Liquid cooling plate for battery pack with bionic flow channel

Abstract

The liquid cooling plate comprises a plate body, one end of the plate body is provided with a liquid inlet, and the other opposite end of the plate body is provided with a liquid outlet; a plurality of cooling flow channel groups from the liquid inlet to the liquid outlet are arranged in the plate body; the cooling flow channel group comprises a main flow line connected with the liquid inlet, a branch flow line connected with the main flow line and a branch flow line connected with the liquid outlet and the branch flow line; the main flow line is composed of a plurality of regular hexagonal main flow channel units which are connected in sequence, and the adjacent main flow channel units are connected and communicated; the shunting line is composed of at least two sub-runner unit rows, and each sub-runner unit row is composed of a plurality of orthohexagonal sub-runner units which are sequentially connected and communicated. According to the liquid cooling plate, the bionic flow channel design is introduced, so that the flow resistance of a liquid cooling medium can be remarkably reduced, the pumping efficiency is improved, heat generated by a battery pack can be uniformly taken away, local overheating is avoided, the overall performance of the battery pack is improved, and the service life of the battery pack is prolonged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of battery cooling, and particularly to a liquid cooling plate for a battery pack with a bionic flow channel. Background Art

[0002] In a battery pack, most of the existing liquid cooling plates adopt a parallel straight-through flow channel design, and the heat generated by the battery pack is taken away through the flow of a liquid cooling medium. However, this traditional parallel straight-through flow channel design has multiple deficiencies, affecting the overall cooling effect.

[0003] First, due to the simple design of the parallel straight-through flow channels of the traditional liquid cooling plate, the flow path of the liquid cooling medium cannot be fully optimized, resulting in a relatively large flow resistance of the liquid cooling medium in the flow channels during actual application. The relatively large flow resistance will increase the pumping power consumption of the liquid cooling medium, thereby affecting the overall energy efficiency of the battery pack. Second, the parallel straight-through flow channel design often forms local flow dead zones at the corners, that is, the flow velocity of the liquid cooling medium in these areas is extremely low, resulting in a reduction in local heat transfer efficiency and an inability to evenly take away the heat inside the battery pack. This uneven cooling effect will cause an increase in the temperature difference in different regions of the battery pack, affecting the overall performance and service life of the battery pack. In addition, the right-angle corners in the flow channels are prone to accumulating impurities, increasing the maintenance difficulty and cost of the liquid cooling system.

[0004] Currently, the flow channels of the vast majority of liquid cooling plates are evenly distributed, that is, a number of straight flow channels are evenly distributed from the liquid inlet to the liquid outlet. As the coolant flows from the liquid inlet to the liquid outlet, the coolant continuously absorbs heat during the flow process, and its temperature will gradually increase, resulting in a gradual decrease in the heat transfer efficiency. This evenly distributed flow channel design does not take into account the gradual increase in the temperature of the coolant during the heat transfer process, so it is impossible to make up for the problem of the decrease in heat transfer efficiency by increasing the heat transfer area near the liquid inlet, resulting in uneven heat transfer effects throughout the battery pack.

[0005] To solve these problems, it is particularly important to develop a new liquid cooling plate structure. Summary of the Utility Model

[0006] The purpose of this application is to at least overcome one deficiency existing in the prior art, and provide a liquid cooling plate for a battery pack with a bionic flow channel. The liquid cooling plate introduces a bionic flow channel design, which can not only significantly reduce the flow resistance of the liquid cooling medium, improve the pumping efficiency, but also evenly take away the heat generated by the battery pack, avoid local overheating, thereby enhancing the overall performance and service life of the battery pack.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present application discloses a liquid cooling plate for a battery pack with a bionic flow channel, including a plate body. One end of the plate body is provided with a liquid inlet, and the opposite end is provided with a liquid outlet; a plurality of cooling flow channel groups are arranged in the plate body in the direction from the liquid inlet to the liquid outlet; the cooling flow channel group includes a main streamline connected to the liquid inlet, a shunt line connected to the main streamline, and a branch line connected to the liquid outlet and the shunt line; the main streamline is composed of a plurality of adjacent regular hexagon-shaped main channel units connected in sequence, and adjacent main channel units are connected and communicated; the shunt line is composed of at least two rows of shunt channel unit rows, and each shunt channel unit row is composed of several adjacent regular hexagon-shaped shunt channel units connected in sequence. At least one shunt channel unit in each shunt channel unit row is connected and conducted with the main streamline; the branch line is provided with branch channel unit rows respectively cooperating with each shunt channel unit row; the branch channel unit row is composed of several adjacent regular hexagon-shaped branch channel units connected in sequence; the size of the main channel unit is larger than that of the shunt channel unit, and the size of the shunt channel unit is larger than that of the branch channel unit.

