Reinforcing-rib-free liquid cooling plate for battery pack
By designing dense runners and liquid inlets and outlets on the liquid-cooled plate, combining the structure of cross beams and rivet holes, the reinforcement rib design is abolished, solving the problem of increasing cost and volume of existing liquid-cooled plate materials, and reducing manufacturing Cost and energy consumption effects.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202323406335.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-12-14
- Publication Date
- 2024-12-13
- Estimated Expiration
- 2033-12-14
AI Technical Summary
In order to increase structural strength, existing liquid-cooled plates need to be welded reinforced plates, resulting in an increase in material costs and manufacturing costs, and the volume and weight of the product increases, which poses welding risks and leakage process problems.
A liquid-cooled plate with no reinforcement is designed. By opening dense runners and liquid inlets and outlets on the thickened upper and lower layers, combining cross beams and rivet holes to achieve structural strength and good heat dissipation effect, the reinforcement design is cancelled , fix the structural parts directly through the brazing process.
It reduces procurement and manufacturing costs, reduces the weight and volume of the battery system, improves the utilization space of energy storage cabinets, reduces energy consumption, and meets structural strength and heat dissipation needs.
Smart Images
Figure CN222168489U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The utility model belongs to the field of liquid cooling plates, and in particular relates to a rib-free liquid cooling plate for a battery pack. Background Art
[0002] In the field of new energy vehicles and energy storage, liquid cooling plate technology has gradually become the mainstream heat dissipation technology for battery systems and has broad application prospects. At present, many well-known companies and institutions in the field of electric vehicles have begun to adopt liquid cooling technology, such as Tesla, CATL, LG Chem, etc. At the same time, liquid-cooled energy storage has become an industry trend since 2020, and its market share has also increased significantly year by year. The advantages of liquid-cooled energy storage systems are mainly close to heat sources, uniform temperature, and low energy consumption. It is a temperature control technology for battery temperature management. Through convection heat exchange of the coolant, the temperature management of each battery cell can be achieved. It is a safer and more efficient temperature control system. At the same time, liquid-cooled energy storage systems are more suitable for outdoor environments than air cooling.
[0003] In addition to technical advantages, the development of liquid-cooled energy storage systems is also inseparable from the current market demand. The scale of new energy storage is expanding and its share is gradually increasing. The National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration officially issued the "Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the Development of New Energy Storage", which clearly stated that by 2025, the installed capacity of new energy storage will reach more than 30GW. In the next five years, new energy storage will shift from the initial stage of commercialization to large-scale development, and by 2030, new energy storage will be market-oriented. By analyzing the energy storage methods over the years, it can be seen that the share of new energy storage has increased year by year. With the breakthrough of liquid cooling technology and the rapid growth of energy storage demand, the application scenarios and scale of liquid-cooled energy storage systems will also develop rapidly. Analysis of the energy storage temperature control industry shows that liquid cooling solutions are the future development trend.
[0004] Liquid cooling technology can achieve long-term high reliability and high stability of energy storage, while reducing the footprint of energy storage power stations by 35%, and can be maintained in zones without stopping, achieving flexible operation and maintenance. Therefore, manufacturers such as Sungrow Power Supply and BYD have also launched liquid-cooled cabinet products for outdoor energy storage systems. The cost-reduction and efficiency-increasing advantages of liquid-cooled energy storage systems make them widely used in various energy storage scenarios such as photovoltaic energy storage, wind power energy storage, grid energy storage, and commercial energy storage. The rapid development of the market, the rapid expansion of the industry, and the strong support of the country have given impetus to the development of the heat dissipation industry, and the future heat dissipation industry is also very promising. With the continuous increase in demand, it is even more important to break through the cost advantage to increase the market share of products and achieve rapid development.
