Thermal runaway monitoring system for power battery testing process

Abstract

The utility model provides a thermal runaway monitoring system for a power battery test process, which relates to the technical field of power battery test systems, and comprises a test environment chamber, a control system, a monitoring system, a fire extinguishing system and an alarm system, the monitoring system is electrically connected with the control system and is used for monitoring thermal runaway of a power battery pack; the fire fighting system comprises a water injection and drainage device, a forced exhaust device and a spraying device, the control system has a manual mode and an automatic mode which can be switched, and the control system can control the water injection and drainage device, the forced exhaust device or the spraying device to be started and stopped through monitoring information of the monitoring system; the alarm system sends out a primary alarm and a secondary alarm according to monitoring information of the monitoring system so as to start and stop corresponding devices; according to the utility model, the cooling effect is obvious, the thermal runaway diffusion can be effectively restrained, the thermal runaway remedy efficiency is improved, the corresponding cooling mode can be started according to the actual situation on site, the control mode is diversified and flexible, and the fire-fighting and maintenance cost is low.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of power battery test systems, in particular to a thermal runaway monitoring system for a power battery test process. Background Art

[0002] As a crucial component of electric vehicles, the power battery pack is both the core and the power source of the vehicle. The risk of thermal runaway in the power battery pack is directly related to the safety of the electric vehicle. Dynamic testing of the battery pack is typically required before commissioning. Electrical performance testing requires frequent charging and discharging of the power battery pack, which carries the risk of overcharging, over-discharging, heating, and leakage. Failure to manage thermal runaway can result in smoke, fire, or even explosion.

[0003] Currently, most power batteries are lithium-ion batteries. Conventional fire extinguishing methods cannot promptly extinguish a lithium battery fire. Furthermore, because power battery packs are composed of many cells connected in series, thermal runaway cells can easily spread within the pack. Currently, power battery pack test sites are typically equipped with fire protection systems, but these systems monitor the entire building space, which presents at least the following drawbacks:

[0004] 1. Once thermal runaway occurs, the fire alarm will only be triggered when the danger (such as smoke, sparks, explosion, etc.) rushes out of the test environment chamber. At this time, the consequences are already very serious, and the original fire protection system on the site has a certain degree of lag in action.

[0005] 2. When the site's firefighting system was triggered, the test equipment inside the site could not be rescued manually, posing a risk of being scrapped. The site's firefighting system also injected HFC-227ea gas to extinguish the fire, which cost tens of thousands of yuan. Furthermore, the equipment was expensive to repair or replace. Therefore, the existing firefighting system had the disadvantage of high firefighting and maintenance costs.

[0006] 3. The principle of HFC-227ea fire extinguishing is to isolate the air. It cannot effectively prevent the battery pack from catching fire in a short period of time. It can only wait for the battery pack to be completely burned out, which has the disadvantage of low fire extinguishing efficiency. Utility Model Content

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a thermal runaway monitoring system for a power battery test process to solve the above-mentioned technical problems existing in the prior art; the preferred technical solution among the many technical solutions provided by the present invention can produce many technical effects; see the following for details.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0009] The utility model provides a thermal runaway monitoring system for a power battery test process, comprising a test environment chamber, a control system, a monitoring system and a fire protection system, wherein: the test environment chamber is used for dynamic testing of a power battery pack; the monitoring system is electrically connected to the control system and is used for monitoring thermal runaway of the power battery pack; the fire protection system is electrically connected to the control system, and the fire protection system comprises a water injection and drainage device, a forced exhaust device and a sprinkler device, and the control system can control the opening and closing of the water injection and drainage device, the forced exhaust device or the sprinkler device through the monitoring information of the monitoring system.

[0010] Preferably, the control system includes an automatic control box, and the monitoring system and the fire protection system are both electrically connected to the automatic control box; the monitoring system can feed back the monitored thermal runaway information of the power battery pack to the automatic control box, so that the automatic control box can control the opening and closing of the injection and drainage device, the strong exhaust device or the sprinkler device.

[0011] Preferably, the automatic control box is also provided with a manual control device, which includes a system start and stop button, a water filling and drainage action button, a strong exhaust action button and a spray action button; the automatic control box has a switchable automatic mode and manual mode.

