A multi-layer liquid cooling plate for cooling battery packs in new energy vehicles

Abstract

This invention discloses a multi-layer liquid cooling plate for cooling battery packs in new energy vehicles, relating to the field of battery pack liquid cooling plate technology. It solves the technical problem that existing U-shaped loop liquid cooling plates, when long, exhibit significant temperature differences in the internal coolant, leading to uneven heat dissipation in the battery pack. The invention includes multiple liquid cooling plate bodies, a first and a second flow collector respectively installed at both ends of the liquid cooling plate bodies. The multiple liquid cooling plate bodies are equidistantly distributed, and each liquid cooling plate body is a hollow structure open at both ends. Upper and lower fins are installed between the inner walls of the liquid cooling plate bodies near the top and bottom ends. This invention not only facilitates the parallel connection of multiple liquid cooling plates, improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the battery pack, but also allows for longitudinal flow diversion of the coolant within the long liquid cooling plate, effectively shortening the flow path and preventing large temperature differences in the coolant flowing within the liquid cooling plate, thus facilitating uniform heat dissipation of the battery pack.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of battery pack liquid cooling plate technology, and more specifically to a multi-layer liquid cooling plate for cooling battery packs of new energy vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] The battery cooling system for new energy vehicles is crucial for ensuring battery performance, extending battery life, and improving overall vehicle safety. With the continuous development of new energy vehicle technology, battery cooling technology is also constantly being innovated and optimized. Among them, water cooling technology, due to its high efficiency and stable performance, has become the mainstream battery cooling solution. Furthermore, the U-shaped loop design in the liquid cooling plate has demonstrated its unique advantages in practical applications.

[0003] Liquid cooling plates are key components in power battery systems for heat dissipation. Their working principle involves contacting the surface of the battery module and utilizing the flow of coolant within the plate to remove excess heat generated by the battery. In existing technology, multiple channels for coolant flow are arranged inside the coolant, with a first and a second current collector installed at each end. The first current collector has its inner cavity divided into two parts; the upper half is used to introduce coolant, which then flows along the channels in the upper half of the liquid cooling plate to the second current collector, and finally flows back through the channels in the lower half of the liquid cooling plate to the lower half of the first current collector for discharge. This creates a U-shaped flow loop for the coolant within the liquid cooling plate, thereby achieving battery cooling and temperature protection.

[0004] While the U-shaped loop design of the liquid cooling plate can achieve battery cooling, for longer liquid cooling plates, the flow path of the coolant within the plate is longer, causing the coolant temperature to rise continuously with the increase in flow path. This results in uneven heat dissipation of the battery, specifically, the upper half of the liquid cooling plate has better heat dissipation, while the lower half has poor heat dissipation. Therefore, a multi-layer liquid cooling plate for cooling new energy vehicle battery packs is proposed to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a multi-layer liquid cooling plate for cooling battery packs of new energy vehicles, which solves the problem that when the length of the liquid cooling plate of the existing U-shaped circuit design is long, there will be a large temperature difference in the internal coolant, which will lead to uneven heat dissipation of the battery pack.

[0006] The objective of this invention can be achieved through the following technical solutions: A multi-layer liquid cooling plate for cooling a battery pack of a new energy vehicle includes multiple liquid cooling plate bodies, a first flow collector and a second flow collector respectively installed at both ends of the liquid cooling plate bodies. The multiple liquid cooling plate bodies are distributed at equal intervals. Each liquid cooling plate body is a hollow structure with openings at both ends. Upper fins and lower fins are installed between the inner walls of the liquid cooling plate bodies near the top and bottom ends. The upper fins and lower fins divide the inner cavity of the liquid cooling plate body from top to bottom into an inlet flow channel, a heat exchange cavity and an outlet flow channel. A flow channel mechanism is installed in the heat exchange cavity. The flow channel mechanism includes multiple sets of longitudinal flow extension elements equidistantly distributed in the heat exchange cavity. Each longitudinal flow extension element includes two longitudinal fins installed between the upper fin and the lower fin. A longitudinal flow channel is formed between the two longitudinal fins. Multiple staggered transverse fins are installed in the longitudinal flow channel. The bottom of the liquid inlet channel has an upper liquid inlet corresponding to the longitudinal channel, and the top of the liquid outlet channel has a lower liquid outlet corresponding to the longitudinal channel.

