Double-conveying-mode direct cooling plate with branch-shaped flow channels

Abstract

The utility model discloses a double-conveying-mode direct cooling plate with branch-shaped flow channels, and relates to the field of new energy, at least one flow channel unit is arranged in the direct cooling plate, the flow channel unit comprises a first main flow channel and a second main flow channel which are used for feeding / discharging liquid, and a branch-shaped flow channel set located between the first main flow channel and the second main flow channel, the branch-shaped runner group is forked step by step in the direction from the first main runner to the second main runner and is progressive according to the rule of one-to-two and two-to-four to form multi-stage branch-shaped distributed secondary runners, and when the secondary runners are close to the second main runner, the branch structures are combined step by step and then are connected with the second main runner; the secondary runners which are distributed in a multi-stage branch shape are symmetrical between the first main runner and the second main runner; and a micro groove is formed in the inner wall surface of the secondary runner. According to the direct cooling plate, the multi-stage flow dividing structure is arranged at the inlet and outlet of the refrigerant direct cooling plate, so that the reverse flowing efficiency and uniformity of a working medium under the heating working condition can be remarkably improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of new energy, and particularly to a direct cooling plate with dendritic flow channels and a dual delivery mode. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous increase in the global sales volume of new energy vehicles, people's attention to the safety of electric vehicles has also become higher and higher, especially in terms of heat management during vehicle operation. As one of the core components of electric vehicles, the power battery is the main heat source, and its heat management performance is directly related to the safety and performance of the entire vehicle. The existing heat dissipation technologies are mainly divided into two categories: air cooling and liquid cooling. Among them, liquid cooling is widely used in the heat management of power batteries due to its higher heat dissipation efficiency.

[0003] In traditional liquid cooling systems, a refrigerant direct cooling plate is usually used to conduct the heat generated by the battery to the cooling medium to achieve temperature reduction. However, with the continuous improvement of the energy density and power output of power batteries, traditional refrigerant direct cooling plates have gradually revealed some obvious deficiencies. First of all, the cooling capacity of the refrigerant direct cooling plate seems inadequate in the face of a large amount of heat generated by the battery, and local hot spots are likely to form. The generation of local hot spots will not only accelerate the deterioration of the refrigerant direct cooling plate, but also may cause the coolant to fail, resulting in the entire cooling system being unable to operate normally. In addition, the existing refrigerant direct cooling plates usually adopt a single main flow channel structure in design. After the working medium (coolant) enters the refrigerant direct cooling plate, it is directly distributed to each main flow channel. However, due to the limitations of the flow channel design, the distribution of the working medium and pressure among the flow channels is often uneven, and this unevenness directly affects the heat dissipation efficiency, thereby reducing the heat dissipation performance of the entire system.

[0004] In addition to temperature reduction, in cold environments such as winter, the power batteries of electric vehicles also need to be heated to maintain their operating temperature. The current design of refrigerant direct cooling plates mainly considers the temperature reduction function, while ignoring the flow efficiency and uniformity issues during reverse working medium flow for heating. Due to the lack of optimized design of the flow channel structure for reverse working medium flow, the existing system is prone to uneven flow and low heating efficiency during reverse heating, which further limits the performance of electric vehicles in cold climates.

[0005] The reasons for these deficiencies lie in the simplicity of the existing refrigerant direct cooling plate design and the lack of effective control over the uniform distribution of the working medium. The single main flow channel design cannot adapt to the high heat load generated by the power battery, and the uneven distribution of the working medium in the flow channel further exacerbates the decline in heat dissipation efficiency. Especially in the heating mode, the limitations of the existing structure are more prominent, and it cannot effectively support the uniformity and efficiency of reverse working medium flow. These problems not only affect the heat management effect of the power battery, but also pose potential threats to the overall performance and safety of electric vehicles.

[0006] In view of the deficiencies of the above-mentioned prior art, it is of great significance to develop a new type of direct cooling plate for refrigerant that can effectively solve these problems. Content of the Utility Model

[0007] The purpose of this application aims to at least overcome one deficiency existing in the prior art, and provides a direct cooling plate with a dendritic flow channel and a dual delivery mode. By setting a multi-stage flow splitting structure at the inlet and outlet of the refrigerant direct cooling plate, the working fluid can be evenly distributed multiple times after entering the refrigerant direct cooling plate, ensuring the balance of the working fluid and pressure in each flow channel. This not only improves the heat dissipation efficiency of the refrigerant direct cooling plate, but also, by setting capillary microgrooves for wall delivery in the flow channel to achieve a dual delivery mode, can significantly improve the efficiency and uniformity of the reverse flow of the working fluid under heating conditions.

