Compact liquid cooling unit and liquid cooling energy storage system

Abstract

A compact liquid cooling unit comprises a unit box body, a refrigeration unit, a cooling unit, a fan unit and an electric control unit, the refrigeration unit, the cooling unit, the fan unit and the electric control unit are installed in a containing space of the unit box body, the unit box body is provided with an air inlet and an air outlet, and the containing space is divided into a first installation space and a second installation space. The first installation space and the second installation space are close to the air inlet and the air outlet respectively, the unit box body is provided with an air supplementing opening, the refrigeration unit, the cooling unit and the electric control unit are arranged in the first installation space, the electric control unit is arranged above the cooling unit, and the fan unit is arranged in the second installation space. The refrigerating unit comprises a condenser, the condenser is located between the cooling unit and the fan unit, the cooling unit is provided with a water inlet and a water outlet, the water inlet and the water outlet are formed in the side faces of the unit box respectively, the cooling unit comprises a water inlet pipe and a water outlet pipe, and the water inlet pipe and the water outlet pipe are connected with the water inlet and the water outlet respectively. The utility model also provides a liquid cooling energy storage system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of energy storage liquid cooling equipment technology, and in particular to a compact liquid cooling unit and liquid cooling energy storage system. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of modern technology, energy storage has become mainstream, and liquid-cooled units are gradually being applied to various fields. Currently, the commonly available 20kW liquid-cooled units have large dimensions, which leads to difficulties in installation and transportation during production, resulting in a significant waste of human and material resources.

[0003] In existing technologies, when liquid-cooled units are used in containerized battery energy storage systems, they are typically installed in a liquid-cooled cabinet and then assembled with battery modules into the container. To increase the charging and discharging capacity of the containerized battery modules, engineers will try to fit as many battery packs as possible inside the container, which significantly reduces the space required for the liquid-cooled units.

[0004] However, most 20kW liquid cooling units on the market are floor-mounted, and the units themselves are quite large, which has the disadvantages of taking up a lot of space and being difficult to install. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a compact liquid-cooled unit and a liquid-cooled energy storage system, which aims to solve or at least partially solve the shortcomings of the aforementioned background technology. The compact liquid-cooled unit is not only simple in structure and compact in layout, but also easy to install, and occupies little space and is easy to transport, while having a good heat dissipation effect. The compact liquid-cooled unit can greatly increase the usable space of the battery module of the liquid-cooled energy storage system, thereby increasing the electrical capacity of the liquid-cooled energy storage system, and also improving production efficiency.

[0006] This utility model provides a compact liquid-cooled chiller unit, including a unit housing and a refrigeration unit, a cooling unit, a fan unit, and an electrical control unit installed within the housing's accommodating space. The unit housing has an air inlet and an air outlet on opposite sides along its length. The accommodating space is divided into a first installation space and a second installation space, respectively located near the air inlet and the air outlet. The unit housing has a makeup air inlet on opposite sides along its width, with the two makeup air inlets located on opposite sides of the first installation space along its width. The refrigeration unit and the cooling unit... The electrical control unit is located in the first installation space and the cooling unit is located near the air inlet. The electrical control unit is located above the cooling unit. The fan unit is located in the second installation space and near the air outlet. The refrigeration unit includes a condenser, which is located in the first installation space near the edge of the second installation space and between the cooling unit and the fan unit. The cooling unit is provided with a water inlet and a water outlet, which are respectively located on one side of the unit housing along the width direction. The cooling unit includes a water inlet pipe and a water outlet pipe, which are respectively connected to the water inlet and the water outlet.

[0007] Furthermore, the cooling unit also includes a water pump and an expansion tank, which are respectively arranged below the electronic control unit. Both the expansion tank and the electronic control unit are located on one side edge of the first installation space along the width direction.

[0008] Furthermore, the refrigeration unit also includes an evaporator and a compressor. The evaporator is vertically mounted on the other side edge of the first installation space along the width direction, the compressor is arranged below the expansion tank, and a water pump is located between the evaporator and the compressor. The water pump and the evaporator are connected by a connecting pipe.

[0009] Furthermore, the compressor, condenser, and evaporator are connected by refrigeration pipes, and there is a clearance space between the evaporator and the electronic control unit to avoid the connecting pipes and refrigeration pipes.

[0010] Furthermore, the condenser extends along the width direction, and both ends of the condenser extend to the two sides of the first mounting space.

[0011] Furthermore, the electronic control unit is located near the air inlet.

[0012] Furthermore, the compact liquid-cooled unit is also equipped with a water inlet, which is located on one side of the unit housing and on the same side as the water inlet. The water inlet pipe and the water inlet are connected through the water inlet pipe.