[0012] Preferably, the monitoring system includes temperature and over-temperature probes, smoke probes and combustible gas probes, wherein: the temperature and over-temperature probes, the smoke probes and the combustible gas probes are all arranged on the bulkhead of the test environment chamber, and the combustible gas probe is used to monitor carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen and hydrocarbon gases.

[0013] Preferably, the thermal runaway monitoring system for the power battery test process also includes an alarm system, which includes an audible and visual alarm device; when one of the temperature sensing and over-temperature probe, the smoke probe and the combustible gas probe detects an abnormality, the audible and visual alarm device issues a first-level alarm, and the control system controls the test environment chamber to shut down; when at least two of the temperature sensing and over-temperature probe, the smoke probe and the combustible gas probe detect an abnormality, the audible and visual alarm device issues a second-level alarm, and the control system controls the fire protection system to start up and notifies the fire protection center to achieve fire linkage.

[0014] Preferably, the injection and drainage device includes a water injection port, a water injection solenoid valve, a drain port and a drain solenoid valve, wherein: the water injection port is arranged on the bulkhead of the test environment chamber; the water injection solenoid valve is used for flow control of the water injection port; the drain port is arranged on the bottom wall of the test environment chamber; the drain solenoid valve is used for flow control of the drain port.

[0015] Preferably, the water injection and drainage device further includes a float valve, which is arranged at the position of the water injection port.

[0016] Preferably, the injection and drainage device further includes a water storage tank, and the drain outlet is connected to the water storage tank via a drainage pipeline.

[0017] Preferably, the strong exhaust device includes a strong exhaust port, and the strong exhaust port is arranged on the wall of the test environment chamber.

[0018] Preferably, the spray device includes a plurality of spray ports, and all of the spray ports are evenly arranged on the top wall of the test environment chamber.

[0019] The thermal runaway monitoring system for a power battery test process provided by the utility model has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0020] The thermal runaway monitoring system for the power battery test process includes a test environment chamber, a control system, a monitoring system and a fire protection system. The test environment chamber is used for dynamic testing of the power battery pack, the control system is used for controlling the entire system, the monitoring system is used for monitoring thermal runaway of the power battery pack, and the fire protection system is used to cool the thermal runaway battery pack to curb the spread of thermal runaway.

[0021] The fire protection system includes an injection and drainage device, a forced exhaust device and a sprinkler device. During actual use, the control system can control the opening and closing of the injection and drainage device, the forced exhaust device or the sprinkler device through the monitoring information of the monitoring system. The injection and drainage device cools the thermal runaway battery pack by injecting water to submerge the power battery pack. The forced exhaust device reduces the solubility of combustible gas by exhausting air. The sprinkler device cools the entire environmental chamber. During actual application, the corresponding cooling method is triggered according to the actual on-site environment.

[0022] The utility model cooperates with the water injection and drainage device, the strong exhaust device and the spraying device to cool the thermal runaway power battery pack by water injection, exhaust and spraying. Not only is the cooling effect significant, it can effectively curb the spread of thermal runaway and improve the efficiency of thermal runaway remediation. Moreover, the corresponding cooling method can be activated according to the actual situation on site. The control method is diverse and flexible, and the fire fighting and maintenance costs are low. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0024] Figure 1 and Figure 2It is a structural diagram of the utility model;

[0025] Figure 3 This is the monitoring alarm logic diagram of the utility model;

[0026] Figure 4 This is the first-level alarm logic diagram of the utility model;

[0027] Figure 5 This is a two-level alarm logic diagram of the utility model.

[0028] Reference numerals

[0029] 1. Test environment chamber; 2. Control system; 21. Automatic control box; 3. Monitoring system; 31. Temperature and over-temperature probe; 32. Smoke probe; 33. Combustible gas probe; 4. Fire protection system; 41. Injection and drainage device; 411. Water injection port; 412. Drain port; 413. Float valve; 414. Water storage tank; 42. Forced exhaust device; 421. Forced exhaust port; 43. Sprinkler device; 431. Sprinkler port. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] To make the purpose, technical solution, and advantages of the present invention more clear, the technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other implementation methods obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making any creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0031] Example 1:

[0032] The utility model provides a thermal runaway monitoring system for power battery testing process, referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the thermal runaway monitoring system for the power battery test process includes a test environment chamber 1, a control system 2, a monitoring system 3 and a fire protection system 4.