[0005] At present, the liquid cooling technology used in both electric vehicles and liquid-cooled energy storage battery systems relies on liquid cooling plates to dissipate heat. In order to support the weight of the battery pack above, existing liquid cooling plates usually have several stamped reinforcing plates (or reinforcing ribs) welded on the back to strengthen their overall structural strength, such as Figure 6 However, after welding the reinforcement plate, not only does the liquid cooling plate product have many more structures, thereby increasing the risk of welding, but also the material cost and manufacturing cost are greatly increased. In addition, the volume of the liquid cooling plate as a whole will limit the available space of the battery system cabinet, and the weight of the liquid cooling plate itself will also increase unpredictable risks during assembly and transportation. At the same time, the stamping cost of the reinforcement plate is high, and there may also be problems with process leakage during the manufacturing process. Utility Model Content
[0006] In view of the defects of the above-mentioned prior art, the utility model provides a rib-free liquid cooling plate for a battery pack, which can replace the liquid cooling plate with ribs or reinforcement plates while meeting a certain structural strength.
[0007] In order to solve the above technical problems and achieve the above technical effects, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solutions:
[0008] A rib-free liquid cooling plate for a battery pack, comprising a thickened upper plate and a thickened lower plate stacked up and down, the inner surface of the thickened lower plate being provided with a dense flow channel that facilitates the flow of coolant and can improve the structural strength of the thickened lower plate, the thickened upper plate being provided with a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet that facilitate the entry and exit of coolant, the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet being respectively connected to two ends of the dense flow channel, and the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet being respectively provided with a liquid inlet male connector and a liquid outlet male connector, and two cross beams being provided on the outer surface of the thickened upper plate, the two cross beams being respectively located on the left and right sides of the outer surface of the thickened upper plate.
[0009] Furthermore, rivet holes for fixed connection with the battery cells are provided around the thickened upper plate and the thickened lower plate, and the number of the rivet holes on the thickened upper plate is equal to that on the thickened lower plate, and the positions are corresponding.
[0010] Furthermore, the crossbeam is provided with rivet stud holes for fixed connection with the battery cell.
[0011] Furthermore, both ends of the intensive flow channel, the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet are located at the edge of the short side or long side of the same side of the liquid cooling plate, and the positions of the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet correspond to the upper and lower ends of the flow channel respectively.
[0012] Furthermore, two upper extension plates are horizontally extended outward from one short side of the thickened upper plate, and two lower extension plates are horizontally extended outward from one short side of the thickened lower plate. The two upper extension plates and the two lower extension plates are all located on the same short side of the liquid cooling plate, and the positions of the two upper extension plates correspond to the positions of the two lower extension plates up and down, respectively. The two ends of the intensive flow channel are respectively located on the two lower extension plates. Similarly, the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet are respectively located on the two upper extension plates.
[0013] Furthermore, the length of the thickened upper plate and the thickened lower plate is 1160 mm, the width of the plate is 810 mm, and the thickness of the plate is 2.5 mm.
[0014] Furthermore, the area of the intensive flow channel accounts for 90% of the area of the inner side surface of the thickened lower plate.
[0015] Furthermore, the intensive flow channel includes an inlet end and an outlet end, the inlet end is connected inwardly with two main inlet channels, the outlet end is connected inwardly with two main outlet channels, the two main inlet channels are connected to a plurality of branch inlet channels at the same time through a turning angle, and the two main outlet channels are connected to a plurality of branch outlet channels at the same time through a turning angle; on the thickened lower plate with a length and width specification of 1160mm*810mm, the ratio of the number of the inlet branch channels to the outlet branch channels is 4:3.
[0016] Furthermore, the depth of each flow channel in the intensive flow channel is 3.5 mm, the width is 29 mm, and the maximum distance between two adjacent flow channels is 14 mm.
[0017] Furthermore, the inner angle at the bend between the side wall and the bottom surface of the flow channel is R3, and the outer angle is R5.5.
[0018] The beneficial effects of the utility model are:
[0019] While ensuring a certain structural strength and good heat dissipation effect, the utility model eliminates the design of the reinforcing ribs on the liquid cooling plate, which not only greatly reduces the procurement and manufacturing costs, but also directly eliminates the process of coating the gap with structural adhesive after the reinforcing ribs are fixed to the liquid cooling plate. At the same time, the reinforcing rib-free design of the utility model can also reduce the weight and volume of the battery system, increase the utilization space of the energy storage cabinet, and reduce energy consumption. Therefore, the reinforcing rib-free liquid cooling plate of the utility model is of great significance to the development of the new energy industry.
