Battery and electric device

Abstract

The utility model relates to a battery and an electric device. The battery comprises an outer box, a battery unit, a heat exchange plate and a phase change plate, the outer box is provided with a containing cavity, the battery unit, the heat exchange plate and the phase change plate are all located in the containing cavity, and the phase change plate is arranged on the side, opposite to the battery unit, of the heat exchange plate in an overlapped mode. According to the battery and the electric device, the risk of thermal runaway can be reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of battery technology, and in particular to a battery and an electrical device. Background Art

[0002] Batteries are widely used in various industries due to their advantages such as high energy density, high operating voltage, no memory and long cycle life.

[0003] The battery consists of battery cells, which release a large amount of heat during the charging and discharging process. If the heat cannot be dissipated in time, the battery is prone to thermal runaway due to heat accumulation, posing a major safety hazard.

[0004] To solve the above problems, in the related technology, heat exchange plates are designed inside the battery to cool down the battery cells. However, due to the limitation of the internal space of the battery, the heat exchange plates are usually thin. The thinner heat exchange plates can accommodate less heat exchange medium, resulting in untimely heat dissipation of the battery and the risk of thermal runaway. Utility Model Content

[0005] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a battery and an electrical device that can reduce the risk of thermal runaway in order to address the above-mentioned problems.

[0006] A battery comprises an outer box, a battery cell, a heat exchange plate and a phase change plate, wherein the outer box has a accommodating cavity, the battery cell, the heat exchange plate and the phase change plate are all located in the accommodating cavity, and the phase change plate is stacked on a side of the heat exchange plate facing away from the battery cell.

[0007] In some embodiments, the phase change plate and the heat exchange plate are both disposed on the top side of the battery unit.

[0008] In some embodiments, the outer box includes a box body and a box cover, the box body is a hollow structure with one end open and the other end closed, the box cover is detachably covered on the open side of the box body, and defines the accommodating cavity with the box body;

[0009] The phase change plate and the heat exchange plate are both arranged on the top side of the battery unit, and the phase change plate is clamped between the box cover and the heat exchange plate.

[0010] In some embodiments, the phase change plate completely covers the heat exchange plate, and the heat exchange plate completely covers the battery unit.

[0011] In some embodiments, there are multiple phase change plates, and all of the phase change plates are arranged along the length direction or the width direction of the battery unit.

[0012] In some embodiments, the phase change temperature of the phase change plate is T, and T satisfies the condition: 100°C≤T≤130°C.

[0013] In some of the embodiments, the phase change enthalpy of the phase change plate is H, and H satisfies the condition: 800kJ / kg≤H≤1600kJ / kg.

[0014] In some embodiments, the thermal conductivity of the phase change plate is G, and G satisfies the condition: 0.3W / m·K≤G≤0.5W / m·K.

[0015] In some embodiments, the phase change plate is an inorganic phase change plate.

[0016] An electrical device comprises a battery as described in any one of the above embodiments, wherein the battery is used to provide electrical energy for the electrical device.

[0017] In the above-mentioned battery and electrical device, the phase change plate cooperates with the heat exchange plate. The phase change plate is arranged on the side of the heat exchange plate facing away from the battery cell, which will not affect the heat transfer performance between the heat exchange plate and the battery cell, so that the heat exchange plate can dissipate heat for the battery cell when the temperature of the battery cell is high, and keep the battery cell warm when the temperature of the battery cell is low. In this process, the heat exchange plate can also use its own high thermal conductivity to transfer a small part of the heat to the phase change material for heat storage. When the battery cell works abnormally and releases a large amount of heat, causing the temperature in the accommodating cavity to rise sharply, and reaches the phase change temperature of the phase change plate, the phase change plate quickly absorbs heat and changes phase to reduce the risk of explosion due to thermal runaway, and has higher safety. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a battery in one embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 2 for Figure 1 An exploded view of the battery shown;

[0020] Figure 3 for Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the structure of the battery with the box cover removed is shown.

[0021] Figure Number:

[0022] 1.Battery;

[0023] 10. Outer box; 20. Battery unit; 30. Heat exchange plate; 40. Phase change plate;

[0024] 11. Box body; 12. Box cover; 13. Accommodating chamber;

[0025] 21. Battery module; 22. Battery cell. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the present application, so the present application is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0027] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0028] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be an intermediate element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intermediate element at the same time.

