Energy storage cabinet and energy storage system

Abstract

The utility model provides an energy storage cabinet and an energy storage system, and the energy storage cabinet comprises a cabinet body, and a cooling system and a battery system which are disposed in the cabinet body. The cooling system comprises cold plates in one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of battery packs in the battery system and a liquid cooling unit connected with the cold plates through liquid cooling pipelines, the liquid cooling unit is used for refrigerating cooling liquid flowing through the cold plates and the liquid cooling pipelines, and a deionization unit for deionizing the cooling liquid is arranged in the liquid cooling unit. The energy storage cabinet provided by the utility model not only has higher integration degree and space utilization rate and lower manufacturing cost, but also reduces the risk of safety problem of equipment caused by accidental leakage of cooling liquid, and has better use safety.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of energy storage systems, and in particular to an energy storage cabinet. Meanwhile, the utility model also relates to an energy storage system provided with the energy storage cabinet. Background Art

[0002] At present, because liquid cooling has higher safety performance and can effectively reduce the risk of thermal runaway, the heat dissipation method of energy storage systems has mostly changed from air cooling to cold plate liquid cooling. Liquid cooling is an indirect heat dissipation method. During implementation, the coolant takes away the heat generated by the battery cell through the cold plate, and finally the water cooling unit releases the heat into the external environment.

[0003] Because the energy storage system uses a liquid cooling system that is not in direct contact with the system itself, many energy storage manufacturers ignore the risks brought by the high conductivity of the coolant. However, in fact, the liquid cooling system has a complex structure and there are a large number of joints and solder joints. Leakage is inevitable during long-term operation. Once the highly conductive coolant leaks onto uninsulated circuit boards and electrical connectors, it will cause short circuit failure of electronic devices and damage to related equipment. If it is short-circuited with the battery, it may even cause thermal runaway, explosion and other risks. Therefore, for energy storage batteries, the lower the conductivity of the coolant, the better.

[0004] However, the existing energy storage system, despite the cleanliness index requirements for the liquid cooling system, still has some impurities. When the coolant is running, these impurities will increase the conductivity of the coolant. When the coolant leaks, it is easy to cause short circuit failure of electronic devices, and even thermal runaway, explosion and other risks, which cannot meet the overall safety requirements of the system. In addition, condensed water will form on the surface of the plate exchanger in the cooling condition of the water machine, and the water machine also has the risk of leakage, which will have an adverse effect on the electrical parts such as the high-voltage box under the water machine, and also threaten the overall safety performance of the system. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of this, the utility model aims to provide an energy storage cabinet with better safety.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the technical solution of the utility model is implemented as follows:

[0007] An energy storage cabinet comprises a cabinet body, and a cooling system and a battery system arranged in the cabinet body;

[0008] The cooling system includes cold plates corresponding one to one with the multiple battery packs in the battery system, and a liquid cooling unit connected to each of the cold plates through a liquid cooling pipeline. The liquid cooling unit is used to cool the coolant flowing through the cold plates and the liquid cooling pipeline, and the liquid cooling unit is provided with a deionization unit for filtering ions and impurities in the coolant.

[0009] Furthermore, the cabinet is provided with a battery compartment located on its left side and an equipment compartment located on its right side; along the up and down directions of the cabinet, a plurality of the battery packs are arranged in sequence in the battery compartment, and the equipment compartment is provided with the liquid cooling unit and the high-voltage box arranged in sequence.

[0010] Furthermore, the liquid cooling pipeline includes a main pipe connected to the liquid cooling unit, and multiple liquid inlet and outlet pipe groups connected to the main pipe; each of the liquid inlet and outlet pipe groups corresponds one-to-one to each of the cold plates, and each of the cold plates is connected to the main pipe through the corresponding liquid inlet and outlet pipe groups.

[0011] Furthermore, the inlet and outlet liquid pipe group includes an inlet pipe connected between the corresponding cold plate liquid inlet and the main pipe, and an outlet pipe connected between the liquid outlet of the cold plate and the main pipe; a fire-fighting pipeline is connected to the inlet pipe and / or the outlet pipe, and the fire-fighting pipeline is connected to the interior of the corresponding battery pack.

[0012] Furthermore, a control valve is provided at the connection port of the battery pack connected to the fire-fighting pipeline; and / or the main pipe, each of the inlet and outlet liquid pipe groups and each of the fire-fighting pipelines are coated with an insulation layer.