[0013] Furthermore, the wind turbine unit includes a wind turbine frame and several wind turbines mounted on the wind turbine frame, with the wind turbines stacked on the wind turbine frame.

[0014] Furthermore, the unit housing includes a first side plate, a second side plate, and a third side plate. The first side plate and the second side plate are respectively located on opposite sides of the unit housing along the length direction, and the two third side plates are respectively located on opposite sides of the unit housing 10 along the width direction. The air inlet and the air outlet are respectively opened on the first side plate and the second side plate, and the make-up air outlet is opened on the third side plate.

[0015] This utility model also provides a liquid-cooled energy storage system, including a battery module and the aforementioned compact liquid-cooling unit, which is used to cool and dissipate heat from the battery module.

[0016] The compact liquid-cooled chiller unit provided by this utility model features a simple structure and compact layout. The refrigeration unit, cooling unit, fan unit, and electrical control unit are installed separately within the unit housing, with the cooling unit and electrical control unit arranged three-dimensionally. This reduces space occupation and improves space utilization, resulting in a smaller volume for easy transport. By placing the water inlet and outlet on one side of the unit housing along its width, avoiding the placement of the air inlet on the side with the air inlet, the cross-sectional area of ​​the air inlet is maximized, thereby increasing the airflow and achieving a compact structure with good heat dissipation. The addition of make-up air inlets on opposite sides of the unit housing along its width ensures sufficient airflow and improves heat dissipation. Furthermore, the plug-in frame installation method significantly reduces the installation difficulty of the compact liquid-cooled chiller unit. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a compact liquid cooling unit according to the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The diagram shows an exploded perspective view of a compact liquid-cooled unit.

[0019] Figure 3 for Figure 1 The diagram shows an internal top view of the unit's enclosure.

[0020] Figure 4 for Figure 1 The interior top view of the compact liquid-cooled unit shown.

[0021] Figure 5 for Figure 1 The image shows an internal front view of a compact liquid-cooled unit.

[0022] Figure 6 for Figure 2 The diagram shows a three-dimensional view of the fan unit.

[0023] Figure 7This is a schematic diagram of the piping connection of a compact liquid-cooled unit in an embodiment of this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The specific embodiments of this utility model will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. The following examples are used to illustrate this utility model, but are not intended to limit its scope.

[0025] The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” etc. (if present) in the specification and claims of this utility model are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence.

[0026] The directional terms such as "up," "down," "left," "right," "front," "back," "top," and "bottom" (if present) used in the specification and claims of this utility model are defined according to the position of the structures in the drawings and the relative positions of the structures, and are only for the purpose of clarity and convenience in expressing the technical solution. It should be understood that the use of directional terms should not limit the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0027] Please see Figures 1-4 A compact liquid-cooled unit includes a unit housing 10 and a refrigeration unit 20, a cooling unit 30, a fan unit 40, and an electrical control unit 50 installed in the housing space 11 of the unit housing 10.

[0028] The unit housing 10 has an air inlet 12 and an air outlet 13 on opposite sides along the length direction L. The housing 11 is a first installation space 111 and a second installation space 112. The first installation space 111 and the second installation space 112 are close to the air inlet 12 and the air outlet 13, respectively. The unit housing 10 has a makeup air inlet 14 on opposite sides along the width direction W. The two makeup air inlets 14 are located on opposite sides of the first installation space 111 along the width direction W. The refrigeration unit 20, the cooling unit 30, and the electrical control unit 50 are respectively located in the first installation space 111, with the cooling unit 30 close to the air inlet 12 and the electrical control unit 50 arranged above the cooling unit 30. The fan unit 40 is located in the second installation space 112 and close to the air outlet 13.

[0029] The refrigeration unit 20 includes a condenser 21, which is arranged in the first installation space 111 near the edge of the second installation space 112 and between the cooling unit 30 and the fan unit 40. The cooling unit 30 is provided with a water inlet 31 and a water outlet 32, which are respectively located on one side of the unit housing 10 along the width direction W. The cooling unit 30 includes a water inlet pipe 33 and a water outlet pipe 34, which are respectively connected to the water inlet 31 and the water outlet 32.

[0030] The electronic control unit 50 is used to control the working coordination between the refrigeration unit 20, the cooling unit 30, and the fan unit 40.

[0031] In this embodiment, the compact liquid chiller is a 20kW liquid chiller with a frame-mounted design. Compared to the 20kW liquid chiller with a floor-mounted design on the market, the compact liquid chiller is about half the size of the floor-mounted 20kW liquid chiller, resulting in a significant reduction in volume. The size of the compact liquid chiller is equivalent to that of an 8kW liquid chiller with a floor-mounted design on the market.