[0008] To achieve the above object, this application discloses a direct cooling plate with a dendritic flow channel and a dual delivery mode. The direct cooling plate has at least one flow channel unit. The flow channel unit includes a first main flow channel and a second main flow channel for liquid inlet / drainage, and a dendritic flow channel group located between the first main flow channel and the second main flow channel. The dendritic flow channel group bifurcates step by step from the first main flow channel towards the second main flow channel, progressing according to the rule of one dividing into two and two dividing into four, forming secondary flow channels with a multi-stage dendritic distribution. When the secondary flow channels approach the second main flow channel, the branch structures are gradually merged and connected to the second main flow channel, making the secondary flow channels with a multi-stage dendritic distribution symmetric between the first main flow channel and the second main flow channel; microgrooves are provided on the inner wall surface of the secondary flow channels.

[0009] In some embodiments, the cross-section of the microgroove is one or a combination of an inverted V shape, an inverted Ω shape, an inverted trapezoid, and a rectangle. The depth of the microgroove is 0.01 - 0.2 mm, and the width is 0.1 - 0.2 mm.

[0010] In some embodiments, the microgrooves are in the same direction as the secondary flow channels.

[0011] In some embodiments, the direct cooling plate includes an upper substrate and a lower substrate. One of the upper substrate and the lower substrate has a groove, and the upper substrate and the lower substrate cooperate to seal the groove to form the first main flow channel, the second main flow channel, and the secondary flow channels.

[0012] In some embodiments, the microgrooves intersect with each other to form an irregular spider web-like capillary liquid delivery network, enabling the inner wall surface of the secondary flow channels to conduct liquid delivery.

[0013] In some embodiments, the cross-section of the secondary flow channels is one of a trapezoid-like shape, a V-like shape, or an arc-like shape.

[0014] In some embodiments, the first main flow channel and the second main flow channel between adjacent flow channel units are connected through an attachment pipe to balance the delivery pressure of each flow channel unit.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present application has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0016] 1. Improved heat dissipation efficiency: By setting a multi-stage flow splitting structure at the inlet and outlet of the refrigerant direct cooling plate, the working fluid can be evenly distributed multiple times after entering the refrigerant direct cooling plate. This design ensures that the working fluid and pressure in each flow channel are balanced, thus significantly improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the direct cooling plate and avoiding local hot spot problems in traditional refrigerant direct cooling plates.

[0017] 2. Uniform distribution of the working fluid: The design of the dendritic flow channels makes the distribution of the working fluid in the flow channels more uniform, effectively overcoming the problem of uneven distribution of the working fluid and pressure caused by a single flow channel design in the prior art, and further enhancing the overall performance of the heat dissipation system.

[0018] 3. Efficiency and uniformity in the heating mode: By setting a wall surface conveying structure with micro-grooves, a dual conveying mode is achieved. This not only performs well during the cooling process but also significantly improves the efficiency and uniformity of the reverse flow of the working fluid under heating conditions, solving the problem of low heating efficiency of existing refrigerant direct cooling plates in cold environments.

[0019] 4. Strong structural adaptability: The multi-stage bifurcation design of the dendritic flow channels can adapt to the high heat load generated by power batteries while maintaining the symmetry and structural stability of the flow channels, further expanding the application range and reliability of the direct cooling plate.

[0020] 5. Manufacturing simplicity: The design of forming the flow channels by mating the upper substrate and the lower substrate makes the manufacturing of the direct cooling plate more simple. At the same time, the design of the micro-grooves also provides diverse options, further enhancing the flexibility and practicality of this technology.

[0021] The beneficial effects listed above do not exhaust all the advantages. Other potential beneficial effects and detailed technical implementation manners will be further disclosed in the embodiments or other description parts of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] After reading the following specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, various aspects of the present disclosure will be better understood. In the drawings, the positions, dimensions, and ranges of the various structures shown, etc., sometimes do not represent the actual positions, dimensions, and ranges, etc. In the drawings:

[0023] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment disclosed in the present application.

[0024] Figure 2 is a partial structural schematic diagram of a single secondary flow channel in an embodiment disclosed in the present application.

[0025] Figure 3It is a schematic structural view of a part of a partial flow channel in another perspective in an embodiment disclosed in the present application.