[0013] Furthermore, the main pipe is extended and arranged along the up-down direction of the cabinet, and a drain valve is provided at the bottom of the main pipe, and an exhaust valve is provided at the top of the main pipe.

[0014] Furthermore, the liquid cooling unit includes a refrigeration module and a heat exchanger connected in series through a first pipeline, and a second pipeline that exchanges heat with the first pipeline through the heat exchanger; the second pipeline is connected to the liquid cooling pipeline, and the deionization unit is connected in series to the second pipeline.

[0015] Furthermore, a guide plate is provided in the equipment compartment between the liquid cooling unit and the high-pressure box; the guide plate is gradually extended rearward and downward along the front-to-back direction of the cabinet, and a drainage hole connected to the top surface of the guide plate is provided on the rear side wall of the cabinet.

[0016] Furthermore, the coolant is a mixture of water and ethylene glycol; and / or the deionization unit is a deionizer.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the utility model has the following advantages:

[0018] The energy storage cabinet described in the utility model can not only improve the overall integration and space utilization of the equipment and reduce the manufacturing cost by integrating a deionization unit in the liquid cooling unit, but also remove free ions and impurities in the coolant, so that the coolant is maintained at a very low conductivity level, thereby reducing the risk of short circuit, fire and other problems in the equipment caused by accidental leakage of the coolant, thereby improving the safety of the energy storage cabinet.

[0019] In addition, by setting up fire-fighting pipelines, the coolant can be used as fire-fighting fluid to be transported to the battery pack where thermal runaway occurs, which can inhibit thermal runaway and extinguish fires. At the same time, fire-fighting and liquid cooling are integrated into one section, which is conducive to cost reduction. The setting of the control valve can control the timing of the coolant being transported to the battery pack as fire-fighting fluid, which is conducive to accurately inhibiting thermal runaway. The setting of the insulation layer can reduce heat leakage in the liquid cooling pipeline and improve the overall energy efficiency of the equipment.

[0020] In addition, the setting of the drain valve can realize the discharge of the coolant, which is convenient for unpacking, maintenance and replacement of the equipment, and the setting of the exhaust valve is conducive to ensuring the smoothness of the drainage. The setting of the guide plate and the drain hole can realize the drainage function to prevent the leakage of the liquid cooling unit or the generated condensed water from entering the high-voltage box, causing damage to electrical components or short circuit arcing and other risks. The coolant uses a mixture of water and ethylene glycol, which can have good self-insulation and self-suppression of hydrogen properties, that is, it has its own resistance function, and leakage will not cause a short circuit, effectively reducing the conductivity of the coolant. At the same time, it can greatly reduce the generation of hydrogen and prevent metal corrosion, making the equipment safer as a whole.

[0021] Another object of the present invention is to provide an energy storage system, wherein the energy storage system is provided with the energy storage cabinet as described above.

[0022] The energy storage system described in the utility model and the above-mentioned energy storage cabinet have the same beneficial effects as compared with the traditional technology, and will not be described in detail here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The accompanying drawings constituting a part of the present invention are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The illustrative 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 accompanying drawings:

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the energy storage cabinet according to an embodiment of the utility model;

[0025] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The enlarged view of point A in the middle;

[0026] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the structure shown in another perspective;

[0027] Figure 4 for Figure 3 The enlarged view of point B in the middle;

[0028] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the cooling system according to an embodiment of the utility model;

[0029] Description of reference numerals:

[0030] 11. Base; 12. Rear side wall; 121. Drain hole; 13. Top wall; 14. Cabinet door; 15. Hanging ring; 16. Guide plate; 17. Partition;

[0031] 21. Battery pack;

[0032] 3. Liquid cooling unit; 30a. First pipeline; 30b. Second pipeline; 31. Compressor; 32. Condenser; 33. Expansion valve; 34. Heat exchanger; 35. Deionization unit;

[0033] 4. Liquid cooling pipeline; 41. Main pipe; 411. Drain valve; 412. Exhaust valve; 42. Inlet and outlet pipe group; 43. Fire protection pipeline;

[0034] 51. Cold plate; 61. High pressure box. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0036] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that if there are terms such as "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer" and the like indicating orientation or positional relationship, they are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, if there are terms such as "first" and "second", they are also used for descriptive purposes only, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0037] In addition, in the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined, the terms "installation", "connection", "connection" and "connector" 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 it can be an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood in combination with specific circumstances.

[0038] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with embodiments.