[0032] The compact liquid-cooled unit provided in this embodiment, by installing the refrigeration unit 20, cooling unit 30, fan unit 40, and electrical control unit 50 respectively inside the unit housing 10, with the cooling unit 30 and electrical control unit 50 arranged in a three-dimensional manner, not only has a simple structure but also a compact layout, thereby reducing the space occupied and improving the space utilization rate, achieving a smaller volume to make the compact liquid-cooled unit easy to transport. By setting the water inlet 31 and water outlet 32 ​​on one side of the unit housing 10 along the width direction W, the water inlet 31 and water outlet 32 ​​are avoided from being located on the side of the unit housing 10 with the air inlet 12, which maximizes the cross-sectional area of ​​the air inlet 12, thereby maximizing the air intake flow rate, achieving a compact liquid-cooled unit with good heat dissipation while maintaining a compact structure. By setting the supplementary air inlets 14 on two opposite sides of the unit housing 10 along the width direction W, the air intake flow rate of the compact liquid-cooled unit can be guaranteed, improving the heat dissipation effect. In addition, the compact liquid chiller adopts a plug-in frame installation method, which can greatly reduce the installation difficulty of the compact liquid chiller.

[0033] Please see Figure 2 and Figure 5 The unit housing 10 includes a first side plate 15, a second side plate 16, and a third side plate 17. The first side plate 15 and the second side plate 16 are respectively located on opposite sides of the unit housing 10 along the length direction L, and the two third side plates 17 are respectively located on opposite sides of the unit housing 10 along the width direction W. The air inlet 12 and the air outlet 13 are respectively located on the first side plate 15 and the second side plate 16, and the make-up air inlet 14 is located on the third side plate 17. The unit housing 10 also includes a top plate 19 and a bottom plate 18, which are arranged vertically opposite to each other.

[0034] More specifically, in this embodiment, the refrigeration unit 20, cooling unit 30, and fan unit 40 are respectively mounted on the base plate 18. The electrical control unit 50 is mounted on the base plate 18 via a bracket. The electrical control unit 50 is close to the top plate 19 and located above the cooling unit 30. The electrical control unit 50 is also close to the air inlet 12 for easy maintenance. The water inlet 31 and water outlet 32 ​​are located on the third side plate 17.

[0035] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first side plate 15, the second side plate 16, and the third side plate 17 are respectively provided with a honeycomb mesh structure at the air inlet 12, the air outlet 13, and the supplementary air outlet 14. The honeycomb mesh structure can ensure the strength of the first side plate 15, the second side plate 16, and the third side plate 17, while improving the ventilation and heat dissipation effect of the unit housing 10.

[0036] Please see Figure 5 The cooling unit 30 also includes a water pump 35 and an expansion tank 36. The water pump 35 and the expansion tank 36 are respectively arranged below the electronic control unit 50. The expansion tank 36 and the electronic control unit 50 are both located on one side edge of the first installation space 111 along the width direction W. The water pump 35, the expansion tank 36 and the electronic control unit 50 are distributed three-dimensionally, which can effectively reduce the horizontal space occupied and achieve a compact layout.

[0037] In this embodiment, the expansion tank 36 is mounted on the base plate 18 via a bracket, and the water pump 35 is mounted on the base plate 18.

[0038] More specifically, the water pump 35's inlet end is connected to the inlet pipe 33. The inlet pipe 33 and the outlet pipe 34 extend along the width direction W and are respectively close to the air inlet 12. The inlet pipe 33 and the outlet pipe 34 are distributed three-dimensionally and are respectively mounted on the base plate 18 by brackets, which can effectively reduce the horizontal space occupied and achieve a compact layout. In addition, the expansion tank 36 is connected to the inlet pipe 33.

[0039] Furthermore, the compact liquid-cooled unit is also equipped with a water inlet 38, which is located on one side of the unit housing 10 and on the same side as the water inlet 31. The water inlet pipe 33 and the water inlet 38 are connected through a water inlet pipe 39. In this embodiment, the water inlet 38 is located on a third side plate 17. The fact that the water inlet 38 and the water inlet 31 are located on the same side can shorten the length of the water inlet pipe 39 connecting to the water inlet pipe 33, thereby reducing the volume occupied by the water inlet pipe 39.