[0007] As a further aspect of the present invention: the first flow collector includes a first half-shell, a second half-shell, and a first partition block, the first half-shell and the second half-shell are sealed together, and the first partition block is installed on the inner wall of the second half-shell near the top.

[0008] As a further aspect of the present invention: the second flow collector includes a third half-shell, a fourth half-shell, and a second partition block, wherein the third half-shell and the fourth half-shell are sealed and fitted together, and the second partition block is installed on the inner wall of the fourth half-shell near the top.

[0009] As a further aspect of the present invention: the first flow collector also includes an upper port and a lower port, the upper port being installed on the side wall near the top of the first half-shell and the second half-shell, and the lower port being installed on the side wall near the bottom of the first half-shell and the second half-shell.

[0010] As a further aspect of the present invention: an upper connecting pipe is installed between the upper openings of two adjacent first flow collectors, a lower connecting pipe is installed between the lower openings of two adjacent first flow collectors, an inlet pipe is connected to the upper opening of the first flow collectors located at both ends, and an outlet pipe is connected to the lower opening of the first flow collectors located at both ends.

[0011] As a further aspect of the present invention: the side of the first partition block away from the second half-shell is fitted with the inner wall of the first half-shell, and the end of the first partition block is sealed and fitted with one end of the upper fin.

[0012] As a further aspect of the present invention: the side of the second partition block away from the fourth half-shell is attached to the inner wall of the third half-shell, the end of the second partition block is sealed and attached to the end of the upper fin away from the first flow collector, and the top surface of the second partition block has an arc-shaped slope structure.

[0013] As a further aspect of the present invention: the liquid cooling plate body includes an upper arc-shaped portion, a rectangular portion and a lower arc-shaped portion, the rectangular portion is connected between the upper arc-shaped portion and the lower arc-shaped portion, and limiting fins distributed along the length direction are symmetrically installed on the outer side wall of the upper arc-shaped portion.

[0014] The beneficial effects of this invention are: 1. In this invention, the internal cavity of the liquid cooling plate body is divided from top to bottom into an inlet channel, a heat exchange chamber, and an outlet channel by the upper and lower fins. The first flow collector facilitates the centralized introduction of coolant into the inlet channel. The channel mechanism facilitates the longitudinal splitting of coolant in the inlet channel along the height direction of the liquid cooling plate in the heat exchange chamber, thereby effectively shortening the flow path of the coolant and preventing the longitudinally flowing coolant from forming a large temperature difference, which facilitates uniform heat dissipation of the battery pack.

[0015] 2. In this invention, by installing multiple staggered transverse fins between two longitudinal fins, the flow path of the coolant in the longitudinal channel can be appropriately extended, which facilitates sufficient heat exchange of the coolant. By reasonably controlling the number of staggered transverse fins, the coolant can be discharged from the longitudinal channel after sufficient heat exchange and enter the outlet channel for recirculation, avoiding excessively long flow path of the coolant and large temperature difference, thereby improving the uniformity of heat dissipation of the battery pack. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a multi-layer liquid cooling plate for cooling a new energy vehicle battery pack according to the present invention; Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the connection between the liquid cooling plate body and the first and second current collectors in a multi-layer liquid cooling plate for cooling a new energy vehicle battery pack according to the present invention. Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the connection between the liquid cooling plate body and the first and second current collectors in a multi-layer liquid cooling plate for cooling a new energy vehicle battery pack according to the present invention. Figure 4 This is a perspective view of the first current collector in a multi-layer liquid cooling plate for cooling a new energy vehicle battery pack according to the present invention. Figure 5 This is a perspective view of the second current collector in a multi-layer liquid cooling plate for cooling a new energy vehicle battery pack according to the present invention. Figure 6This is a perspective view of the longitudinal flow extension element in a multi-layer liquid cooling plate for cooling a new energy vehicle battery pack according to the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the liquid cooling plate body in a multi-layer liquid cooling plate for cooling a new energy vehicle battery pack according to the present invention.

