Battery refrigerant temperature control device with forced cooling function

Abstract

The utility model discloses a battery refrigerant temperature control device with a forced cooling function, which comprises a battery compartment for accommodating a battery, a heat exchange plate which is positioned in the battery compartment and is in contact with the battery for heat exchange, and a refrigerant circulating assembly which is positioned outside the battery compartment and is connected with the heat exchange plate, the heat exchange flow channel is provided with a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet which are connected with the refrigerant circulation assembly, the refrigerant circulation assembly comprises a high-pressure storage tank used for storing refrigerants, a controller and an emergency spray head extending out of the high-pressure storage tank and inserted into the battery bin, and a control valve controlled by the controller to work is arranged between the emergency spray head and the high-pressure storage tank. At least one temperature sensor connected with the controller is arranged in the battery bin, the controller controls the valve to be opened based on temperature information of the battery bin, and when the valve is opened, refrigerants in the high-pressure storage tank are sprayed to the battery bin from the emergency spray head. The device is high in heat exchange efficiency, good in temperature control effect and capable of providing the last defense line for safe operation of the battery.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of new energy, and particularly to a battery refrigerant temperature control device with a forced cooling function. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of new energy technologies, energy storage devices are increasingly widely used. As the core device of an energy storage system, the stable operation of a battery is crucial for the efficiency, service life, and safety of the entire system. Especially in high-power density application scenarios such as electric vehicles, a large amount of heat is generated during the charging and discharging process of the battery. If effective heat dissipation control is not carried out in a timely manner, the temperature may rise sharply, ultimately leading to battery thermal runaway. Therefore, battery temperature management has become an important research direction, and existing refrigerant temperature control technologies are one of the widely used solutions.

[0003] However, traditional refrigerant temperature control technologies have certain limitations in battery thermal management, especially in the early stage when the battery enters the thermal runaway state, and cannot control the temperature in a timely and effective manner. Usually, the cooling capacity of the refrigerant system cannot make sufficient adjustments according to the rapid change of the battery temperature, resulting in too high temperature in local areas or even evaporation of the refrigerant, and the cooling effect is significantly reduced. More seriously, when the battery begins to enter the thermal runaway state, the traditional cooling system is difficult to provide sufficient cooling capacity to prevent the temperature inside the battery from rising further, thus accelerating the thermal runaway process and ultimately possibly causing the battery to catch fire or even explode.

[0004] Therefore, a more effective refrigerant temperature control device is needed, especially in the case of battery thermal runaway, which can provide the final temperature control for the battery. The forced cooling function is proposed to solve this problem. In the early stage of battery thermal runaway, the device sprays the refrigerant directly into the battery compartment to quickly reduce the temperature of the battery, slow down the progress of thermal runaway, and gain time for the control of the battery before ignition. At the same time, this technology can also gain precious time for personnel to escape and reduce the risk of casualties in case of an accident.

[0005] The research and application of such a battery refrigerant temperature control device with a forced cooling function have important practical significance. Summary of the Utility Model

[0006] The purpose of this application aims to at least overcome one deficiency existing in the prior art, and provides a battery refrigerant temperature control device with a forced cooling function. This device has high heat transfer efficiency and good temperature control effect. At the same time, it can also provide the last line of defense for the safe operation of the battery and enhance the safety of the battery system. The application of this technology can not only extend the service life of the battery, but also reduce the risk of fire and explosion in extreme cases, which has an important promoting effect on the improvement of the safety of new energy equipment.

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present application discloses a battery refrigerant temperature control device with a forced cooling function, including a battery compartment for accommodating batteries, a heat exchange plate located in the battery compartment and in contact with the batteries for heat exchange, and a refrigerant circulation assembly located outside the battery compartment and connected to the heat exchange plate. Among them, a heat exchange flow channel is provided in the heat exchange plate, and the heat exchange flow channel has a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet connected to the refrigerant circulation assembly. The refrigerant circulation assembly includes a high-pressure storage tank for storing refrigerant, a controller, and an emergency nozzle extending from the high-pressure storage tank and inserted into the battery compartment. A control valve controlled by the controller is provided between the emergency nozzle and the high-pressure storage tank; at least one temperature sensor connected to the controller is provided in the battery compartment, and the controller controls the opening of the control valve based on the temperature information of the battery compartment. When opened, the refrigerant in the high-pressure storage tank is sprayed from the emergency nozzle into the battery compartment.

