thermal management component 10, in some embodiments, such as Figures 4-6 As shown, the thermal management component 10 may also include a filter structure 15 disposed in the top space of the first cavity 20 along the height direction, for filtering external impurities entering the interior of the first cavity 20.
[0105] Again Figures 4-6 As shown, the filter structure 15 is inclinedly disposed within the top space of the first cavity 20. The top space can be understood as the uppermost part of the first cavity 20 when the energy storage device is in use.
[0106] This technical solution, by setting an inclined filter structure in the top space of the first cavity 20, allows the filter structure to filter out some of the external impurities after they enter the first cavity 20, reducing the amount of external impurities entering other areas of the first cavity 20. Furthermore, by setting the filter structure at an incline, the first cavity 20 can be divided into two spaces, further reducing the possibility of external impurities entering other areas of the first cavity 20.
[0107] Optionally, the filter structure 15 may include, but is not limited to, an outlet filter.
[0108] The filter structure 15 can be tilted in the direction of gravity from the point where it intersects with the side wall of the thermal management component 10 in the direction perpendicular to the width direction, or from the point where it intersects with the side wall of the thermal management component 10 in the direction perpendicular to the length direction.
[0109] like Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the heat exchange structure may also include a radiator 16, which is used to exchange heat with the outside of the thermal management component 10.
[0110] In some embodiments, the heat sink 16 may be parallel to the top wall of the thermal management component 10.
[0111] The above technical solution sets the radiator 16 parallel to the top wall of the thermal management component 10, so that the radiator 16 can correspond as closely as possible to the ventilation part 12 provided on the top wall 11. Thus, the radiator 16 can exchange heat with the outside of the thermal management component 10 through the ventilation part 12 in the shortest time, which further improves the heat dissipation efficiency of the thermal management component 10 and the energy storage device.
[0112] Considering that if the heat sink 16 is parallel to the top wall of the thermal management component 10, the area of the heat sink 16 may be small, which may not meet the heat exchange requirements in some application scenarios. Therefore, in other embodiments, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the radiator 16 can be tilted. For example, the radiator can be tilted from top to bottom.
[0113] This increases the heat dissipation area of the radiator 16, thereby improving the heat exchange efficiency between the radiator 16 and the outside of the thermal management component 10, and thus improving the overall heat dissipation efficiency of the thermal management component 10 and the energy storage device.
[0114] The number of heat sinks 16 can be one or more; for example, there can be two heat sinks 16. When there are multiple heat sinks 16, they can be arranged in close proximity. Setting the number of heat sinks 16 to multiple can increase the heat dissipation efficiency of the thermal management component 10. Furthermore, arranging the multiple heat sinks 16 in close proximity effectively saves space occupied by the heat sinks in the thermal management component 10. Of course, the multiple heat sinks 16 can also be spaced apart or arranged in other ways within the first cavity 20.
[0115] To enhance heat dissipation efficiency, in addition to the top wall 11, such as Figure 9 As shown, the ventilation section 12 can also be provided on the front wall 17 of the thermal management component 10, wherein the front wall 17 is provided with the cabinet door of the energy storage device.
[0116] Correspondingly, a ventilation section corresponding to the ventilation section 12 can also be provided on the front wall of the energy storage device.
[0117] This technical solution provides ventilation sections 12 on both the top wall 11 and the front wall 17 of the thermal management component 10, which effectively improves the heat dissipation efficiency of the thermal management component 10 and the energy storage device.
[0118] The shape, size, and number of ventilation sections 12 provided on the front wall 17 may be the same as or different from the shape, size, and number of ventilation sections 12 provided on the top wall 11. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.
[0119] The number of ventilation sections 12 provided on the front wall 17 can be one or more. (See again...) Figure 9 The number of ventilation sections 12 provided on the front wall 17 is 2. If there are multiple ventilation sections 12, the size and shape of the multiple ventilation sections 12 can be the same or different.
[0120] When a ventilation section 12 is provided on the front wall 17, the ventilation section 12 provided on the front wall 17 may be an air inlet structure, and the ventilation section 12 provided on the top wall 11 may be an air outlet structure.
[0121] In other words, the energy storage device in this application embodiment has a front wall air inlet and top wall air outlet structure. External airflow enters the interior of the energy storage device through the air inlet structure. After the external airflow dissipates heat from the energy storage device, the heat inside the energy storage device is discharged to the outside through the air outlet structure.