[0026] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural view of another micro-groove structure in a partial flow channel in an embodiment disclosed in the present application. Detailed implementation manners

[0027] 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.

[0028] It should be understood that in all the drawings, the same reference numerals represent the same elements. In the drawings, for clarity, the dimensions of some features may be deformed.

[0029] It should be understood that the terms used in the specification are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. All terms used in the specification (including technical terms and scientific terms) have the meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art unless otherwise defined. For simplicity and / or clarity, technologies, methods, and devices known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the said technologies, methods, and devices should be regarded as part of the authorized specification.

[0030] The singular forms "a", "the", and "said" used in the specification include the plural forms unless clearly specified. The terms "comprising", "including", and "containing" 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 related listed items. Embodiment

[0031] As Figures 1 to 4 shown, this embodiment describes a dual-delivery mode direct cooling plate applied to the thermal management of electric vehicle power batteries or energy storage batteries. The design of this direct cooling plate aims to improve the cooling and heating efficiency and effectively solve the air plug phenomenon in the refrigerant heat exchange process.

[0032] As Figure 2As shown, the structure of the direct cooling plate is composed of an upper substrate 1 and a lower substrate 2, which form an internal flow channel system through sealed cooperation. The upper substrate 1 and the lower substrate 2 are made of materials with high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum alloy or copper alloy, which have good thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance and are suitable for harsh working environments.

[0033] The flow channel system depends on the grooves preset in the upper substrate 1 or the lower substrate 2, and these grooves form a complete fluid channel after the upper substrate 1 and the lower substrate 2 are joined together. The flow channel system includes several flow channel units 3, and a single flow channel unit 3 is composed of a first main flow channel 301, a second main flow channel 302, and a dendritic flow channel group 303.

[0034] The first main flow channel 301 is the main channel for the refrigerant to enter the direct cooling plate, located on one side of the direct cooling plate, usually on one side edge of the upper substrate 1 or the lower substrate 2. After the refrigerant enters the first main flow channel 301 from the external cooling system, it starts to flow inside the direct cooling plate. The other side opposite to the first main flow channel 301 is the second main flow channel 302, which is used to export the refrigerant that has completed heat exchange to the external system. The second main flow channel 302 is located on the other side of the direct cooling plate and is parallel to the first main flow channel 301.

[0035] The dendritic flow channel group 303 connects the first main flow channel 301 and the second main flow channel 302, and has a multi-stage bifurcation structure inside. The dendritic flow channel group 303 starts from the first main flow channel 301 and bifurcates step by step to form multiple secondary flow channels 304. These secondary flow channels 304 extend towards the direction of the second main flow channel 302 and finally connect to the second main flow channel 302. Through this design of bifurcation and merging, the refrigerant is evenly distributed inside the direct cooling plate, avoiding the problem of uneven heat dissipation caused by fluid concentration and meeting the requirement of rapid flow of the refrigerant in the direct cooling plate.

[0036] To improve the heat exchange efficiency, micro-grooves 305 are provided on the inner wall surface of the secondary flow channel 304. The shapes of the micro-grooves 305 include inverted V-shaped, inverted Ω-shaped, inverted trapezoidal or rectangular, aiming to provide liquid conduction under specific working conditions. The micro-grooves 305 increase the contact area between the fluid and the channel wall surface, enhancing the heat conduction ability of the refrigerant during the flow process. The depth of the micro-grooves 305 is controlled between 0.01 and 0.2 millimeters, and the width is 0.1 to 0.2 millimeters. These dimensions ensure that the micro-grooves 305 have capillary transport characteristics, enabling the channel wall surface to have an infusion function, forming another transport mode in addition to the channel transport, and realizing a dual transport mode.

[0037] As Figure 3 shown, in one embodiment, the micro-grooves 305 are consistent with the direction of the secondary flow channel 304, meaning that the direction of the micro-grooves 305 is parallel to the flow direction of the secondary flow channel 304. The purpose of this design is to maximize the use of the capillary effect, thereby ensuring that the refrigerant can maintain continuous contact with the channel wall surface during the flow process.

[0038] When the refrigerant flows in the secondary flow channel 304, the micro-grooves 305 extend along the direction of the flow channel. Such a layout can guide the liquid to diffuse along the direction of the micro-grooves. Since the micro-grooves are in the same direction as the flow channel, the refrigerant can smoothly enter and flow along the micro-grooves when flowing, significantly increasing the contact area between the liquid and the wall of the flow channel.