[0018] In the figure: 1. Liquid cooling plate body; 101. Upper arc-shaped part; 102. Rectangular part; 103. Lower arc-shaped part; 2. First flow collector shroud; 201. First half-shell; 202. Second half-shell; 203. First partition block; 204. Upper pipe opening; 205. Lower pipe opening; 3. Second flow collector shroud; 301. Third half-shell; 302. Fourth half-shell; 303. Second partition block; 4. Upper fin; 5. Lower fin; 6. Liquid inlet channel; 7. Heat exchange chamber; 8. Liquid outlet channel; 9. Longitudinal extension element; 901. Longitudinal fin; 902. Transverse fin; 10. Upper liquid inlet; 11. Lower liquid outlet; 12. Upper connecting pipe; 13. Lower connecting pipe; 14. Liquid inlet pipe; 15. Liquid outlet pipe; 16. Limiting fin. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] Please see Figure 1-7 As shown, the present invention is a multi-layer liquid cooling plate for cooling a battery pack of a new energy vehicle, including multiple liquid cooling plate bodies 1, a first current collector 2 and a second current collector 3 respectively installed at both ends of the liquid cooling plate body 1. The liquid cooling plate body 1 includes an upper arc-shaped part 101, a rectangular part 102 and a lower arc-shaped part 103. In this embodiment, the side wall of the battery pack is attached to the outer side wall of the rectangular part 102, and the height of the rectangular part 102 is equal to the height of the battery pack. The bottom of the housing on which the battery pack is installed has a groove corresponding to the lower arc-shaped part 103. The rectangular part 102 is connected between the upper arc-shaped part 101 and the lower arc-shaped part 103. The outer side wall of the upper arc-shaped part 101 is symmetrically equipped with limiting fins 16 distributed along its length direction. The limiting fins 16 are attached to the top of the battery pack to further improve the heat dissipation effect.

[0021] Multiple liquid cooling plate bodies 1 are evenly spaced. Each liquid cooling plate body 1 is a hollow structure with openings at both ends. Upper fins 4 and lower fins 5 are installed between the inner walls of the liquid cooling plate body 1 near the top and bottom ends. The upper fins 4 and lower fins 5 divide the inner cavity of the liquid cooling plate body 1 from top to bottom into an inlet channel 6, a heat exchange chamber 7, and an outlet channel 8. In this embodiment, the inlet channel 6 is located in the upper arc-shaped portion 101, the heat exchange chamber 7 is located in the rectangular portion 102, and the outlet channel 8 is located in the lower arc-shaped portion 103. Because the upper arc-shaped portion 101 is higher than the battery pack height, the coolant in the inlet channel 6 will not directly exchange heat with the battery pack, thus keeping the temperature of the coolant in the inlet channel 6 consistent. The lower arc-shaped portion 103 is hidden in the groove at the bottom of the housing, which can minimize the heat exchange between the coolant in the outlet channel 8 and the battery pack.

[0022] The first flow collector 2 includes a first half-shell 201, a second half-shell 202, and a first partition block 203. The first half-shell 201 and the second half-shell 202 are sealed and snapped together. The first partition block 203 is installed on the inner wall of the second half-shell 202 near the top. The side of the first partition block 203 away from the second half-shell 202 is in contact with the inner wall of the first half-shell 201. The first partition block 203 is used to conveniently divide the inner cavity of the first flow collector 2 into two independent cavities. The end of the first partition block 203 is sealed and fitted with one end of the upper fin 4, which facilitates the communication between the upper cavity of the first flow collector 2 and the liquid inlet channel 6.