[0033] The test environment chamber 1 is used for dynamic testing of the power battery pack; the monitoring system 3 is electrically connected to the control system 2 and is used to monitor thermal runaway of the power battery pack; the fire protection system 4 is electrically connected to the control system 2, and the fire protection system 4 includes a water injection and drainage device 41, a strong exhaust device 42 and a sprinkler device 43.

[0034] In actual application, the test environment chamber 1 performs dynamic tests on the power battery pack, and the monitoring system 3 monitors the thermal runaway information of the power battery pack during the test in real time and transmits it to the control system 2. The control system 2 can control the opening and closing of the injection and drainage device 41, the strong exhaust device 42 or the spray device 43 according to this information.

[0035] In the process of controlling thermal runaway, the water injection and drainage device 41 injects water to immerse the power battery pack in water, thereby cooling the thermal runaway power battery in a water-flooded manner.

[0036] The strong exhaust device 42 reduces the solubility of combustible gas and suppresses the spread of thermal runaway by exhausting air.

[0037] The spraying device 43 sprays the entire test environment chamber 1 to cool it down.

[0038] During actual application, the corresponding device can be started according to the actual on-site conditions.

[0039] Example 2:

[0040] Example 2 is based on Example 1:

[0041] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the control system 2 includes an automatic control box 21 , and the monitoring system 3 and the fire protection system 4 are both electrically connected to the automatic control box 21 .

[0042] In automatic mode, the monitoring system 3 monitors the thermal runaway information of the power battery pack in real time and feeds it back to the automatic control box 21. The automatic control box 21 controls the opening and closing of the water injection and drainage device 41, the strong exhaust device 42 or the spray device 43 according to this information.

[0043] In this way, the fire protection system 4 can be automatically controlled, making it more intelligent and convenient to use.

[0044] As an optional embodiment, the automatic control box 21 is also provided with a manual control device, which includes a system start and stop button, a water filling and drainage action button, a strong exhaust action button and a spray action button. The automatic control box 21 has a switchable automatic mode and manual mode.

[0045] In manual mode, by pressing the corresponding button, the corresponding device can be activated.

[0046] In this way, the fire protection system 4 can be manually controlled, and the control mode is more diverse and flexible.

[0047] As an optional implementation, the automatic control box 21 is provided with a display screen, which can intuitively display various monitoring parameters on the one hand, and on the other hand, it is also a human-computer interaction screen, which can select manual mode or automatic mode. In automatic mode, the system will automatically determine the next action based on the actual monitoring information. In manual mode, the staff can determine the next action based on the actual situation to ensure that false alarms will not cause the fire protection system 4 to accidentally trigger and damage equipment.

[0048] As an optional implementation, the monitoring system 3 includes a temperature and over-temperature probe 31 , a smoke probe 32 and a combustible gas probe 33 .

[0049] The temperature sensing and over-temperature probe 31 is arranged on the side wall of the test environment chamber 1 near the top, and is used to monitor the temperature and heating rate, which are the first type of thermal runaway judgment conditions.

[0050] The smoke probe 32 is arranged on the top wall of the test environment chamber 1 and is used for monitoring smoke, which is a condition for judging the second type of thermal runaway.

[0051] The combustible gas probe 33 is arranged on the top wall of the test environment chamber 1 and is used for monitoring combustible gases, specifically for monitoring carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and hydrocarbon gases. The aforementioned hydrocarbon gases are mainly CH4 and C2H4. The aforementioned combustible gases are the main gas components during thermal runaway combustion, which is the third type of thermal runaway judgment condition.

[0052] The first, second and third thermal runaway judgment conditions can accurately reflect the thermal runaway of power batteries.

[0053] As an optional embodiment, the thermal runaway monitoring system for the power battery test process further includes an alarm system, and the alarm system includes an audible and visual alarm device.

