Multi-layer cooling box with flow guide

Abstract

This invention discloses a multi-layer flow-guiding cooling box, comprising a box body with a cooling cavity through which cold air flows. Multiple tray racks are vertically spaced within the cooling cavity, and each tray rack is equipped with an axial flow fan mounted at an angle, with adjacent axial flow fans arranged alternately. This invention utilizes multiple tray racks within the cooling cavity, each with an adjustable angle for the axial flow fan, forming a stepped flow path that spirals the airflow downwards, enhancing turbulence and preventing short-circuiting. This invention can cool lithium-ion battery cells from 120°C to below 60°C within 30 minutes, significantly shortening cooling time, improving battery production efficiency, and effectively reducing production costs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of battery manufacturing technology, and in particular to a multi-layer flow-guiding cooling box. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional battery cell baking equipment often uses a single fan or simple air duct design for the cooling box, resulting in uneven airflow distribution, low heat dissipation efficiency, and high noise levels. This is especially problematic when the object being cooled has a multi-layered structure, where significant temperature differences between layers can lead to localized overheating and performance degradation. While existing technologies have addressed this by increasing the number of fans, they lack systematic guidance for airflow paths and fail to fundamentally solve the problem of turbulent airflow. Utility Model Content

[0003] Based on this, the current cooling boxes used for cooling after battery cell baking, which increase the number of fans but lack systematic guidance of airflow path, fail to fundamentally solve the problem of turbulent airflow. Therefore, this utility model provides a multi-layer flow-guiding cooling box.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: This utility model provides a multi-layer flow-guided cooling box, which includes a box body with a cooling cavity in which cold air flows. Multiple trays are arranged vertically at intervals in the cooling cavity, and each tray is equipped with an axial flow fan at an angle, with adjacent layers of axial flow fans arranged alternately.

[0005] As a further improvement to the above-mentioned solution of this utility model, the axial flow fan is rotatably mounted on the tray frame, and the tilt angle of the axial flow fan is 15°-30°.

[0006] As a further improvement of the above-mentioned solution of this utility model, each tray frame is provided with two axial flow fans and the two axial flow fans on the tray frame are inclined relative to each other, and the tray frame is also provided with guide holes.

[0007] As a further improvement of the above-mentioned solution of this utility model, an air inlet communicating with the cooling chamber is provided on one side of the top of the box, and the air inlet is connected to the outlet of a cold air blower through a cold air inlet pipe; an air outlet communicating with the cooling chamber is provided at the bottom of the box, and the air outlet is connected to the inlet of the cold air blower through a cold air outlet pipe.

[0008] As a further improvement of the above-mentioned solution of this utility model, the top of the cooling chamber is inclined from the side near the air inlet to the side away from the air inlet, and a plurality of guide plates are arranged side by side at intervals on the top of the cooling chamber, with one end of the guide plate facing the air inlet and the other end extending away from the air inlet.

[0009] As a further improvement of the above-mentioned solution of this utility model, two cooling chambers are arranged side by side inside the box. The side of the box away from the air inlet is open and two sliding doors are slidably installed on this side. The two sliding doors are used to close the two cooling chambers respectively.

[0010] As a further improvement to the above-mentioned solution of this utility model, the diameter of the air outlet gradually decreases along the airflow direction.

[0011] As a further improvement to the above-mentioned solution of this utility model, the cold air flowing in the cooling chamber is a non-radioactive inert gas.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: This invention features a multi-layered tray rack within the cooling chamber of the housing, each equipped with an axial flow fan. The axial flow fans are angled and adjustable, forming a stepped airflow path that spirals the airflow downwards, enhancing turbulence and preventing short-circuiting. This invention can cool a lithium-ion battery cell from 120°C to below 60°C within 30 minutes, significantly shortening cooling time, improving battery production efficiency, and effectively reducing production costs.