[0122] Of course, the ventilation section 12 provided on the front wall 17 can also be an air outlet structure, while the ventilation section 12 provided on the top wall 11 can be an air inlet structure.
[0123] In addition to the thermal management components mentioned above, this application also provides an energy storage device, which includes at least one battery and a thermal management component for regulating the temperature of at least one battery.
[0124] Among them, energy storage devices can be, for example, Figure 1 The energy storage device shown may have a thermal management component, which may be the thermal management component 10 mentioned above.
[0125] This application also provides an energy storage system. For example... Figure 10 As shown, the energy storage system 40 includes a plurality of energy storage devices 41, wherein adjacent energy storage devices 41 are bonded together. The energy storage devices 41 can be, for example, […]. Figure 1 The energy storage device shown.
[0126] "Close fit" means that there is no gap between two adjacent energy storage devices 41, and the two adjacent energy storage devices 41 are placed side by side and back to back.
[0127] This technical solution sets two adjacent energy storage devices 41 in multiple energy storage devices 41 to be in close contact with each other. There is no need to reserve extra space between the front row of energy storage devices 41 and the back row of energy storage devices 41 to ensure heat dissipation. This reduces the installation spacing between multiple rows of energy storage devices 41 and allows for the installation layout of two adjacent energy storage devices 41 side by side and back to back, thereby increasing the amount of electricity stored per unit land area.
[0128] Although this application has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, various modifications can be made thereto and components can be replaced with equivalents without departing from the scope of this application. In particular, the technical features mentioned in the various embodiments can be combined in any manner, provided there is no structural conflict. This application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions falling within the scope of the claims.
Claims
1. A thermal management component of an energy storage device, characterized by, The heat management component comprises: a first cavity provided with a heat exchange structure for heat exchange with the outside of the energy storage device to regulate the temperature of the energy storage device; a second cavity provided with electrical equipment of the energy storage device, and the second cavity is arranged below the first cavity in the height direction.
2. The thermal management component of claim 1, wherein, The heat exchange structure comprises: a ventilation part arranged on a top wall of the heat management component, the ventilation part is used for discharging heat inside the heat management component to the outside, and the top wall is a wall of the heat management component perpendicular to the height direction and located above the heat management component; a fan for driving air flow in the heat management component to discharge heat inside the heat management component to the outside through the ventilation part, and the fan is arranged on a support, and the cavities of the heat management component are divided into the first cavity and the second cavity through the support; wherein the support comprises an inclined first wall, and the first wall is a wall of the support away from the second cavity.
3. The thermal management component of claim 2, wherein, The first wall is arranged to be inclined from a first direction to a second direction, the first direction is opposite to the direction of gravity, and the second direction is the same as the direction of gravity.
4. The thermal management component of claim 3, wherein, The first wall comprises two sides with a height difference in the height direction, and the two sides are oppositely arranged along the length direction.
5. The thermal management component of any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein, The support further comprises a collection part for collecting external impurities entering through the ventilation part and passing through the first wall.
6. The thermal management component of claim 5, wherein, The collection part comprises a groove.
7. The thermal management component of claim 5 or 6, wherein, The support further comprises a second wall, and the second wall is a wall of the support close to the second cavity. The collection part is arranged on the second wall.
8. The thermal management component of claim 7, wherein, The support further comprises: a side wall intersecting with the first wall and the second wall; wherein the collection part is arranged on the edge area of the second wall close to the side wall.
9. The thermal management component of any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein, The heat management component further comprises: a shell, and the first cavity and the second cavity are arranged in the shell; wherein the support is arranged to be pullable relative to the shell.
10. The thermal management component of any one of claims 2 to 9, wherein, The fan comprises at least one centrifugal fan, and each centrifugal fan in the at least one centrifugal fan is mounted in the first cavity along the length direction.
11. The thermal management component of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein, The heat management component further comprises: a filtering structure arranged to be inclined in the top space of the first cavity in the height direction, and used for filtering external impurities entering the first cavity.
12. The thermal management component of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein, The heat management component further comprises a flow guide structure, and external impurities entering the first cavity are discharged to the outside through the flow guide structure.
13. An energy storage device, characterized by, The heat management component comprises: at least one battery; the heat management component according to any one of claims 1 to 12 is used for regulating the temperature of the at least one battery.
14. An energy storage system characterized by, The heat management component comprises: a plurality of energy storage devices according to claim 13; wherein two adjacent energy storage devices in the plurality of energy storage devices are arranged to be close to each other.