[0054] When one of the temperature and over-temperature probes 31, smoke probes 32 and combustible gas probes 33 detects an abnormality, the sound and light alarm device issues a first-level alarm, and the control system 2 controls the test environment chamber 1 to shut down. At the same time, through the communication protocol, the upper computer supporting equipment such as monitoring instruments, charging and discharging equipment, etc. are shut down. After that, the staff enters the site for monitoring and confirmation, and determines the next action based on the specific situation. If thermal runaway occurs, manual fire extinguishing is performed. If it is confirmed to be safe, the first-level alarm is canceled.

[0055] When at least two of the monitoring signals of the temperature sensor and over-temperature probe 31, the smoke probe 32 and the combustible gas probe 33 are abnormal, the sound and light alarm device will issue a secondary alarm, and the control system 2 will control the fire protection system 4 to start, so that the strong exhaust device 42, the sprinkler device 43 and the water injection and drainage device 41 are started to achieve cooling. While starting the fire protection system 4, the control system 2 will promptly notify the fire protection center, and the fire protection center will work together to ensure that the fire fighters rush to the scene in time.

[0056] In actual application, each probe needs to be periodically calibrated to ensure measurement accuracy.

[0057] As an optional embodiment, the water filling and drainage device 41 includes a water filling port 411 , a water filling solenoid valve, a water drainage port 412 and a water drainage solenoid valve.

[0058] The water inlet 411 is arranged on the side wall of the test environment chamber 1; the water injection solenoid valve is arranged on the water injection pipeline for flow control of the water injection inlet 411; the drain outlet 412 is arranged on the bottom wall of the test environment chamber 1; the drain solenoid valve is arranged on the drain pipeline for flow control of the drain outlet 412.

[0059] When the alarm is not triggered, the drainage solenoid valve is normally open and the water injection solenoid valve is normally closed.

[0060] When the secondary alarm is triggered, the water injection solenoid valve opens, the drainage solenoid valve closes, and fire water quickly enters through the water injection port 411, flooding the thermal runaway battery pack in a short time to achieve cooling.

[0061] As an optional embodiment, the water filling and drainage device 41 also includes a float valve 413. The valve body of the float valve 413 is set at the position of the water filling port 411, and its float is set at a position about 72 cm from the ground. When the water filling height reaches the float of the float valve 413, the fire water has completely submerged the battery pack. At this time, the water filling port 411 is further closed by the float valve 413, which can effectively prevent the equipment host from being damaged by water due to excessive water.

[0062] As an optional embodiment, the water filling and drainage device 41 further includes a water storage tank 414, and the drain outlet 412 is connected to the water storage tank 414 through a drainage pipeline.

[0063] When thermal runaway occurs, a complex chemical reaction occurs inside the battery pack, and related toxic chemicals will leak to the outside, causing water pollution. Therefore, it should be treated as hazardous waste. The use of water storage tank 414 can effectively accommodate the contaminated water, facilitating special hazardous waste treatment at a later stage to prevent environmental pollution.

[0064] As an optional embodiment, the strong exhaust device 42 includes a strong exhaust port 421 , and the strong exhaust port 421 is provided on the top wall of the test environment chamber 1 .

[0065] When the strong exhaust device 42 is started, the strong exhaust port 421 quickly discharges the gas in the cabin, which can effectively reduce the concentration of combustible gas and inhibit the spread of thermal runaway.

[0066] As an optional embodiment, the spray device 43 includes a plurality of spray ports 431 , and all the spray ports 431 are evenly arranged on the top wall of the test environment chamber 1 .

[0067] The spray device 43 is activated, and the spray port 431 continuously sprays from above the battery pack, which can cover the entire test environment chamber 1, effectively control the fire in the area, and also control the heat and limit the generation of toxic smoke.

[0068] This utility model can monitor the entire process of various power battery tests and is an additional fire protection system in addition to the protection of the environmental chamber itself. Once an abnormality is detected during monitoring, an alarm can be triggered in a timely manner, enabling control in the early stages of thermal runaway to ensure the safety of personnel and property. At the same time, through water injection, strong exhaust, and spraying, the cost of firefighting is greatly reduced. While ensuring the integrity of the test equipment, the thermal runaway battery pack can be cooled in a relatively short period of time, thereby effectively curbing the spread of thermal runaway and improving the efficiency of power battery thermal runaway firefighting. The installation, firefighting, and maintenance costs are low, making it easy to promote and use.