[0039] Embodiment 1

[0040] The present embodiment relates to an energy storage cabinet, which not only has a high degree of integration and space utilization, which is conducive to reducing production costs, but also can maintain the conductivity of the coolant at a very low level, thereby improving the overall safety of the equipment.

[0041] In terms of overall structure, Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the energy storage cabinet of this embodiment includes a cabinet body, and a cooling system and a battery system arranged in the cabinet body.

[0042] Secondly, the cooling system includes cold plates 51 corresponding one by one to the multiple battery packs 21 in the battery system, and a liquid cooling unit 3 connected to each cold plate 51 through a liquid cooling pipeline 4. The liquid cooling unit 3 is used to cool the coolant flowing through the cold plate 51 and the liquid cooling pipeline 4, and the liquid cooling unit 3 is provided with a deionization unit 35 for filtering ions and impurities in the coolant.

[0043] It can be understood that the coolant output by the liquid cooling unit 3 in this embodiment flows evenly into each cold plate 51, and each cold plate 51 is collected into the liquid cooling unit 3 after heat exchange with the corresponding battery pack 21, and then flows through the deionization unit 35. The filtering function of the deionization unit 35 will filter out the free ions and impurities in the coolant, so that the conductivity of the coolant is maintained at a very low level. After the filtering is completed, the coolant flows back into the cold plate 51. The coolant circulates back and forth along this path.

[0044] It should be mentioned that the relevant structural parts not mentioned in the energy storage cabinet of this embodiment can refer to the energy storage battery cabinet well known to those skilled in the art. For example, the cabinet body includes a base 11 and a top wall 13, and a cabinet door 14, a rear side wall 12, a left wall and a right wall arranged on the base 11. At the same time, in order to facilitate the lifting of the cabinet body, a plurality of lifting rings 15 are also provided on the top wall 13.

[0045] Based on the above overall introduction, specifically, in this embodiment, as a preferred implementation form, Figure 1 As shown, the cabinet is provided with a battery compartment located on the left side thereof and an equipment compartment located on the right side thereof.

[0046] In addition, multiple battery packs 21 are sequentially arranged in the battery compartment along the vertical direction of the cabinet, and the equipment compartment is provided with sequentially arranged liquid cooling units 3 and high-voltage boxes 61. The advantage of such a setting is that the layout rationality of the energy storage cabinet can be improved, which is conducive to integrated design.

[0047] In specific implementation, a partition 17 extending in the up-down direction of the cabinet is provided in the cabinet of this embodiment, and the battery compartment and the equipment compartment are respectively arranged on both sides of the partition 17 .

[0048] Furthermore, see Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, as a preferred implementation form, the liquid cooling pipeline 4 includes a main pipe 41 connected to the liquid cooling unit 3, and a plurality of liquid inlet and outlet pipe groups 42 connected to the main pipe 41. Each liquid inlet and outlet pipe group 42 corresponds to each cold plate 51, and each cold plate 51 is connected to the main pipe 41 through the corresponding liquid inlet and outlet pipe group 42.

[0049] To elaborate, as a preferred implementation form, the liquid inlet and outlet pipe group 42 of this embodiment includes a liquid inlet pipe connected between the liquid inlet of the corresponding cold plate 51 and the main pipe 41, and a liquid outlet pipe connected between the liquid outlet of the cold plate 51 and the main pipe 41.

[0050] Secondly, the liquid inlet pipe is connected to a fire-fighting pipeline 43, and the fire-fighting pipeline 43 is connected to the inside of the corresponding battery pack 21. It can be understood that by setting up the fire-fighting pipeline 43, the coolant can be used as a fire-fighting liquid to be transported to the battery pack 21 where thermal runaway occurs, which has the effect of inhibiting thermal runaway and extinguishing fire. At the same time, fire-fighting and liquid cooling are integrated into one section, which is conducive to cost reduction.

[0051] Of course, in this embodiment, in addition to setting the fire-fighting pipeline 43 between the liquid inlet pipe and the battery pack 21, it can also be set between the liquid outlet pipe and the battery pack 21 when necessary, or the fire-fighting pipeline 43 can be set between the liquid inlet pipe and the battery pack 21 and between the liquid outlet pipe and the battery pack 21. It is also possible to use the coolant as the fire-fighting liquid to suppress thermal runaway and extinguish fires.

[0052] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as a preferred implementation form, a control valve is provided at the connection port of the battery pack 21 that is connected to the fire fighting pipeline 43. The setting of the control valve here can control the timing of delivering the coolant as the fire fighting liquid into the battery pack 21, which is conducive to accurately suppressing thermal runaway.