[0023] The first flow collector 2 also includes an upper port 204 and a lower port 205. The upper port 204 is installed on the side wall near the top of the first half-shell 201 and the second half-shell 202. In this embodiment, the upper port 204 communicates with the upper cavity inside the first flow collector 2. The lower port 205 is installed on the side wall near the bottom of the first half-shell 201 and the second half-shell 202. In this embodiment, the lower port 205 communicates with the lower cavity inside the first flow collector 2. An upper connecting pipe 12 is installed between the upper pipe openings 204 of two adjacent first collector shrouds 2, and a lower connecting pipe 13 is installed between the lower pipe openings 205 of two adjacent first collector shrouds 2. The upper connecting pipe 12 and the lower connecting pipe 13 facilitate the parallel connection of multiple liquid cooling plate bodies 1, which is beneficial to improving the cooling efficiency of the battery pack. The upper pipe openings 204 of the first collector shrouds 2 located at both ends are connected to liquid inlet pipes 14 to facilitate the introduction of coolant, and the lower pipe openings 205 of the first collector shrouds 2 located at both ends are connected to liquid outlet pipes 15 to facilitate the discharge of coolant after heat exchange with the battery pack.

[0024] The second manifold 3 includes a third half-shell 301, a fourth half-shell 302, and a second partition block 303. The third half-shell 301 and the fourth half-shell 302 are sealed and snapped together. The second partition block 303 is installed on the inner wall of the fourth half-shell 302 near the top. The side of the second partition block 303 away from the fourth half-shell 302 is in contact with the inner wall of the third half-shell 301. The second partition block 303 is used to conveniently divide the inner cavity of the second manifold 3 into two independent cavities. The end of the second partition block 303 is sealed and attached to the end of the upper fin 4 away from the first manifold 2, which facilitates the blocking of coolant at the end of the liquid inlet channel 6. The top surface of the second partition block 303 has an arc-shaped slope structure, which ensures that when no coolant is introduced into the liquid inlet channel 6, no coolant will remain in the upper cavity of the second manifold 3.

[0025] The heat exchange chamber 7 is equipped with a flow channel mechanism, which includes multiple sets of longitudinal flow extension elements 9 equidistantly distributed in the heat exchange chamber 7. Each longitudinal flow extension element 9 includes two longitudinal fins 901 installed between the upper fin 4 and the lower fin 5. A longitudinal flow channel is formed between the two longitudinal fins 901. The bottom of the liquid inlet flow channel 6 is provided with an upper liquid inlet 10 corresponding to the longitudinal flow channel, so that the coolant can flow in through the upper liquid inlet 10. The top of the liquid outlet flow channel 8 is provided with a lower liquid outlet 11 corresponding to the longitudinal flow channel, so that the coolant after heat exchange can be discharged through the lower liquid outlet 11. Multiple staggered transverse fins 902 are installed in the longitudinal flow channel. In this embodiment, the upper fin 4, lower fin 5, longitudinal fins 901 and transverse fins 902 are all attached to the inner wall of the liquid cooling plate body 1. The length of the transverse fin 902 is slightly shorter than the distance between two longitudinal fins 901. The distance is designed to a suitable size so that the speed of the coolant flowing along the longitudinal flow channel is not too fast, which is conducive to the full heat exchange of the coolant. At the same time, the slow longitudinal flow speed of the coolant will cause the space of the liquid inlet channel 6 to be quickly filled by the injected coolant, so that the longitudinal flow of the coolant can be realized in multiple sets of longitudinal extension elements 9.

[0026] The working principle of this invention is as follows: External coolant is injected through the inlet pipe 14, and with the upper connecting pipe 12, the coolant can enter the upper cavity of the first collector shroud 2 at the end of each liquid cooling plate body 1. Then, the coolant fills the inlet channel 6 and enters the longitudinal channel through the upper inlet port 10. In the longitudinal channel, it flows in a tortuous manner along multiple intersecting transverse fins 902, so that the coolant flowing longitudinally can fully exchange heat with the battery pack. After the heat exchange and temperature rise, the coolant enters the outlet channel 8 through the lower outlet port 11, and then flows through the lower connecting pipe 13 at the bottom side wall of the first collector shroud 2, and finally flows back out through the outlet pipe 15. The external cooling equipment is used to cool the returned coolant, so as to realize the recycling of coolant.

[0027] The foregoing has provided a detailed description of one embodiment of the present invention, but this description is merely a preferred embodiment and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. All equivalent variations and modifications made within the scope of the claims of this invention should still fall within the patent coverage of this invention.