[0013] The lower air outlet of this utility model adopts a tapered design to accelerate the airflow and form a negative pressure zone to promote the flow of cold air from top to bottom. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a multi-layer flow-guiding cooling box provided in this embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 A top view of a multi-layer flow-guiding cooling box provided for an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the guide plate in a multi-layer flow-guiding cooling box provided for an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a tray in a multi-layer flow-guiding cooling box provided for an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 5 A simulation curve of the VDM355DP-Q axial fan in a multi-layer flow-guided cooling box provided for an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 6 A battery temperature distribution diagram for simulation analysis of a multi-layer flow-guided cooling box provided for an embodiment of this utility model; Figure 7 A cooling gas field distribution diagram for simulation analysis of a multi-layer flow-guiding cooling box provided for an embodiment of this utility model.

[0015] Reference numerals in the attached diagram: 1. Housing; 2. Tray rack; 3. Axial fan; 4. Cold air inlet pipe; 5. Air cooler; 6. Cold air outlet pipe; 7. Baffle plate; 8. Water outlet pipe; 9. Water inlet pipe. Detailed Implementation

[0016] To facilitate understanding of this invention, a more comprehensive description of the invention will be provided below with reference to specific embodiments. However, this invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough and complete understanding of the disclosure of this invention.

[0017] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention.

[0018] Reference Figure 1-2 This embodiment proposes a multi-layer flow-guided cooling box, which includes a box body 1 containing two cooling chambers arranged side by side. Two air inlets, each communicating with one of the two cooling chambers, are located on one side of the top of the box body 1. These air inlets are connected to the outlet of a cooler 5 via a cold air inlet pipe 4. Two air outlets, each communicating with one of the two cooling chambers, are located at the bottom of the box body 1. The diameter of the air outlets gradually decreases along the airflow direction, and these outlets are connected to the inlet of the cooler 5 via a cold air outlet pipe 6. The side of the box body 1 away from the air inlets is open, and two opposing sliding doors are slidably installed on this side. These two sliding doors are used to close the two cooling chambers respectively.

[0019] The cold air generated in the cooling chamber is a non-radioactive inert gas and is a circulating air cooling method. The air cooler 5 is equipped with return air filtration and outlet air filtration.

[0020] The top of the cooling chamber slopes from the side closer to the air inlet to the side farther away from the air inlet, combined with Figure 3 The top of the cooling chamber is provided with multiple guide plates 7 arranged side by side at intervals. One end of the guide plate 7 faces the air inlet and the other end extends away from the air inlet.

[0021] The cooling chamber is equipped with a 7-layer tray rack 2 arranged vertically at intervals, combined with Figure 4 Each tray frame 2 is equipped with an axial flow fan 3 mounted at an angle, with adjacent layers of axial flow fans 3 arranged alternately. The axial flow fans 3 are rotatably mounted on the tray frame 2, and the tilt angle of the axial flow fans 3 is 15°-30°. Adjacent layers of fans rotate in opposite directions to enhance turbulence. In this embodiment, the tilt angle of the axial flow fans 3 is 20°. Each tray frame 2 is provided with two axial flow fans 3, and the two axial flow fans 3 on the tray frame 2 are tilted relative to each other. The tray frame 2 is also provided with airflow guide holes.

[0022] With the above structural setup, when cooling the battery cells using the cooling box in this embodiment, the handling robot places the baked battery cells onto the tray rack 2 in the cooling box. Chilled water enters the cooler 5 through the inlet pipe 9, and the cooler 5 starts working. The built-in fan delivers cold air through the cold air inlet pipe 4. During the air intake stage: the upper air inlet can be equipped with a flow equalization plate to evenly distribute the airflow to each guide plate 7; during the flow guidance stage: the axial flow fan 3 on each tray rack 2 is adjusted to guide the airflow downwards in a spiral motion, enhancing the turbulence effect and preventing airflow short-circuiting; during the air outlet stage: the lower air outlet adopts a tapered design to accelerate airflow discharge, forming a negative pressure zone to promote the downward flow of cold air. Finally, the cold air returns to the cooler 5 through the cold air outlet pipe 6, forming a circulating air cooling field to cool the baked battery cells. Simultaneously, chilled water flows out through the outlet pipe 8 of the cooler 5, carrying away heat. When the battery cell temperature drops to a qualified temperature, the cooling box doors are opened, and the cooling battery cells are transported out of the cooling box by the handling robot.