[0039] As Figure 4 shown, in another embodiment, the micro-grooves 305 are distributed on the inner wall surface of the secondary flow channel 304 in an interlaced manner, forming an irregular spider-web-like capillary liquid delivery network. Such a design makes the micro-grooves not simply arranged in parallel on the wall surface of the flow channel, but rather form a complex network structure through intersections in different directions and angles.

[0040] The formation of this spider-web-like capillary liquid delivery network increases the flow path of the liquid on the inner wall surface of the secondary flow channel, thus significantly expanding the contact area between the liquid and the wall surface. Since the micro-grooves 305 are interlaced, when the liquid flows on the inner wall surface of the secondary flow channel, it will continuously be guided into different micro-grooves and dispersed and conducted along these interlaced paths. This not only enables the refrigerant to be evenly distributed in the flow channel, but also ensures that even in a low-flow-rate or microgravity environment, the liquid can still be effectively transported on the inner wall surface through capillary action.

[0041] The structure of this spider-web-like capillary liquid delivery network enables the inner wall surface of the secondary flow channel 304 to have a stronger liquid delivery ability. It no longer solely relies on the mainstream fluid flow in the flow channel, but rather realizes the multi-point distribution and diffusion of the liquid on the wall surface through the network structure of the micro-grooves 305. This design effectively enhances the heat exchange efficiency because the liquid exchanges heat with the wall surface at more contact points, greatly improving the cooling or heating effect.

[0042] It should be understood that the principle of wall surface capillary delivery mainly relies on the capillary effect. This effect is caused by the interaction between surface tension and the adhesion force to the wall surface when the liquid flows in a narrow space (such as a micro-channel or micro-groove). When the liquid enters the micro-grooves 305, the liquid molecules are attracted by the wall surface and form a close contact. The adhesion force between the liquid molecules and the wall surface is usually greater than the cohesive force between the liquid molecules, causing the liquid to diffuse along the wall surface in the micro-grooves, thereby forming a uniform liquid film.

[0043] When the width and depth of the micro-grooves 305 are small (usually between 0.01 and 0.2 mm), the capillary effect is more significant. Due to the small size of the grooves, the surface tension acting on the liquid in the grooves "stretches" the liquid and tightly attaches it to the groove walls. In this case, even if the liquid enters the grooves only by the action of gravity or an external pump, the liquid can rely on capillary action to spread along the grooves and be evenly distributed on the walls. This transport mechanism enables the liquid to form a thin film on the channel walls, thereby increasing the contact area between the liquid and the walls.

[0044] In the micro-grooves 305, due to the capillary effect, the liquid can be evenly distributed along the walls. This evenly distributed liquid film can not only improve the cooling effect but also effectively transfer heat in the heating mode. In the cooling mode, the close contact between the liquid and the walls accelerates the process of heat transfer from the walls to the liquid, resulting in a significant improvement in the heat exchange efficiency. The even distribution of the liquid ensures that the cooling medium can quickly carry away the heat and prevent local overheating. In the heating mode, the liquid covers the walls through the capillary effect and evenly transfers the heat in the fluid to the walls, thereby achieving uniform heating of the battery or other devices. This property is particularly suitable for heating the battery in a low-temperature environment, ensuring that the battery can quickly reach the operating temperature under severe cold conditions.

[0045] Through the micro-grooves 305, the flow of the liquid in the channel is no longer limited to the single transport within the main channel and the secondary channels, but the wall liquid transport is achieved through capillary transport. This dual transport mechanism enables the direct cooling plate to have higher heat exchange efficiency and more uniform temperature control ability, significantly improving the working performance of the system whether in the heat dissipation or heating conditions.

[0046] The flow path of the refrigerant in the channel is crucial. In the cooling mode, the refrigerant first enters the channel system through the first main channel 301. The hierarchical bifurcation design of the dendritic channels enables the refrigerant to be quickly distributed to the secondary channels 304 and then gradually enter smaller secondary channels. Each level of the secondary channels 304 can ensure the even distribution of the refrigerant and conduct heat exchange with the walls through the micro-grooves 305. When the refrigerant flows through the secondary channel group 303 and makes full contact with the channel walls, the heat is quickly conducted into the fluid, and the coolant takes away the heat and converges to the second main channel 302, and finally discharges from the direct cooling plate and enters the external cooling system for continuous circulation.