[0008] In some embodiments, the plate body is composed of a bottom plate and a cover plate. A plurality of grooves are recessed on the bottom plate, and the cover plate seals the grooves to form a cooling flow channel group.

[0009] In some embodiments, adjacent shunt channel unit rows in the shunt line are connected and communicated with each other.

[0010] In some embodiments, in the shunt line, each row of shunt channel unit rows is connected and cooperates with at least one row of branch channel unit rows.

[0011] In some embodiments, in the branch line, adjacent branch channel unit rows are connected and communicated with each other.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the present application has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0013] 1. Reduce flow resistance: By adopting regular hexagon-shaped bionic honeycomb main channel units, shunt channel units and branch channel units, the formed flow channel structure can provide the minimum perimeter under the same area, effectively reducing the flow resistance of the liquid cooling medium during the flow process, thereby improving the pumping efficiency.

[0014] 2. Improve heat transfer efficiency: This regular hexagon flow channel design avoids the right-angle corners in the traditional parallel straight-through flow channels, reduces the generation of local flow dead zones, enables the liquid cooling medium to flow through the entire liquid cooling plate more evenly, and improves the overall heat transfer effect. At the same time, the flow channel size gradually decreases from the main channel unit to the branch channel unit, which helps to distribute the coolant more evenly and improve the heat transfer efficiency.

[0015] 3. Achieve uniform cooling: The design of the three-stage flow channel structure enables the liquid cooling medium to be distributed as needed within the plate body through the cooperation of the main flow line, shunt flow line, and branch flow line, solving the problems in the prior art where the temperature of the coolant gradually increases during flow and the heat exchange efficiency decreases, and achieving uniform cooling of the battery pack.

[0016] 4. Flexible flow channel cooperation: The shunt channel unit rows in the shunt flow line are connected and cooperate with at least two rows of branch channel unit rows, enabling the liquid cooling medium to flow more flexibly in the flow channels, enhancing the flexibility and adaptability of the cooling system.

[0017] The beneficial effects listed above do not exhaust all advantages. Other potential beneficial effects and detailed technical implementation manners will be further disclosed in the embodiments or other description parts of this application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] After reading the following specific implementation manners in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, various aspects of the present disclosure will be better understood. In the drawings, the positions, sizes, and ranges of the various structures shown sometimes do not represent the actual positions, sizes, and ranges, etc. In the drawings:

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment disclosed in this application after being combined with a battery pack.

[0020] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment disclosed in this application after being combined with a battery pack, where the liquid cooling plate in the figure is in a disassembled state.

[0021] Figure 3 is a perspective structural view of an embodiment disclosed in this application.

[0022] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of the bottom plate in another perspective in an embodiment disclosed in this application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0023] The present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which several embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be presented in many different ways and is not limited to the embodiments described below. In fact, the embodiments described below are intended to make the disclosure of the present disclosure more complete and fully explain the protection scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should also be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in various ways to provide more additional embodiments.

[0024] It should be understood that in all the drawings, the same reference numerals represent the same elements. In the drawings, for clarity, the sizes of some features may be deformed.

[0025] It should be understood that the terms used in the specification are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. All terms (including technical terms and scientific terms) used in the specification have the meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art unless otherwise defined. For the sake of brevity and / or clarity, the techniques, methods and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant field may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the techniques, methods and equipment should be considered as part of the authorized specification.