Claims

1. A multi-layer liquid cooling plate for cooling a battery pack of a new energy vehicle, comprising multiple liquid cooling plate bodies (1), a first current collector (2) and a second current collector (3) respectively installed at both ends of the liquid cooling plate bodies (1), wherein the multiple liquid cooling plate bodies (1) are distributed at equal intervals, characterized in that, The liquid cooling plate body (1) is a hollow structure with openings at both ends. The liquid cooling plate body (1) has an upper fin (4) and a lower fin (5) installed between the inner walls of the top and bottom ends. The upper fin (4) and the lower fin (5) divide the inner cavity of the liquid cooling plate body (1) from top to bottom into an inlet flow channel (6), a heat exchange chamber (7) and an outlet flow channel (8). The heat exchange chamber (7) is equipped with a flow channel mechanism. The flow channel mechanism includes multiple sets of longitudinal flow extension elements (9) equidistantly distributed in the heat exchange cavity (7). The longitudinal flow extension element (9) includes two longitudinal fins (901) installed between the upper fin (4) and the lower fin (5). A longitudinal flow channel is formed between the two longitudinal fins (901). Multiple staggered transverse fins (902) are installed in the longitudinal flow channel. The bottom of the liquid inlet channel (6) is provided with an upper liquid inlet (10) corresponding to the longitudinal channel, and the top of the liquid outlet channel (8) is provided with a lower liquid outlet (11) corresponding to the longitudinal channel.

2. The multi-layer liquid cooling plate for cooling a new energy vehicle battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first flow collector (2) includes a first half-shell (201), a second half-shell (202) and a first partition block (203). The first half-shell (201) and the second half-shell (202) are sealed and fitted together. The first partition block (203) is installed on the inner wall of the second half-shell (202) near the top.

3. A multi-layer liquid cooling plate for cooling a new energy vehicle battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second flow collector (3) includes a third half-shell (301), a fourth half-shell (302), and a second partition block (303). The third half-shell (301) and the fourth half-shell (302) are sealed and fitted together. The second partition block (303) is installed on the inner wall of the fourth half-shell (302) near the top.

4. A multi-layer liquid cooling plate for cooling a new energy vehicle battery pack according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first flow collector (2) also includes an upper port (204) and a lower port (205). The upper port (204) is installed on the side wall near the top of the first half-shell (201) and the second half-shell (202), and the lower port (205) is installed on the side wall near the bottom of the first half-shell (201) and the second half-shell (202).

5. A multi-layer liquid cooling plate for cooling a new energy vehicle battery pack according to claim 4, characterized in that, An upper connecting pipe (12) is installed between the upper pipe openings (204) of two adjacent first flow collectors (2), and a lower connecting pipe (13) is installed between the lower pipe openings (205) of two adjacent first flow collectors (2). An inlet pipe (14) is connected to the upper pipe opening (204) of the first flow collectors (2) located at both ends, and an outlet pipe (15) is connected to the lower pipe opening (205) of the first flow collectors (2) located at both ends.

6. A multi-layer liquid cooling plate for cooling a new energy vehicle battery pack according to claim 2, characterized in that, The side of the first partition block (203) away from the second half-shell (202) is attached to the inner wall of the first half-shell (201), and the end of the first partition block (203) is sealed and attached to one end of the upper fin (4).

7. A multi-layer liquid cooling plate for cooling a new energy vehicle battery pack according to claim 3, characterized in that, The side of the second partition block (303) away from the fourth half-shell (302) is attached to the inner wall of the third half-shell (301). The end of the second partition block (303) is sealed and attached to the end of the upper fin (4) away from the first collector shroud (2). The top surface of the second partition block (303) has an arc-shaped slope structure.

8. A multi-layer liquid cooling plate for cooling a new energy vehicle battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that, The liquid cooling plate body (1) includes an upper arc-shaped part (101), a rectangular part (102) and a lower arc-shaped part (103). The rectangular part (102) is connected between the upper arc-shaped part (101) and the lower arc-shaped part (103). The upper arc-shaped part (101) has symmetrically installed limiting fins (16) distributed along its length direction on its outer side wall.

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