[0008] In some embodiments, a number of micro-grooves are provided on the inner wall surface of the heat exchange flow channel to achieve wall transport through the micro-grooves. The depth of the micro-grooves is 0.1 - 0.5 mm, the width is 0.1 - 0.3 mm, and the cross-section of the micro-grooves is one or a combination of an inverted V shape, an inverted Ω shape, an inverted trapezoid, and a rectangle.

[0009] In some embodiments, the refrigerant circulation assembly includes a liquid inlet pipe and a return pipe connected to the high-pressure storage tank, an evaporator connected to the liquid inlet pipe and the return pipe, and a compressor. The compressor controlled by the controller cooperates with the evaporator to achieve the cyclic heat absorption of the refrigerant.

[0010] In some embodiments, the outer surface of the battery compartment has a flame retardant layer.

[0011] In some embodiments, there are multiple emergency nozzles, and the orientations of each emergency nozzle are different.

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

[0013] 1. The emergency nozzle automatically sprays refrigerant when the battery is thermally out of control, effectively delaying the increase in battery temperature, slowing down the out-of-control process, and improving safety in emergency situations.

[0014] 2. The design of the micro-grooves in the heat exchange flow channel improves the transport efficiency of the refrigerant on the wall surface, enhances the heat exchange effect, and ensures efficient heat dissipation of the battery during normal operation.

[0015] 3. The configuration of the flame retardant layer and the multi-directional emergency nozzle provides additional fire protection measures, ensures cooling the battery in different directions, and enhances the overall safety protection ability of the device.

[0016] The beneficial effects listed above do not exhaust all the advantages. Other potential beneficial effects and detailed technical implementation manners will be further revealed in the embodiments or other description parts of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] After reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, various aspects of the present disclosure will be better understood. In the drawings, the positions, dimensions, ranges, etc. of the various structures shown sometimes do not represent the actual positions, dimensions, ranges, etc. In the drawings:

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment disclosed in the present application.

[0019] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a local heat exchange flow channel in an embodiment disclosed in the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] 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 to fully explain the scope of protection 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.

[0021] It should be understood that in all the drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same elements. In the drawings, for the sake of clarity, the dimensions of some features may be deformed.

[0022] It should be understood that the terminology used in the specification is only for describing specific embodiments and is 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 the sake of brevity and / or clarity, techniques, methods, and devices known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant fields may not be discussed in detail, but in appropriate cases, the said techniques, methods, and devices should be regarded as part of the authorized specification.

[0023] 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.

[0024] Such as Figure 1As shown in the figure, a battery refrigerant temperature control device with a forced cooling function disclosed in this embodiment has an overall structure including a battery compartment 1, a heat exchange plate 2, a refrigerant circulation component, a high-pressure storage tank 3, a controller 4, an emergency sprinkler 5, a temperature sensor 6, an evaporator 7, a compressor 8, a heat exchange flow channel 9, and micro-grooves 10. The battery compartment 1 is used to accommodate batteries. The heat exchange plate 2 is located inside the battery compartment 1 and is in direct contact with the battery surface for heat exchange. The heat exchange plate 2 is internally provided with a heat exchange flow channel 9, and the flow channel 9 is connected to the refrigerant circulation component through an inlet and an outlet respectively to realize the circulation of the refrigerant. The refrigerant circulation component includes a high-pressure storage tank 3, an inlet pipe, a return pipe, an evaporator 7, and a compressor 8. The high-pressure storage tank 3 stores the refrigerant, which is sprayed into the battery compartment 1 through the emergency sprinkler 5 at a necessary moment. The controller 4 controls the opening and closing of the emergency sprinkler 5 according to the data of the temperature sensor 6 to ensure the timely spraying of the refrigerant and effective cooling.