[0026] The singular forms "a", "said" and "the" used in the specification include plural forms unless clearly indicated. The terms "include", "comprise" and "contain" used in the specification indicate the presence of the claimed features, but do not exclude the presence of one or more other features. The term "and / or" used in the specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the relevant listed items. Example

[0027] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, this embodiment discloses an exemplary structure of a liquid cooling plate for a battery pack with a bionic flow channel, the design of which aims to optimize the flow path of the coolant, improve the overall heat exchange efficiency, and solve the problems of uneven cooling and high flow resistance in the prior art.

[0028] In this embodiment, the plate body of the liquid cooling plate is composed of a bottom plate 1 and a cover plate 2 . A plurality of grooves are recessed on the bottom plate 1 , and the cover plate 2 seals the grooves to form a complete cooling channel group 3 .

[0029] Specifically, the base plate 1 and the cover plate 2 may be made of high-strength, corrosion-resistant metal materials, such as aluminum alloy or stainless steel, to ensure the stability and durability of the liquid cooling plate in a high temperature and high pressure environment.

[0030] In this embodiment, the liquid inlet 4 and the liquid outlet 5 are respectively arranged at both ends of the plate body, the liquid inlet 4 is connected to the cooling liquid source, and the liquid outlet 5 is connected to the cooling liquid return pipe, thereby realizing the circulation of the cooling liquid.

[0031] It should be understood that the coolant source can be an independent circulating cooling device, which includes a coolant pump, a heat exchanger and a liquid storage tank. The coolant pump draws the coolant from the liquid storage tank and inputs it into the liquid cooling plate through the liquid inlet 4. The coolant flows inside the liquid cooling plate and takes away the heat generated by the battery pack, then returns to the heat exchanger through the liquid outlet 5 for cooling, and then returns to the liquid storage tank to form a circulation system.

[0032] In this embodiment, the cooling channel group 3 starts from the liquid inlet 4, and the coolant flows in through the main flow line 6 connected to the liquid inlet 4. The main flow line 6 is composed of a plurality of regular hexagon-shaped main channel units 9 connected in sequence. Adjacent main channel units 9 are connected and communicated to ensure smooth coolant flow and reduce flow resistance. It should be understood that the choice of the regular hexagon structure is based on the following reasons: Under the same area, the perimeter of a regular hexagon is the smallest, which means that the boundary of the flow path is shorter, which can effectively reduce the frictional resistance of the liquid cooling medium during the flow process, thereby reducing the flow resistance and improving the flow efficiency. In addition, the regular hexagon structure has no right-angle corners, avoiding the formation of flow dead zones, making the flow of the coolant in the channel more uniform and reducing the risk of local overheating.

[0033] In this embodiment, the main flow line 6 is connected to a plurality of branch flow lines 7, and each branch flow line 7 is composed of at least two rows of branch channel unit rows 12. Each branch channel unit row 12 is composed of a number of regular hexagon-shaped branch channel units 10 connected in sequence and communicated. At least one branch channel unit 10 in each branch channel unit row 12 is connected and conducted with the main flow line 6 to ensure that the coolant can be evenly distributed from the main flow line 6 to each branch flow line 7. The design principle of the branch channel unit 10 is similar to that of the main channel unit 9, aiming to optimize the flow path of the coolant and further reduce the flow resistance.

[0034] The branch flow line 7 is connected to a plurality of tributary flow lines 8, and the tributary flow lines 8 are provided with tributary channel unit rows 13 respectively cooperating with each branch channel unit row 12. The tributary channel unit row 13 is composed of a number of regular hexagon-shaped tributary channel units 11 connected in sequence and communicated, ensuring that the coolant can be further refined and distributed to achieve a more uniform cooling effect.

[0035] More specifically, the size of the main channel unit 9 is the largest, the size of the branch channel unit 10 is the second largest, and the size of the tributary channel unit 11 is the smallest. Such a design can change the heat exchange area while ensuring the overall strength of the liquid cooling plate, maximizing the heat exchange efficiency of the coolant.