[0029] Please also read Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 At present, from the perspective of the development of the market situation, the application of battery 1 is becoming more and more extensive. Battery 1 is not only used in energy storage power supply systems such as hydropower, thermal power, wind power and solar power stations, but also widely used in electric vehicles such as electric bicycles, electric motorcycles, electric cars, as well as military equipment and aerospace and other fields. With the continuous expansion of the application field of battery 1, its market demand is also constantly expanding. In the description of this application, the meaning of "multiple" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0030] The battery 1 includes a battery cell 22. During the charging and discharging process of the battery cell 22, the battery cell 22 releases a large amount of heat. If the heat cannot be dissipated in time, the battery 1 is prone to thermal runaway due to heat accumulation, which poses a great safety hazard.

[0031] To solve the above problems, in the related art, a heat exchange plate 30 is designed inside the battery 1 to cool the battery cell 22. However, due to the limitation of the internal space of the battery 1, the heat exchange plate 30 is usually thin. The thinner heat exchange plate 30 can accommodate less heat exchange medium, resulting in untimely heat dissipation of the battery 1, and there is still a risk of thermal runaway.

[0032] In order to alleviate the problem that the battery 1 still has the risk of thermal runaway due to the thin heat exchange plate 30, the applicant has designed a battery 1 after in-depth research. The battery 1 includes an outer box 10, a battery cell 20, a heat exchange plate 30 and a phase change plate 40. The outer box 10 has a accommodating cavity 13. The battery cell 20, the heat exchange plate 30 and the phase change plate 40 are all located in the accommodating cavity 13, and the phase change plate 40 is stacked on the side of the heat exchange plate 30 facing away from the battery cell 20.

[0033] Specifically, the outer box 10 includes a box body 11 and a box cover 12, and the box cover 12 and the box body 11 define a receiving chamber 13 for receiving the battery unit 20, the heat exchange plate 30 and the phase change plate 40. The box body 11 is a hollow structure with one end open and the other end closed. The box cover 12 is a plate-like structure and can be detachably covered on the open side of the box body 11 and used to close the box body 11, so that the internal environment of the box body 11 can be isolated from the external environment where the battery 1 is located. Of course, the box cover 12 can also be a hollow structure with one end open and the other end closed, and the open side of the box cover 12 can be detachably covered on the open side of the box body 11. The box body 11 and the box cover 12 are made of insulating materials. The box body 11 can be rectangular, cylindrical or other shapes, and the shape of the box cover 12 is adapted to the shape of the box body 11. The box cover 12 can be detachably connected to the box body 11 by screws, pins or other detachable parts.

[0034] The battery unit 20 includes a plurality of battery cells 22, and the plurality of battery cells 22 can be connected in series, in parallel, or in a mixed connection. A mixed connection means that the plurality of battery cells 22 are both connected in series and in parallel. The plurality of battery cells 22 can be directly connected in series, in parallel, or in a mixed connection, and then the battery unit 20 composed of the plurality of battery cells 22 is accommodated in the outer box 10; of course, the battery 1 can also be a battery module 21 formed by first connecting a plurality of battery cells 22 in series, in parallel, or in a mixed connection, and then the plurality of battery modules 21 are connected in series, in parallel, or in a mixed connection to form a battery unit 20, and accommodated in the outer box 10. For the convenience of explanation, the following embodiments are all described by taking the battery unit 20 composed of a plurality of battery modules 21 as an example.

[0035] The battery 1 may also include other structures. For example, the battery 1 may also include a busbar component for realizing electrical connection between multiple battery cells 22. Each battery cell 22 may be a secondary battery or a primary battery; it may also be a lithium-sulfur battery, a sodium-ion battery or a magnesium-ion battery, but is not limited thereto. The battery cell 22 may be cylindrical, flat, rectangular or in other shapes.

[0036] The heat exchange plate 30 is used to conduct heat. When the temperature in the accommodating chamber 13 is high, the heat exchange plate 30 absorbs the heat and cools the battery cell 22. When the temperature in the accommodating chamber 13 is low, the heat exchange plate 30 conducts the heat to the battery cell 22 to ensure that the battery cell 20 can be charged and discharged normally.

[0037] The heat exchange plate 30 is provided with a heat exchange channel inside, and the heat exchange channel is filled with a heat exchange medium, wherein the heat exchange medium may be water, ethylene glycol, glycerin, etc. Water is preferably used, as it is easy to obtain and has low cost. Due to the limitation of the space inside the outer box 10, the heat exchange plate 30 is usually designed as a thin plate.