[0025] The battery compartment 1 is made of high-strength aluminum alloy material, and its outer surface is covered with a flame retardant layer to enhance safety and prevent direct threats to the battery from external fire sources or high-temperature environments. The heat exchange plate 2 is made of a copper alloy material with excellent thermal conductivity to ensure efficient heat exchange with the battery and improve the heat dissipation capacity of the entire system at the same time. The heat exchange plate 2 is internally provided with a heat exchange flow channel 9 formed by a plurality of inverted V-shaped, inverted Ω-shaped, inverted trapezoidal or rectangular micro-grooves 10. The depth and width of the micro-grooves 10 are designed to be between 0.1 and 0.5 mm. The main purpose is to enable the wall of the heat exchange flow channel 9 to also have a conveying function, utilize the capillarity of the micro-grooves 10 to achieve wall transfer, and then enable the heat exchange plate 2 to achieve double conveying of the refrigerant, increasing the flow efficiency of the refrigerant and preventing the air plug phenomenon caused by refrigerant vaporization.

[0026] The purpose of double conveying is to overcome the air plug problem. Specifically, the working fluid (refrigerant) used in the heat exchange plate 2 is easily vaporized when heated, thus forming an air plug in the heat exchange flow channel 9. The appearance of the air plug will block the normal flow of the working fluid, resulting in the inability of the coolant in some areas of the heat exchange flow channel 9 to circulate effectively, forming so-called "heat dissipation dead spots". These heat dissipation dead spots cannot dissipate the heat generated by the battery in time, further increasing the risk of local temperature rise, and ultimately may lead to thermal runaway of the battery. This problem is particularly prominent in high-energy density battery packs because the rapid accumulation of heat and the lag of heat dissipation will greatly threaten the safety of the battery. Wall transfer can continue to complete the working fluid conveyance using wall transfer when an air plug occurs.

[0027] In this embodiment, the refrigerant circulation component is connected to the heat exchange channel 9 through the liquid inlet pipe and the return pipe to realize the circulation and heat absorption function of the refrigerant. The evaporator 7 works in conjunction with the compressor 8. The evaporator 7 evaporates the refrigerant at a low temperature, thereby absorbing the heat inside the battery compartment 1. Subsequently, the compressor 8 re-compresses the evaporated refrigerant to a high-pressure state and transports it to the high-pressure storage tank 3 through a pipeline, forming a complete refrigerant circulation system. Under normal battery operation, the refrigerant system effectively maintains a suitable temperature in the battery compartment 1 through the coordinated work of the compressor 8 and the evaporator 7, ensuring that the battery temperature remains within a safe range even when operating at a high power density.

[0028] Under extreme operating conditions, localized overheating may occur within the battery compartment 1. For example, when an electric vehicle is operating at high speed for extended periods, or when an energy storage device is operating at sustained high power, heat generated by battery charging and discharging may accumulate in a localized area, causing the battery temperature to rise sharply. Once the temperature exceeds a set safety threshold, the temperature sensor 6 located within the battery compartment 1 will detect the temperature anomaly in real time and transmit a signal to the controller 4. Based on the received temperature signal, the controller 4 will quickly respond and initiate emergency cooling mode.

[0029] In emergency cooling mode, controller 4 immediately opens the control valve of emergency nozzle 5. At this point, the refrigerant stored in high-pressure tank 3 is rapidly sprayed through emergency nozzle 5 into the interior of battery compartment 1 under high pressure. The number and orientation of emergency nozzles 5 are precisely designed based on the structure of battery compartment 1 to ensure that the refrigerant can reach all areas of battery compartment 1 from different angles, especially hot spots with higher temperatures, to avoid cooling blind spots. High-pressure refrigerant is sprayed directly onto the battery surface through the high-speed spray of emergency nozzle 5. The refrigerant rapidly evaporates through the principle of phase change heat absorption, absorbing a large amount of heat from the battery surface and effectively reducing the battery temperature in seconds or even more than ten seconds.