[0040] Please see Figure 4 and Figure 5 The refrigeration unit 20 also includes an evaporator 22 and a compressor 23. The evaporator 22 is vertically installed on the other side edge of the first installation space 111 along the width direction W. The compressor 23 is arranged below the expansion tank 36. A water pump 35 is located between the evaporator 22 and the compressor 23, and the outlet of the water pump 35 is connected to the evaporator 22 through a connecting pipe 37. The vertical installation of the evaporator 22 can effectively reduce the horizontal area occupied by the evaporator 22.

[0041] In this embodiment, the evaporator 22 and the expansion tank 36 are respectively installed on both sides of the base plate 18 along the width direction W, so that the water pump 35 is compactly installed between the evaporator 22 and the compressor 23. This shortens the length of the connecting pipe 37 and reduces the volume occupied by the connecting pipe 37, thereby achieving a smaller size of the compact liquid cooling unit. The compressor 23, the expansion tank 36, and the electrical control unit 50 are arranged sequentially from bottom to top, which can effectively reduce the horizontal space occupied and achieve a compact layout.

[0042] Furthermore, the compressor 23, condenser 21, and evaporator 22 are connected through the refrigeration pipe 24. A clearance space 60 is provided between the evaporator 22 and the electronic control unit 50. The clearance space 60 is used to avoid the connecting pipe 37 and the refrigeration pipe 24.

[0043] Please see Figure 4 and Figure 5 The condenser 21 extends along the width direction W, and both ends of the condenser 21 extend to the two side edges of the first mounting space 111. This arrangement can maximize the restriction of air recirculation from the second mounting space 112 to the first mounting space 111, thereby preventing the cooling effect of the cooling unit 30 from being affected.

[0044] More specifically, in this embodiment, the condenser 21 is mounted on the base plate 18, and the upper part of the condenser 21 extends to the lower surface of the top plate 19, which can further restrict the air recirculation from the second mounting space 112 to the first mounting space 111.

[0045] Please see Figure 6 The fan unit 40 includes a fan frame 41 and several fans 42 mounted on the fan frame 41. The fans 42 are stacked on the fan frame 41. The stacked arrangement of the fans 42 not only saves horizontal space by being compact, but also ensures the air intake and exhaust efficiency of the compact liquid cooling unit by setting multiple fans 42, thus achieving a better heat dissipation effect.

[0046] Please see Figure 7 In this embodiment, the evaporator 22 is a plate heat exchanger, and an electronic expansion valve 25 is installed on the refrigeration pipeline 24 between the evaporator 22 and the condenser 21.

[0047] The evaporator 22 is also connected to the water outlet pipe 34. The cooling process of the cooling unit 30 is as follows: When the water pump 35 is working, the coolant flows in from the water inlet 31, flows through the water inlet pipe 33, the water pump 35, the connecting pipe 37 and enters the evaporator 22. The coolant is cooled in the evaporator 22 and then flows out of the water outlet pipe 34 to achieve the cooling effect.

[0048] The refrigeration process of the refrigeration unit 20 is as follows: the compressor 23 compresses the low-temperature, low-pressure gaseous refrigerant into a high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant and sends it to the condenser 21 along the refrigeration pipeline 24. The condenser 21 condenses the high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant into a low-temperature, high-pressure liquid refrigerant and releases the heat of the refrigerant to the surrounding environment. Then, the low-temperature, high-pressure liquid refrigerant expands into a low-temperature, low-pressure liquid refrigerant through the electronic expansion valve 25. The low-temperature, low-pressure liquid refrigerant enters the evaporator 22 and absorbs the heat of the coolant in the evaporator 22 before evaporating and transforming into a low-temperature, low-pressure gaseous refrigerant. This cycle continues to achieve the refrigeration effect.

[0049] In addition, a heater 341 is installed on the water outlet pipe 34, which can be used to heat the coolant. When the refrigeration unit 20 is in heating mode, the condenser 21 can be used as an evaporator, and the evaporator 22 can be used as a condenser. Here, the evaporator 22 can heat up the coolant flowing through the evaporator 22, and the heater 341 provides auxiliary heating to the coolant flowing out of the evaporator 22.

[0050] This utility model also provides a liquid-cooled energy storage system, including a battery module and the aforementioned compact liquid-cooling unit, which is used to cool and dissipate heat from the battery module.

[0051] The advantages of the compact liquid-cooled unit provided in this embodiment include:

[0052] (1) The structure is simple and the layout is compact, which can reduce the horizontal space occupied, improve the space utilization rate, reduce the volume, and thus make it easy to transport.

[0053] (2) Maximize the cross-sectional area of ​​the air inlet to maximize the airflow and achieve a compact liquid cooling unit with good heat dissipation effect.