[0038] In addition, the heat exchange plate 30 also has high thermal conductivity, and can quickly conduct heat to the phase change plate 40 .

[0039] In the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being “on” or “under” a second feature may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact with each other, or the first and second features are in indirect contact with each other through an intermediate medium.

[0040] The phase change plate 40 can undergo a phase change and change its state (for example, from solid to liquid or vice versa). During the phase change process, the phase change plate 40 can absorb a large amount of heat. Specifically, when the battery cell 22 is working normally, the battery cell 22 releases less heat, the temperature in the accommodating cavity 13 is not high, and the phase change temperature of the phase change plate 40 is not reached. At this time, the phase change plate 40 can absorb heat, but the heat absorbed is less, and the heat exchange plate 30 is actually the main heat dissipation in the battery 1. When the battery cell 22 is working abnormally, the battery cell 22 releases a large amount of heat, causing the temperature in the accommodating cavity 13 to rise sharply and reach the phase change temperature of the phase change plate 40. At this time, the phase change plate 40 absorbs heat quickly and in large quantities, and undergoes a phase change. During the phase change process, the temperature of the phase change plate 40 remains basically unchanged.

[0041] The phase change temperature of the phase change plate 40 is defined as T. For example, T satisfies the condition: 100°C≤T≤130°C. When the temperature in the accommodating chamber 13 is lower than 100°C, the heat exchange plate 30 acts as the main heat dissipation plate to perform heat dissipation. When the temperature in the accommodating chamber 13 reaches 100°C or even higher, the phase change plate 40 quickly and massively absorbs heat and undergoes phase change, so that the temperature in the accommodating chamber 13 can be basically stabilized within the range of 100°C to 130°C, reducing the risk of thermal runaway and explosion of the battery 1. It can be understood that when the temperature in the accommodating chamber 13 reaches the phase change temperature of the phase change plate 40, although the temperature in the accommodating chamber 13 is relatively high, the phase change plate 40 can absorb a large amount of heat, so that the temperature in the accommodating chamber 13 will not continue to rise sharply and cause thermal runaway explosion. For example, T can be 100°C, 105°C, 110°C, 120°C, 130°C, etc., and examples are not given one by one here.

[0042] The phase change plate 40 may be made of organic phase change heat storage material, inorganic phase change heat storage material, metal or alloy phase change heat storage material, etc. The organic phase change heat storage material may be paraffin, polyethylene, etc., the inorganic phase change heat storage material may be nitrate, carbonate, etc., the metal or alloy phase change heat storage material may be eutectic alloy, low temperature alloy, etc., and the specific material may be selected according to the needs.

[0043] Exemplarily, the phase change plate 40 is an inorganic phase change plate 40. That is to say, the phase change plate 40 is made of an inorganic phase change heat storage material. An inorganic phase change material is a material that can undergo phase changes such as solid-solid, solid-liquid, liquid-gas, etc. under temperature changes. Inorganic phase change materials can store a large amount of heat in a smaller volume during the phase change process. Therefore, while inorganic phase change materials can achieve high-density energy storage, they can also reduce the amount of material used and occupy less space, which is beneficial to improving the energy density of the battery 1.

[0044] In addition, the phase change of inorganic phase change materials is achieved through physical mechanisms and has good stability and reliability, thereby improving heat storage and cooling effects.

[0045] In the present application, the phase change plate 40 cooperates with the heat exchange plate 30, and the phase change plate 40 is arranged on the side of the heat exchange plate 30 facing away from the battery cell 20, which will not affect the heat transfer performance between the heat exchange plate 30 and the battery cell 20, so that the heat exchange plate 30 performs heat dissipation on the battery cell 20 when the temperature of the battery cell 20 is high, and performs heat preservation on the battery cell 20 when the temperature of the battery cell 20 is low. In this process, the heat exchange plate 30 can also use its own high thermal conductivity to transfer a small part of the heat to the phase change material for heat storage. When the battery cell 20 works abnormally and releases a large amount of heat, causing the temperature in the accommodating cavity 13 to rise sharply, and reaches the phase change temperature of the phase change plate 40, the phase change plate 40 absorbs a large amount of heat and changes phase to reduce the risk of explosion due to thermal runaway, and has higher safety.