[0030] In actual usage scenarios, such as when electric vehicles are driving for a long time, the battery generates a lot of heat under high load. Under normal circumstances, the refrigerant circulation component can maintain the normal operating temperature of the battery through the circulating cooling effect of the evaporator 7 and the compressor 8. However, in special circumstances, the battery may face the risk of thermal runaway due to insufficient heat dissipation or local overheating. When the temperature of the battery rises to close to 90°C or higher, the temperature sensor 6 will quickly detect it and issue a warning signal. After receiving the signal, the controller 4 will immediately activate the emergency nozzle 5, and the refrigerant will be quickly sprayed from the high-pressure storage tank 3 through the nozzle 5 to the battery compartment 1. The refrigerant undergoes a phase change on the high-temperature battery surface, quickly evaporates and takes away the heat, ensuring that the battery temperature does not continue to rise.

[0031] The emergency nozzle 5 is designed with spraying angles in multiple directions to ensure that even if there are complex battery arrangements or irregular structures in the battery compartment 1, the refrigerant can evenly cover every corner of the battery surface, preventing local overheating. In addition, after the refrigerant is sprayed, it will continue to flow along the heat exchange channel 9 and the micro-grooves 10, enhancing the cooling effect, ensuring a more thorough cooling process, and avoiding battery thermal runaway or combustion caused by local overheating.

[0032] To further improve safety, the outer surface of the battery compartment 1 is covered with a layer of flame-retardant material to prevent potential fire threats caused by external fire sources or extreme environments. In extreme emergency situations, the refrigerant injection also buys precious time for personnel evacuation and emergency handling, minimizing safety risks to the greatest extent.

[0033] In summary, through the circulation and emergency injection functions of the refrigerant, the device achieves efficient battery temperature control. Whether it is cooling under normal operating conditions or forced cooling when the battery is at risk of thermal runaway, the system can respond quickly to ensure that the battery temperature is within a safe range, greatly improving the working efficiency of the battery and the safety of the equipment, and providing a solid guarantee for the safe operation of electric vehicles and energy storage devices.

[0034] Although 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 departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure in essence. 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 battery refrigerant temperature control device with a forced cooling function, characterized in that: It includes a battery compartment for accommodating a battery, a heat exchange plate located inside the battery compartment and in contact with the battery for heat exchange, and a refrigerant circulation assembly located outside the battery compartment and connected to the heat exchange plate. Among them, a heat exchange flow channel is provided in the heat exchange plate, and the heat exchange flow channel has a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet connected to the refrigerant circulation assembly. The refrigerant circulation assembly includes a high-pressure storage tank for storing refrigerant, a controller, and an emergency spray head extending from the high-pressure storage tank and inserted into the battery compartment. A control valve controlled by the controller is provided between the emergency spray head and the high-pressure storage tank; at least one temperature sensor connected to the controller is provided in the battery compartment, and the controller controls the opening of the control valve based on the temperature information of the battery compartment. When it is opened, the refrigerant in the high-pressure storage tank is sprayed from the emergency spray head into the battery compartment.

2. The battery refrigerant temperature control device with a forced cooling function as described in claim 1, characterized in that: A number of micro-structured grooves are provided on the inner wall surface of the heat exchange flow channel, and wall surface transportation is realized through the micro-structured grooves. The depth of the micro-grooves is 0.1 - 0.5 mm, the width is 0.1 - 0.3 mm, and the cross-section of the micro-grooves is one or a combination of an inverted V shape, an inverted Ω shape, an inverted trapezoid, and a rectangle.

3. The battery refrigerant temperature control device with a forced cooling function as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The refrigerant circulation assembly includes a liquid inlet pipe and a return pipe connected to the high-pressure storage tank, an evaporator connected to the liquid inlet pipe and the return pipe, and a compressor. The compressor controlled by the controller cooperates with the evaporator to realize the cyclic heat absorption of the refrigerant.

4. The battery refrigerant temperature control device with a forced cooling function as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The outer surface of the battery compartment has a flame retardant layer.

5. A battery refrigerant temperature control device with a forced cooling function as described in claim 1, characterized in that: There are multiple emergency spray heads, and the orientations of each emergency spray head are different.

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