[0047] In a cold environment, the direct cooling plate also supports the reverse heating function. The refrigerant enters the flow channel system from the second main channel 302 and is gradually distributed to the secondary channels 304 along a path opposite to the cooling mode. The symmetry of the flow channel design ensures that the refrigerant can evenly cover the entire flow channel system during reverse flow, achieving uniform heating. During the heating process, the micro-grooves 305 ensure smooth flow of the refrigerant in the flow channels through two-way liquid conduction, and evenly transfer heat to the surroundings of the battery, enabling the battery to quickly warm up at low temperatures and ensuring its normal operation.

[0048] To solve the air plug phenomenon, the direct cooling plate adopts a dual delivery mode. The dual delivery mode connects multiple flow channel units 3 by setting up attachment pipes, enabling the refrigerant to circulate and be evenly distributed among the flow channel units. Through the design of the attachment pipes, the refrigerant can flow between different flow channel units, preventing gas from accumulating in a certain flow channel and eliminating the influence of the air plug, ensuring the stability and efficiency of the heat exchange process.

[0049] For example, during the high-speed driving of an electric vehicle, the power battery generates a large amount of heat. The refrigerant enters the direct cooling plate through the first main channel 301. The multi-stage diversion design of the dendritic flow channels evenly distributes the refrigerant in the secondary channels 304. The micro-grooves 305 ensure full contact between the refrigerant and the flow channel wall surface, quickly taking away the heat of the battery. After the refrigerant converges into the second main channel 302, it flows through the attachment pipes and enters the next flow channel unit 3 to continue circulating, preventing the formation of an air plug. In cold weather, the refrigerant flows reversely and is evenly distributed inside the direct cooling plate in the dual delivery mode, quickly raising the battery temperature and ensuring that the battery quickly reaches the operating temperature in a low-temperature environment.

[0050] Through the detailed description of this embodiment, those skilled in the art can clearly understand the structural design, working principle of the direct cooling plate and its advantages in improving heat exchange efficiency and solving the air plug phenomenon. This design ensures the efficient heat dissipation and heating of the power battery of the electric vehicle, significantly improving the safety and reliability of the vehicle.

[0051] Although the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been described, those skilled in the art should understand that various changes and modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure without substantially departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, all changes and modifications are included within the protection scope of the present disclosure defined by the claims. The present disclosure is defined by the appended claims, and equivalents of these claims are also included.

Claims

1. A direct cooling plate with a dendritic flow channel and a dual delivery mode, characterized in that: The direct cooling plate has: at least one flow channel unit, the flow channel unit includes a first main flow channel and a second main flow channel for liquid inlet / drainage, a dendritic flow channel group located between the first main flow channel and the second main flow channel, the dendritic flow channel group branches step by step from the first main flow channel to the second main flow channel direction, and progresses according to the law of one dividing into two and two dividing into four, forming secondary flow channels with a multi-level dendritic distribution. When the secondary flow channels are close to the second main flow channel, the branch structures are merged step by step and connected to the second main flow channel, so that the secondary flow channels with a multi-level dendritic distribution are symmetric between the first main flow channel and the second main flow channel; micro-grooves are provided on the inner wall surface of the secondary flow channels.

2. The direct cooling plate with dendritic flow channels and dual delivery modes as described in claim 1, wherein: The cross-section of the micro-groove is one or a combination of an inverted V shape, an inverted Ω shape, an inverted trapezoid, and a rectangle. The depth of the micro-groove is 0.01-0.2 mm, and the width is 0.1-0.2 mm.

3. The direct cooling plate with dendritic flow channels and dual delivery modes as described in claim 1, wherein: The micro-grooves are consistent with the direction of the secondary flow channels.

4. The direct cooling plate with dendritic flow channels and dual delivery modes as described in claim 1, wherein: The direct cooling plate includes an upper substrate and a lower substrate. One of the upper substrate and the lower substrate has a groove, and the upper substrate and the lower substrate cooperate to seal the groove to form the first main flow channel, the second main flow channel, and the secondary flow channels.

5. A direct cooling plate with a dendritic flow channel and a dual delivery mode as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The micro-grooves intersect with each other to form an irregular spider-web-like capillary liquid delivery network, enabling the inner wall surface of the secondary flow channels to conduct liquid delivery.

6. The direct cooling plate with dendritic flow channels and dual delivery modes as described in claim 1, wherein: The layout of the secondary flow channels is one of a quasi-trapezoid, a quasi-V shape, or a quasi-arch shape.

7. The direct cooling plate with dendritic flow channels and dual delivery modes as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The first main flow channel and the second main flow channel between adjacent flow channel units are connected through an attachment pipe to balance the delivery pressure of each flow channel unit.

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