[0020] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the utility model. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the utility model and implement it according to the contents of the specification, the following is a detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the utility model with the accompanying drawings. The specific implementation method of the utility model is given in detail by the following embodiments and their drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of the present application. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present invention. In the drawings:
[0022] Figure 1 This is an exploded view of the rib-free liquid cooling plate of the utility model;
[0023] Figure 2 It is a top view of the rib-free liquid cooling plate of the utility model;
[0024] Figure 3 This is a bottom view of the rib-free liquid cooling plate of the utility model;
[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the rib-free liquid cooling plate and the battery cell of the utility model;
[0026] Figure 5 It is a cross-sectional view of the flow channel in the rib-free liquid cooling plate of the utility model;
[0027] Figure 6 It is a top view of a liquid cooling plate with reinforcement ribs in the prior art. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings so that the purpose, features and advantages of the present invention can be more clearly understood. It should be understood that the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, but are only intended to illustrate the essential spirit of the technical solution of the present invention.
[0029] In the following description, certain specific details are set forth for the purpose of illustrating various disclosed embodiments to provide a thorough understanding of the various disclosed embodiments. However, those skilled in the relevant art will recognize that the embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specific details. In other cases, well-known devices, structures, and techniques associated with the present application may not be shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodiments.
[0030] Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, the word "comprise" and variations such as "include" and "have" should be construed in an open, inclusive sense, ie, should be interpreted as "including, but not limited to."
[0031] References throughout the specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" indicate that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Thus, the appearances of "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any manner in one or more embodiments.
[0032] As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It should be noted that the term "or" is generally employed in its sense including "and / or" unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
[0033] In addition, the technical features involved in the different embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.
[0034] See also Figure 1-5 As shown, a rib-free liquid cooling plate for a battery pack comprises a thickened upper plate 1 and a thickened lower plate 2 which are stacked up and down, and a dense flow channel 3 is provided on the inner surface of the thickened lower plate 2 for facilitating the flow of coolant and improving the structural strength of the thickened lower plate 2, and the dense flow channel 3 is in a serpentine multi-channel shape on the plane, with a liquid inlet end and a liquid outlet end formed at both ends, and a liquid inlet 4 and a liquid outlet 5 are provided on the thickened upper plate 1 for facilitating the entry and exit of coolant, and the liquid inlet 4 and the liquid outlet 5 are respectively connected to the liquid inlet end and the liquid outlet end of the dense flow channel 3, and the liquid inlet 4 and the liquid outlet 5 are respectively provided with a liquid inlet male connector 6 and a liquid outlet male connector 7, and two cross beams 8 for fixing and limiting battery cells are provided on the outer surface of the thickened upper plate 1, and the two cross beams 8 are respectively located on the left and right sides of the outer surface of the thickened upper plate 1.
[0035] In one embodiment of the utility model, the length and width of the thickened upper plate 1 and the thickened lower plate 2 are both 1160mm*810mm, and in order to eliminate the reinforcing plate or reinforcing ribs on the existing liquid cooling plate, the thickness of the thickened upper plate 1 and the thickened lower plate 2 reaches 2.5mm. In actual use, the weight of the battery cell is directly borne on the thickened upper plate 1. After static load and hoisting simulation, the strength of the rib-free liquid cooling plate of the utility model fully meets the weight of 280Ah and 314Ah battery cells.
[0036] In one embodiment of the utility model, the dense flow channel 3 is densely distributed as a whole, and its area accounts for 90% of the area of the inner side surface of the thickened lower plate 2. In addition to a liquid inlet end and a liquid outlet end, the dense flow channel 3 is also connected to two liquid inlet main channels inwardly at the liquid inlet end, and is also connected to two liquid outlet main channels inwardly at the liquid outlet end. The two liquid inlet main channels are connected to a plurality of liquid inlet branch channels at the same time through a folding turn, and the two liquid outlet main channels are connected to a plurality of liquid outlet branch channels at the same time through a folding turn.