[0036] Specifically, when the coolant enters the plate body from the liquid inlet 4, it first enters the main flow line 6. Since the main flow line 6 is composed of regular hexagon-shaped main channel units 9, the resistance suffered by the coolant during the flow process is small and the flow speed is fast. When the coolant flows to the branch flow line 7, the fluid is evenly distributed to each branch channel unit row 12. The branch channel unit row 12 is connected to the main flow line 6 to ensure that the coolant can flow smoothly from the main flow line 6 into the branch flow line 7. In the branch flow line 7, the coolant continues to flow and, through the connection between the branch channel unit row 12 and the tributary channel unit row 13, further refines the flow path, ensuring that the coolant can be distributed from left to right and enlarged throughout the plate body.

[0037] In specific applications, such as in the cooling system of electric vehicle battery packs, the use of this bionic flow channel liquid cooling plate can significantly improve the heat dissipation efficiency of the battery pack and extend the service life of the battery. During high-power charging and discharging, the battery pack generates a large amount of heat. Traditional liquid cooling plates cannot effectively dissipate heat due to large flow resistance and uneven heat exchange. The use of the bionic flow channel liquid cooling plate in this embodiment can significantly improve the cooling effect, keep the battery pack within the optimal operating temperature range, and ensure the safety and reliability of electric vehicles.

[0038] For example, during the charging and discharging process of the high-power battery pack of an electric vehicle, the coolant inside the liquid cooling plate enters from the liquid inlet 4, flows step by step through the main channel unit 9, the branch channel unit 10 and the branch channel unit 11, and the coolant is in full contact with the surface of the battery pack to take away the heat generated by the battery pack. Through the design of the regular hexagonal channel unit, the coolant flow path is optimized, the flow resistance is reduced, the heat exchange efficiency is improved, and the battery pack can always be kept within the optimal temperature range, extending the service life.

[0039] Although the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure in essence. Therefore, all changes and modifications are included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. The present disclosure is defined by the appended claims, and the equivalents of these claims are also included.

Claims

1. A liquid cooling plate for a battery pack with a bionic flow channel, characterized in that, Comprising: a plate body, with a liquid inlet provided at one end of the plate body and a liquid outlet provided at the opposite end; a plurality of cooling flow channel groups are provided in the plate body in the direction from the liquid inlet to the liquid outlet; each cooling flow channel group includes a main streamline connected to the liquid inlet, a shunt streamline connected to the main streamline, and a branch streamline connected to the liquid outlet and the shunt streamline; the main streamline is composed of a plurality of regular hexagon-shaped main channel units connected in sequence, and adjacent main channel units are connected and communicated; the shunt streamline is composed of at least two rows of shunt channel unit rows, each shunt channel unit row is composed of several regular hexagon-shaped shunt channel units connected in sequence, and at least one shunt channel unit in each shunt channel unit row is connected and conducted with the main streamline; the branch streamline is provided with branch channel unit rows respectively cooperating with each shunt channel unit row; the branch channel unit row is composed of several regular hexagon-shaped branch channel units connected in sequence; the size of the main channel unit is larger than that of the shunt channel unit, and the size of the shunt channel unit is larger than that of the branch channel unit.

2. The liquid cooling plate for a battery pack with a bionic flow channel as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The plate body is composed of a bottom plate and a cover plate. A number of grooves are recessed on the bottom plate, and the cover plate seals the grooves to form the cooling flow channel group.

3. The liquid cooling plate for a battery pack with a bionic flow channel as described in claim 1, wherein: Adjacent shunt channel unit rows in the shunt streamline are interconnected.

4. The liquid cooling plate for a battery pack with a bionic flow channel as described in claim 1, wherein: In the shunt streamline, each row of shunt channel unit rows is connected and cooperates with at least one row of branch channel unit rows.

5. The liquid cooling plate for a battery pack with a bionic flow channel as described in claim 1, characterized in that: In the branch streamline, adjacent branch channel unit rows are interconnected.

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