[0046] It is worth mentioning that, due to the limitation of the accommodation space, the phase change plate 40 can be designed to be a thin plate.

[0047] The phase change plate 40 and the heat exchange plate 30 may both be disposed on the bottom side of the battery cell 20 . Exemplarily, the phase change plate 40 and the heat exchange plate 30 are both disposed on the top side of the battery cell 20 , and the phase change plate 40 is clamped between the box cover 12 and the heat exchange plate 30 .

[0048] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0049] When the phase change plate 40 and the heat exchange plate 30 are arranged on the top side of the battery unit 20, the battery unit 20 has a small squeezing effect on the heat exchange plate 30 and the phase change plate 40, and the heat exchange plate 30 and the phase change plate 40 are not easy to deform, and the reliability is high. The phase change plate 40 is clamped between the box cover 12 and the heat exchange plate 30, which ensures that the heat exchange plate 30 and the phase change plate 40 can be in close contact, so the heat on the battery unit 20 can be effectively transferred to the phase change plate 40 through the heat exchange plate 30, and the heat dissipation effect is good.

[0050] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the phase change plate 40 completely covers the heat exchange plate 30, and the heat exchange plate 30 completely covers the battery cell 20. This design has a high heat conduction effect. In this way, when the battery cell 20 is working normally, the heat exchange plate 30 can effectively conduct heat to the battery cell 20. When the battery cell 20 is working abnormally, the phase change plate 40 can quickly and massively absorb the heat transferred by the heat exchange plate 30, reducing the risk of thermal runaway.

[0051] The phase change plate 40 may be one or more. If there are more than one phase change plate 40, all phase change plates 40 are arranged along the length direction of the battery unit 20 (eg Figure 2 X direction in the image) or width direction (such as Figure 2 The Y direction in the figure is arranged.

[0052] Generally, the battery unit 20 is formed by arranging battery cells 22 or battery modules 21 to form a rectangular structure. Taking the battery unit 20 formed by arranging battery cells 22 as an example, multiple battery cells 22 are arranged to form a battery row, and multiple battery rows are arranged to form a battery unit 20. The length direction of the battery unit 20 is one of the arrangement direction of all battery rows and the direction in which the battery cells 22 are arranged to form the battery row, and the width direction of the battery unit 20 is the other of the arrangement direction of all battery rows and the direction in which the battery cells 22 are arranged to form the battery row.

[0053] Taking the battery cell 20 formed by arranging battery modules 21 as an example, the length direction of the battery cell 20 is one of the arrangement direction of all battery modules 21 and the direction in which the battery cells 22 are arranged to form the battery module 21, and the width direction of the battery cell 20 is the other of the arrangement direction of all battery modules 21 and the direction in which the battery cells 22 are arranged to form the battery module 21.

[0054] In the embodiment with multiple phase change plates 40, the cross-sectional area of ​​the phase change plates 40 is relatively small. The combination of different numbers of phase change plates 40 can be adapted to battery cells 20 with different cross-sectional areas, and the compatibility and applicability of the phase change plates 40 are higher. Moreover, the phase change plates 40 with smaller cross-sectional areas occupy less space, are convenient for packaging and transportation, and are more labor-saving to pick up and put away.

[0055] In some embodiments, the phase change enthalpy of the phase change plate 40 is H, and H satisfies the condition: 800kJ / kg≤H≤1600kJ / kg. For example, H is 800kJ / kg, 900kJ / kg, 1000kJ / kg, 1100kJ / kg, 1200kJ / kg, 1600kJ / kg, etc., and examples are not given one by one here. The larger the phase change enthalpy, the more heat the phase change plate 40 can absorb and accommodate, and the better the cooling effect. For example, a phase change material with a phase change enthalpy value H in the range of 800kJ / kg to 1600kJ / kg is selected to form the phase change plate 40. The phase change plate 40 with a phase change enthalpy value in this range has a high phase change enthalpy value, and a thinner phase change plate 40 can store more heat, which is conducive to effective heat dissipation of the battery 1. In this way, while meeting the heat dissipation requirements, the use of phase change materials is reduced, saving the design space inside the battery 1.

[0056] In some embodiments, the thermal conductivity of the phase change plate 40 is G, and G satisfies the condition: 0.3W / m·K≤G≤0.5W / m·K. G can be 0.3W / m·K, 0.32W / m·K, 0.38W / m·K, 0.4W / m·K, 0.5W / m·K, etc., which will not be described one by one here.