[0037] In one embodiment of the utility model, on the thickened lower plate 2 with a length and width specification of 1160mm*810mm, the ratio of the number of the liquid inlet branch channel to the liquid outlet branch channel is 4:3. The depth of each flow channel in the dense flow channel 3 is 3.5mm, the width is 29mm, and the maximum spacing between two adjacent flow channels is 14mm. The dense flow channel 3 maintains a minimum welding plane width of 8mm, plus a plate thickness of 2.5mm, so that the overall support strength of the liquid cooling plate is more stable and not easy to deform. The inner angle at the bend between the side wall and the bottom surface of the dense flow channel 3 is R3, and the outer angle is R5.5. The inner and outer R angles also meet the minimum relative bending radius r / t of stamping.
[0038] Through thermal simulation, in an environment with an inlet temperature of 20°C and flow rates of 5L / min and 10L / min respectively, the maximum temperature difference between the inlet and outlet and the cross-section is within 3°C, proving that the rib-free liquid cooling plate of the utility model meets actual heat dissipation requirements.
[0039] In one embodiment of the present invention, the thickened upper plate 1 and the thickened lower plate 2 are fixed together by brazing, the liquid inlet male joint 6 and the liquid outlet male joint 7 are fixedly connected to the liquid inlet 4 and the liquid outlet 5 respectively by flux-cored welding, and the two cross beams 8 are fixedly connected to the outer surface of the thickened upper plate 1 by welding with welding sheets. Therefore, the present invention can simultaneously fix the above-mentioned structural parts through only one brazing process.
[0040] In one embodiment of the utility model, the thickened upper plate 1 and the thickened lower plate 2 are provided with rivet holes 9 for fixed connection with the battery cells on all sides, and the number of the rivet holes 9 on the thickened upper plate 1 and the rivet holes 9 on the thickened lower plate 2 are equal, and the positions are corresponding. As a further preferred embodiment, the thickened upper plate 1 and the thickened lower plate 2 are provided with 43 rivet holes 9 on all sides, wherein 14 rivet holes 9 are provided on both long sides, 7 rivet holes 9 are provided on one short side, and 8 rivet holes 9 are provided on the other short side. When the rib-free liquid cooling plate of the utility model is fixed to the battery cells, the rivets 11 realize the riveting of the thickened upper plate 1, the thickened lower plate 2 assembly and the battery cells through the rivet holes 9 that overlap each other.
[0041] In one embodiment of the utility model, the cross beam 8 is provided with a pressure riveting stud hole 12 for fixed connection with the battery cell. As a further preferred embodiment, 8 pressure riveting stud holes 12 are provided on both cross beams 8, for a total of 16 pressure riveting stud holes 12. When the rib-free liquid cooling plate of the utility model is fixed to the battery cell, the studs are riveted to the cross beam 8 and the battery cell through the pressure riveting stud holes 12.
[0042] In one embodiment of the utility model, both ends of the flow channel 3, the liquid inlet 4 and the liquid outlet 5 are all located at the edge of the short side or long side of the same side of the liquid cooling plate, and the positions of the liquid inlet 4 and the liquid outlet 5 correspond to the two ends of the flow channel 3. As a further preferred embodiment, two upper extension plates are horizontally extended outward from one short side of the thickened upper plate 1, and two lower extension plates are horizontally extended outward from one short side of the thickened lower plate 2. The two upper extension plates and the two lower extension plates are all located at the short side of the same side of the liquid cooling plate, and the positions of the two upper extension plates correspond to the positions of the two lower extension plates, respectively. The two ends of the flow channel 3 are respectively located on the two lower extension plates. Similarly, the liquid inlet 4 and the liquid outlet 5 are respectively located on the two upper extension plates.
[0043] While ensuring a certain structural strength and good heat dissipation effect, the utility model eliminates the design of the reinforcing ribs on the liquid cooling plate, which not only greatly reduces the procurement and manufacturing costs, but also directly eliminates the process of coating the gap with structural adhesive after the reinforcing ribs are fixed to the liquid cooling plate. At the same time, the reinforcing rib-free design of the utility model can also reduce the weight and volume of the battery system, increase the utilization space of the energy storage cabinet, and reduce energy consumption. Therefore, the reinforcing rib-free liquid cooling plate of the utility model is of great significance to the development of the new energy industry.