[0053] In specific implementation, the above-mentioned control valve can adopt a common puncture valve, which is not only highly reliable in use, but also can timely and effectively connect the fire protection pipeline 43 and the battery pack 21 to transport the coolant to the battery pack 21 where thermal runaway occurs, thereby achieving the purpose of thermal runaway control.

[0054] At the same time, as a preferred implementation form, in this embodiment, the main pipe 41, each inlet and outlet pipe group 42 and each fire protection pipeline 43 are all covered with an insulation layer. The insulation layer can specifically be made of 3mm insulation cotton. The advantage of such a setting is that it can reduce the heat leakage of the liquid cooling pipeline 4 and improve the overall energy efficiency of the equipment.

[0055] In addition, in this embodiment, as a preferred implementation form, the main pipe 41 is extended and arranged along the up and down direction of the cabinet, and a drain valve 411 is provided at the bottom of the main pipe 41, and an exhaust valve 412 is provided at the top of the main pipe 41. Through the setting of the drain valve 411, the coolant can be discharged, which is convenient for unpacking, repairing and replacing the equipment, and through the setting of the exhaust valve 412, the internal and external air pressures can be balanced, which is conducive to ensuring the smoothness of the discharge.

[0056] It is worth mentioning that in the prior art, the energy storage cabinet or energy storage system generally has a warranty period of 10-15 years. During such a long warranty period, there will be more or less some minor problems in the battery pack 21, so unpacking and maintenance operations will occur. However, since there is a large amount of coolant in the system, it is necessary to drain the coolant first and then unpack.

[0057] Therefore, the present application sets a drain valve 411 at the lowest end of the main pipe 41. When draining is needed, the drain valve 411 can be opened to drain. However, since the liquid cooling pipeline 4 is a closed system, when the coolant is being discharged, the pressure in the pipeline will become smaller and smaller until the coolant cannot be discharged. At this time, the outside air needs to enter the liquid cooling pipeline 4 to balance the internal and external pressures. Therefore, an exhaust valve 412 is set at the top of the main pipe 41. When draining, the exhaust valve 412 needs to be opened. This is why the exhaust valve 412 and the drain valve 411 need to be set synchronously.

[0058] It should be noted that due to the shielding of the partition 17, Figure 1 and Figure 2 Only the approximate positions of the drain valve 411 and the exhaust valve 412 are shown. When setting them specifically, the settings of the drain valve 411 and the exhaust valve 412 only need to meet the drainage requirements.

[0059] At the same time, in this embodiment, as a preferred implementation form, continue to refer to Figure 5 As shown, the liquid cooling unit 3 includes a refrigeration module and a heat exchanger 34 connected in series through a first pipeline 30a, and a second pipeline 30b that exchanges heat with the first pipeline 30a through the heat exchanger 34. The second pipeline 30b is connected to the liquid cooling pipeline 4, and a deionization unit 35 is connected in series to the second pipeline 30b.

[0060] Of course, the related structural parts not mentioned in the liquid cooling unit 3 of this embodiment can all refer to the refrigeration equipment such as the common chiller in the prior art, for example, the refrigeration module includes a compressor 31, a condenser 32 and an expansion valve 33.

[0061] In addition, in this embodiment, as a preferred implementation form, combined with Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, the equipment compartment is provided with a guide plate 16 between the liquid cooling unit 3 and the high-pressure box 61. The guide plate 16 is gradually extended backward and downward along the front-to-back direction of the cabinet, and a drainage hole 121 connected to the top surface of the guide plate 16 is provided through the rear side wall 12 of the cabinet.

[0062] By setting the guide plate 16 and the drainage hole 121, the drainage function can be achieved to prevent leakage of the liquid cooling unit 3 or the generated condensed water from entering the high-voltage box 61, causing risks such as damage to electrical components or short circuit arcing.

[0063] In addition, in this embodiment, as a preferred implementation form, the coolant is a mixture of water and ethylene glycol. The advantage of this arrangement is that the coolant has good self-insulation and self-hydrogen suppression properties, that is, it has its own resistance function, and leakage or leakage will not cause a short circuit to effectively reduce the conductivity of the coolant. At the same time, it can greatly reduce the generation of hydrogen, prevent metal corrosion, and make the equipment as a whole safer.