[0057] The phase change plate 40 with this thermal conductivity has a lower thermal conductivity. This is because the battery 1 works normally in most working conditions, and the phase change plate 40 with a lower thermal conductivity is attached to the back of the heat exchange plate 30, and is combined with the heat exchange plate 30 to form a whole with a temperature equalization function, which can evenly disperse heat to the battery cells 22 located in different areas, so that the temperature difference between the battery cells 22 in different areas is small. Under such a design, the battery cells 22 in different areas can be maintained at a suitable temperature and charged and discharged, and the working performance of the battery 1 is better.

[0058] The present application also provides an electrical device, which includes the battery 1 described in any one of the above embodiments, and the battery 1 is used to provide electrical energy to the electrical device.

[0059] The battery 1 is used as an electrical device for power supply, and the electrical device may be, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a tablet, a laptop computer, an electric toy, an electric tool, a battery car, an electric car, a ship, a spacecraft, etc. Among them, the electric toy may include a fixed or mobile electric toy, for example, a game console, an electric car toy, an electric ship toy, an electric airplane toy, etc., and the spacecraft may include an airplane, a rocket, a space shuttle, a spacecraft, etc.

[0060] In the above-mentioned battery 1 and electrical device, the phase change plate 40 cooperates with the heat exchange plate 30. The phase change plate 40 is arranged on the side of the heat exchange plate 30 facing away from the battery cell 20, which will not affect the heat transfer performance between the heat exchange plate 30 and the battery cell 20, so that the heat exchange plate 30 can dissipate heat for the battery cell 20 when the temperature of the battery cell 20 is high, and keep the battery cell 20 warm when the temperature of the battery cell 20 is low. In this process, the heat exchange plate 30 can also use its own high thermal conductivity to transfer a small part of the heat to the phase change material for heat storage. When the battery cell 20 works abnormally and releases a large amount of heat, causing the temperature in the accommodating cavity 13 to rise sharply, and reaches the phase change temperature of the phase change plate 40, the phase change plate 40 absorbs a large amount of heat and changes phase to reduce the risk of explosion due to thermal runaway, and has higher safety.

[0061] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0062] The above-described embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present application, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be pointed out that, for a person of ordinary skill in the art, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent application shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. A battery, characterized in that: The battery comprises an outer box (10), a battery cell (20), a heat exchange plate (30) and a phase change plate (40); the outer box (10) has a receiving cavity (13); the battery cell (20), the heat exchange plate (30) and the phase change plate (40) are all located in the receiving cavity (13); and the phase change plate (40) is stacked on a side of the heat exchange plate (30) facing away from the battery cell (20).

2. The battery according to claim 1, characterized in that The phase change plate (40) and the heat exchange plate (30) are both arranged on the top side of the battery unit (20).

3. The battery according to claim 1, characterized in that The outer box (10) comprises a box body (11) and a box cover (12); the box body (11) is a hollow structure with one end open and the other end closed; the box cover (12) is detachably covered on the open side of the box body (11) and defines the accommodating cavity (13) with the box body (11); The phase change plate (40) and the heat exchange plate (30) are both arranged on the top side of the battery unit (20), and the phase change plate (40) is clamped between the box cover (12) and the heat exchange plate (30).

4. The battery according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The phase change plate (40) completely covers the heat exchange plate (30), and the heat exchange plate (30) completely covers the battery unit (20).

5. The battery according to claim 1, characterized in that There are a plurality of phase change plates (40), and all of the phase change plates (40) are arranged along the length direction or the width direction of the battery unit (20).

6. The battery according to claim 1, characterized in that The phase change temperature of the phase change plate (40) is T, and T satisfies the condition: 100°C≤T≤130°C.

7. The battery according to claim 1, characterized in that The phase change enthalpy value of the phase change plate (40) is H, and H satisfies the condition: 800 kJ / kg≤H≤1600 kJ / kg.

8. The battery according to claim 1, characterized in that The thermal conductivity of the phase change plate (40) is G, and G satisfies the condition: 0.3W / m·K≤G≤0.5W / m·K.

9. The battery according to claim 1, characterized in that The phase change plate (40) is an inorganic phase change plate (40).

10. An electrical device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a battery as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the battery is used to provide electrical energy to the electrical device.

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