[0023] like Figure 5 As shown in the simulation curve of the VDM355D fan in the optimized cooling box airflow structure, after 1800 s (30 min) of cooling, the fan pressure difference decreases nonlinearly with increasing volumetric flow rate, reaching 1.36 m... 3 Traffic flow is moderate near / A.

[0024] Combination Figure 6-7 As shown, after 1800 seconds (30 minutes) of cooling, the highest surface temperature of the battery cells is between 50-70°C (the protocol requires cooling to 60°C within 30 minutes). The fans in each layer are arranged in a staggered pattern at a 20° angle to ensure that the airflow covers all battery cells, resulting in uniform cooling. Tests show that compared to the traditional design, the heat dissipation efficiency is improved by 40%, and the noise is reduced by 15dB.

[0025] At full production capacity, cells in one cooling chamber exit the cooling box while cells enter the other cooling chamber, following a first-in-first-out (FIFO) principle, ensuring that the cycle efficiency meets production line requirements.

[0026] It should be noted that when a component is said to be "installed on" another component, it can be directly on the other component or it may be in a component that is centered on it. When a component is said to be "set on" another component, it can be directly set on the other component or it may also be in a component that is centered on it. When a component is said to be "fixed to" another component, it can be directly fixed to the other component or it may also be in a component that is centered on it.

[0027] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "or / and" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0028] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0029] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementations of this utility model, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the utility model patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this utility model, and these all fall within the protection scope of this utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of this utility model patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A multi-layer flow-guiding cooling box, characterized in that, It includes a housing (1), which has a cooling chamber and cold air flows in the cooling chamber. Multiple tray racks (2) are arranged vertically in the cooling chamber. An axial fan (3) is installed obliquely on each tray rack (2) and the adjacent axial fans (3) are arranged alternately.

2. The multi-layer flow-guiding cooling box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The axial fan (3) is rotatably mounted on the tray frame (2), and the tilt angle of the axial fan (3) is 15°-30°.

3. The multi-layer flow-guiding cooling box according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each tray frame (2) is equipped with two axial flow fans (3), and the two axial flow fans (3) on the tray frame (2) are inclined relative to each other. The tray frame (2) is also provided with guide holes.

4. The multi-layer flow-guiding cooling box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top side of the housing (1) is provided with an air inlet that communicates with the cooling chamber. The air inlet is connected to the outlet of a cold air blower (5) through a cold air inlet pipe (4). The bottom of the housing (1) is provided with an air outlet that communicates with the cooling chamber. The air outlet is connected to the inlet of the cold air blower (5) through a cold air outlet pipe (6).

5. The multi-layer flow-guiding cooling box according to claim 4, characterized in that, The top of the cooling chamber is inclined from the side near the air inlet to the side away from the air inlet. The top of the cooling chamber is provided with a plurality of guide plates (7) arranged side by side at intervals. One end of the guide plate (7) faces the air inlet and the other end extends away from the air inlet.

6. The multi-layer flow-guiding cooling box according to claim 4, characterized in that, The housing (1) is provided with two cooling chambers arranged side by side. The side of the housing (1) away from the air inlet is open and two sliding doors are slidably installed on this side. The two sliding doors are used to close the two cooling chambers respectively.

7. The multi-layer flow-guiding cooling box according to claim 4, characterized in that, The diameter of the air outlet gradually decreases along the airflow direction.

8. The multi-layer flow-guiding cooling box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cold air flowing inside the cooling chamber is a non-radioactive inert gas.

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