[0069] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "inside", "outside", "top", "bottom", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship, are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application 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 a limitation on this application.

[0070] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance or implicitly specify the number of the technical features indicated. Thus, a feature specified as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. Throughout the description of this application, "plurality" or "several" means at least two, for example, two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined.

[0071] In this application, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," "connect," "fixed," etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connection, detachable connection, or integration; they can refer to direct connection or indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to internal communication between two elements or interaction between two elements, unless otherwise specified. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0072] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any modifications or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A thermal runaway monitoring system for a power battery test process, characterized in that: It includes a test environment chamber, a control system, a monitoring system and a fire protection system, including: The test environment chamber is used for dynamic testing of power battery packs; The monitoring system is electrically connected to the control system and is used to monitor thermal runaway of the power battery pack; The fire protection system is electrically connected to the control system. The fire protection system includes an injection and drainage device, a strong exhaust device and a sprinkler device. The control system can control the opening and closing of the injection and drainage device, the strong exhaust device or the sprinkler device through the monitoring information of the monitoring system.

2. The thermal runaway monitoring system for power battery testing process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control system includes an automatic control box, and the monitoring system and the fire protection system are both electrically connected to the automatic control box; The monitoring system can feed back the monitored thermal runaway information of the power battery pack to the automatic control box, so that the automatic control box can control the opening and closing of the water injection and drainage device, the strong exhaust device or the spraying device.

3. The thermal runaway monitoring system for power battery testing process according to claim 2, characterized in that: The automatic control box is also provided with a manual control device, which includes a system start and stop button, a water filling and drainage action button, a strong exhaust action button and a spray action button; The automatic control box has a switchable automatic mode and a manual mode.

4. The thermal runaway monitoring system for power battery testing process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The monitoring system includes temperature and over-temperature probes, smoke probes and combustible gas probes, among which: The temperature sensing and over-temperature probes, the smoke probes and the combustible gas probes are all arranged on the bulkhead of the test environment chamber. The combustible gas probe is used for monitoring carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen and hydrocarbon gases.

5. The thermal runaway monitoring system for power battery testing process according to claim 4, characterized in that: The thermal runaway monitoring system for the power battery test process also includes an alarm system, which includes an audible and visual alarm device; When one of the temperature and over-temperature probe, the smoke probe, and the combustible gas probe detects an abnormality, the sound and light alarm device issues a first-level alarm, and the control system controls the test environment chamber to shut down; When at least two of the temperature and over-temperature probes, the smoke probes and the combustible gas probes detect abnormalities, the sound and light alarm device issues a secondary alarm, the control system controls the fire protection system to start, and notifies the fire protection center to achieve fire protection linkage.

6. The thermal runaway monitoring system for power battery testing process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The water injection and drainage device includes a water injection port, a water injection solenoid valve, a water discharge port and a water discharge solenoid valve, wherein: The water injection port is arranged on the bulkhead of the test environment chamber; The water injection solenoid valve is used for flow control of the water injection port; The drain outlet is arranged on the bottom wall of the test environment chamber; The drain solenoid valve is used for flow control of the drain port.

7. The thermal runaway monitoring system for power battery testing process according to claim 6, characterized in that: The water injection and drainage device further comprises a float valve, which is arranged at the position of the water injection port.

8. The thermal runaway monitoring system for power battery testing process according to claim 6, characterized in that: The water filling and drainage device also includes a water storage tank, and the drain outlet is connected to the water storage tank through a drainage pipeline.

9. The thermal runaway monitoring system for power battery testing process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The strong exhaust device includes a strong exhaust port, and the strong exhaust port is arranged on the wall of the test environment chamber.

10. The thermal runaway monitoring system for power battery testing process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spray device includes a plurality of spray ports, and all of the spray ports are evenly arranged on the top wall of the test environment chamber.

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