[0054] (3) It is equipped with an air supply port, which can ensure the air intake flow of the compact liquid cooling unit and improve the heat dissipation effect.

[0055] (4) The use of a plug-in frame installation method can greatly reduce the installation difficulty of compact liquid cooling units.

[0056] The liquid-cooled energy storage system provided in this embodiment obviously has all the beneficial effects of a compact liquid-cooled unit. In addition, the advantages of the liquid-cooled energy storage system also include:

[0057] (1) It increases the usable space of the battery module, thereby increasing the electrical capacity of the liquid-cooled energy storage system.

[0058] (2) The installation of compact liquid-cooled units is less difficult, which improves the assembly efficiency of liquid-cooled energy storage systems and thus improves production efficiency.

[0059] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this utility model, but the protection scope of this utility model is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of this utility model should be determined by the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A compact liquid-cooled chiller unit, comprising a unit housing (10) and a refrigeration unit (20), a cooling unit (30), a fan unit (40), and an electrical control unit (50) installed within a receiving space (11) of the unit housing (10), characterized in that, The unit housing (10) has an air inlet (12) and an air outlet (13) on opposite sides along its length. The accommodating space (11) is divided into a first installation space (111) and a second installation space (112). The first installation space (111) and the second installation space (112) are respectively close to the air inlet (12) and the air outlet (13). The unit housing (10) has a makeup air inlet (14) on opposite sides along its width. The two makeup air inlets (14) are respectively located on opposite sides along the width of the first installation space (111). The refrigeration unit (20), the cooling unit (30), and the electrical control unit (50) are respectively located in the first installation space (111), with the cooling unit (30) close to the air inlet (12). The electrical control unit (50) is arranged above the cooling unit (30). The fan unit (40) is located in the second installation space (112) and close to the air outlet (13). The refrigeration unit (20) includes a condenser (21), which is arranged at the edge of the first installation space (111) near the second installation space (112) and between the cooling unit (30) and the fan unit (40). The cooling unit (30) is provided with a water inlet (31) and a water outlet (32). The water inlet (31) and the water outlet (32) are respectively provided on one side of the unit housing (10) along the width direction. The cooling unit (30) includes a water inlet pipe (33) and a water outlet pipe (34), which are respectively connected to the water inlet (31) and the water outlet (32).

2. The compact liquid-cooled unit as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The cooling unit (30) also includes a water pump (35) and an expansion tank (36), the water pump (35) and the expansion tank (36) being arranged below the electrical control unit (50), and the expansion tank (36) and the electrical control unit (50) being located on one side edge of the first installation space (111) along the width direction.

3. The compact liquid-cooled unit as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The refrigeration unit (20) also includes an evaporator (22) and a compressor (23). The evaporator (22) is vertically installed on the other side edge of the first installation space (111) along the width direction. The compressor (23) is arranged below the expansion tank (36). The water pump (35) is located between the evaporator (22) and the compressor (23). The water pump (35) is connected to the evaporator (22) through a connecting pipe (37).

4. The compact liquid-cooled unit as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The compressor (23), the condenser (21), and the evaporator (22) are connected by a refrigeration pipe (24). There is a clearance space between the evaporator (22) and the electronic control unit (50). The clearance space is used to avoid the connecting pipe (37) and part of the refrigeration pipe (24).

5. The compact liquid-cooled unit as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The condenser (21) extends in the width direction, and both ends of the condenser (21) extend to the two sides of the first mounting space (111).

6. The compact liquid-cooled unit as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The electronic control unit (50) is located near the air inlet (12).

7. The compact liquid-cooled unit as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The compact liquid cooling unit is also provided with a water inlet (38), which is arranged on one side of the unit housing (10) and is located on the same side as the water inlet (31). The water inlet pipe (33) is connected to the water inlet (38) through the water inlet pipe (39).

8. The compact liquid-cooled unit as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The fan unit (40) includes a fan stand (41) and several fans (42) mounted on the fan stand (41), with the fans (42) stacked on the fan stand (41).

9. The compact liquid-cooled unit as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The unit housing (10) includes a first side plate (15), a second side plate (16) and a third side plate (17). The first side plate (15) and the second side plate (16) are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the unit housing (10) along the length direction. The two third side plates (17) are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the unit housing (10) along the width direction. The air inlet (12) and the air outlet (13) are respectively opened on the first side plate (15) and the second side plate (16). The make-up air inlet (14) is opened on the third side plate (17).

10. A liquid-cooled energy storage system, comprising a battery module, characterized in that, It also includes a compact liquid cooling unit as described in any one of claims 1-9, the compact liquid cooling unit being used to cool and dissipate heat from the battery module.

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