[0064] Furthermore, compared to conventional coolants, the coolant of this embodiment uses a mixture of water and ethylene glycol, has lower conductivity and less ion content. When exposed to an external voltage, it can maintain a stable and lower microcurrent, reduce the decomposition of the coolant, the generation of dangerous gases and self-discharge, and make the coolant more excellent in safety performance. In particular, when the cooling system fails and the liquid leaks, the low-conductivity coolant can reduce the current and heat in the electrical path, thereby ensuring the overall safety of the equipment.

[0065] Also, as a preferred implementation form, the deionization unit 35 of this embodiment adopts a deionizer to achieve good deionization and impurity removal effects. The deionizer is a deionization device well known to those skilled in the art, and specifically can be a deionizer used in the cooling system of a fuel cell engine.

[0066] The energy storage cabinet of this embodiment integrates a deionization unit 35 in the liquid cooling unit 3, which not only improves the overall integration and space utilization of the equipment and reduces the manufacturing cost, but also removes free ions and impurities in the coolant, so that the coolant is maintained at a very low conductivity level, thereby reducing the risk of short circuit, fire and other problems in the equipment due to accidental leakage of the coolant, thereby improving the safety of the energy storage cabinet.

[0067] Embodiment 2

[0068] This embodiment relates to an energy storage system, in which the energy storage cabinet in the first embodiment is provided.

[0069] The energy storage system of this embodiment not only realizes integration and cost reduction design by setting up the energy storage cabinet in the first embodiment, but also improves the overall safety of the system, thereby helping to improve the market competitiveness of the finished product.

[0070] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An energy storage cabinet, characterized in that: It includes a cabinet, and a cooling system and a battery system arranged in the cabinet; The cooling system includes cold plates corresponding one to one with the multiple battery packs in the battery system, and a liquid cooling unit connected to each of the cold plates through a liquid cooling pipeline. The liquid cooling unit is used to cool the coolant flowing through the cold plates and the liquid cooling pipeline, and the liquid cooling unit is provided with a deionization unit for filtering ions and impurities in the coolant.

2. The energy storage cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cabinet is provided with a battery compartment located on the left side thereof and an equipment compartment located on the right side thereof; Along the up-and-down direction of the cabinet, a plurality of battery packs are sequentially arranged in the battery compartment, and the equipment compartment is provided with the liquid cooling unit and the high-voltage box sequentially arranged.

3. The energy storage cabinet according to claim 2, characterized in that: The liquid cooling pipeline includes a main pipe connected to the liquid cooling unit, and a plurality of liquid inlet and outlet pipe groups connected to the main pipe; Each of the liquid inlet and outlet pipe groups corresponds to each of the cold plates respectively, and each of the cold plates is connected to the main pipe via the corresponding liquid inlet and outlet pipe group.

4. The energy storage cabinet according to claim 3, characterized in that: The liquid inlet and outlet pipe group includes a liquid inlet pipe connected between the corresponding liquid inlet of the cold plate and the main pipe, and a liquid outlet pipe connected between the liquid outlet of the cold plate and the main pipe; The liquid inlet pipe and / or the liquid outlet pipe are connected to a fire-fighting pipeline, and the fire-fighting pipeline is communicated with the interior of the corresponding battery pack.

5. The energy storage cabinet according to claim 4, characterized in that: A control valve is provided at the connection port between the battery pack and the fire-fighting pipeline; and / or the main pipe, each of the inlet and outlet liquid pipe groups and each of the fire-fighting pipelines are covered with an insulation layer.

6. The energy storage cabinet according to claim 3, characterized in that: The main pipe is extended and arranged along the up-down direction of the cabinet, and a drain valve is arranged at the bottom of the main pipe, and an exhaust valve is arranged at the top of the main pipe.

7. The energy storage cabinet according to claim 3, characterized in that: The liquid cooling unit comprises a refrigeration module and a heat exchanger connected in series through a first pipeline, and a second pipeline that exchanges heat with the first pipeline through the heat exchanger; The second pipeline is connected to the liquid cooling pipeline, and the deionization unit is connected in series to the second pipeline.

8. The energy storage cabinet according to claim 2, characterized in that: The equipment cabin is provided with a guide plate located between the liquid cooling unit and the high-pressure box; The guide plate is gradually extended toward the rear and downward along the front-rear direction of the cabinet, and a drainage hole communicating with the top surface of the guide plate is provided through the rear side wall of the cabinet.

9. The energy storage cabinet according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The coolant is a mixture of water and ethylene glycol; and / or the deionization unit is a deionizer.

10. An energy storage system, characterized in that: The energy storage system is provided with an energy storage cabinet as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images