[0044] The above description is only the preferred embodiment of the utility model, and is not intended to limit the utility model. For those skilled in the art, the utility model can have various modifications and changes. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the utility model shall be included in the protection scope of the utility model.
Claims
1. A rib-free liquid cooling plate for a battery pack, characterized in that: The invention comprises a thickened upper plate (1) and a thickened lower plate (2) stacked together, wherein the inner surface of the thickened lower plate (2) is provided with a dense flow channel (3) which facilitates the flow of coolant and can improve the structural strength of the thickened lower plate (2), and the thickened upper plate (1) is provided with a liquid inlet (4) and a liquid outlet (5) which facilitate the entry and exit of coolant, the liquid inlet (4) and the liquid outlet (5) are respectively connected to the two ends of the dense flow channel (3), and the liquid inlet (4) and the liquid outlet (5) are respectively provided with a liquid inlet male joint (6) and a liquid outlet male joint (7), and the outer surface of the thickened upper plate (1) is provided with two cross beams (8), and the two cross beams (8) are respectively located on the left and right sides of the outer surface of the thickened upper plate (1).
2. The rib-free liquid cooling plate for a battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thickened upper plate (1) and the thickened lower plate (2) are provided with rivet holes (9) for fixed connection with the battery core on all sides, and the number of the rivet holes (9) on the thickened upper plate (1) and the number of the rivet holes (9) on the thickened lower plate (2) are equal, and the positions are corresponding.
3. The rib-free liquid cooling plate for a battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that: The crossbeam (8) is provided with a riveting stud hole (12) for fixedly connecting with the battery cell.
4. The rib-free liquid cooling plate for a battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two ends of the dense flow channel (3), the liquid inlet (4) and the liquid outlet (5) are all located at the edge of the short side or long side of the same side of the liquid cooling plate, and the positions of the liquid inlet (4) and the liquid outlet (5) correspond to the two ends of the flow channel (3) above and below.
5. The rib-free liquid cooling plate for a battery pack according to claim 4, characterized in that: Two upper extension plates are horizontally extended outward from one short side of the thickened upper plate (1), and two lower extension plates are horizontally extended outward from one short side of the thickened lower plate (2). The two upper extension plates and the two lower extension plates are located on the same short side of the liquid cooling plate, and the positions of the two upper extension plates correspond to the positions of the two lower extension plates. The two ends of the dense flow channel (3) are respectively located on the two lower extension plates. Similarly, the liquid inlet (4) and the liquid outlet (5) are respectively located on the two upper extension plates.
6. The rib-free liquid cooling plate for a battery pack according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thickened upper plate (1) and the thickened lower plate (2) have a plate length of 1160 mm, a plate width of 810 mm, and a plate thickness of 2.5 mm.
7. The rib-free liquid cooling plate for a battery pack according to claim 6, characterized in that: The area of the dense flow channel (3) accounts for 90% of the area of the inner side surface of the thickened lower plate (2).
8. The rib-free liquid cooling plate for a battery pack according to claim 7, characterized in that: The dense flow channel (3) includes a liquid inlet end and a liquid outlet end, the liquid inlet end is connected inwardly with two liquid inlet main channels, the liquid outlet end is connected inwardly with two liquid outlet main channels, the two liquid inlet main channels are connected to a plurality of liquid inlet branch channels at the same time through a folding turn, and the two liquid outlet main channels are connected to a plurality of liquid outlet branch channels at the same time through a folding turn; on the thickened lower plate (2) with a length and width specification of 1160mm*810mm, the ratio of the number of the liquid inlet branch channels to the number of the liquid outlet branch channels is 4:
3.
9. The rib-free liquid cooling plate for a battery pack according to claim 8, characterized in that: The depth of each flow channel in the dense flow channel (3) is 3.5 mm, the width is 29 mm, and the maximum distance between two adjacent flow channels is 14 mm.
10. The rib-free liquid cooling plate for a battery pack according to claim 8, characterized in that: The inner angle at the bend between the side wall and the bottom surface of the flow channel (3) is R3, and the outer angle is R5.5.