Battery module and heat exchanger plate thereof

Abstract

A heat exchanger plate comprising a plate body, characterized in that the plate body is provided with a plurality of flow chambers along a height direction, the flow chambers are spaced from each other by a first partition wall or a second partition wall, a thickness of the first partition wall is greater than a thickness of the second partition wall, and a height of the flow chamber on each side of the first partition wall is greater than a height of each of the other flow chambers.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of cooling technology for batteries, in particular to a battery module and a heat exchanger plate thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] A battery module is assembled by connecting multiple cells (individual cells) in series or parallel to provide higher voltage and capacity for the electrical requirements of specific applications. The module typically contains battery cells, conductive connectors, a module control unit, a frame, a heat exchanger plate, a cooling tube, pressure plates at both ends, and fasteners.

[0003] In the prior art, the heat exchanger plate is provided with multiple flow chambers to ensure a uniform distribution of the coolant flow. The flow chambers have unidirectional flow channels or bidirectional flow channels. As shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 1, which is a cross-sectional view of a unidirectional flow channel, with arrows indicating the coolant flow direction, the coolant flows in the flow chambers of the heat exchanger plate from one end of the channel to the other end. This cooling channel structure results in poor heat dissipation uniformity between battery cells at different positions within the same battery assembly. As shown in Figures Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, which are cross-sectional views of bidirectional flow channels, with the arrows indicating the coolant flow direction, the coolant in the flow chambers of the heat exchanger plate enters the first flow channel 01 and exits the second flow channel 03, with the end of the first flow channel 01 being in fluid communication with the second flow channel 03 via a distribution chamber 02. This cooling channel structure provides better uniformity of heat dissipation between battery cells at different positions within the same battery assembly, resulting in more similar temperatures between different battery cells in the same battery assembly, which in turn is beneficial for extending the service life of the battery assembly.The first flow channel 01 and the second flow channel 03 are sealed and separated from each other by a ribbed separating plate 04, and different first flow channels 01 or different second flow channels 03 are separated from each other by partition walls 05. To ensure a sealing and heat-transfer effect, the thickness of the ribbed separating plate 04 is greater than that of the partition walls 05.

[0004] The heat exchanger plate is generally manufactured by aluminum extrusion. Since the thickness of the separating fin plate 04 is greater than that of the partition walls 05, the cavity height of the mold corresponding to the separating fin plate 04 is greater than that corresponding to the partition walls 05. During molding or extrusion manufacturing, the mold cavity corresponding to the position of the separating fin plate 04 is larger, resulting in a larger feed volume, faster flow rate, and lower pressure, while the mold cavity corresponding to the position of the partition walls 05 is smaller, resulting in a smaller feed volume, slower flow rate, and higher pressure.Material from other positions may flow toward the position of the separating fin plate 04, resulting in deformation of the flow channels near the separating fin plate 04, resulting in a lower production yield of heat exchanger plates during production. Furthermore, since no coolant flows through the position of the separating fin plate 04, the heat transfer effect is poor. SUMMARY

[0005] Against this background, the utility model provides a heat exchanger plate that can improve heat dissipation at thick-walled locations of the plate body, ensure reliable formation of flow chambers with partition walls of different thicknesses, reduce the probability of deformation of the flow channels, and improve the qualification rate of the heat exchanger plate forming.

[0006] The utility model also includes a battery module.

[0007] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the utility model offers the following technical solution: A heat exchanger plate comprising a plate body, wherein the plate body is provided with a plurality of flow chambers along a height direction, the flow chambers being spaced from each other by first partition walls or second partition walls, a thickness of the first partition wall being greater than a thickness of the second partition wall, and a height of the flow chamber on each side of the first partition wall being greater than a height of other flow chambers.

[0008] From the above technical solution, it can be seen that the heat exchanger plate provided by the utility model, by setting the height of the flow chamber on both sides of the thicker partition wall to a value greater than the height of each of the other flow chambers, increases the flow channel area of ​​the flow chamber on both sides of the thicker partition wall, thereby increasing the coolant flow in the channels and achieving better heat dissipation, thereby balancing the heat dissipation at the position of the thicker first partition wall.During the forming process, since the height of the flow chamber on both sides of the first partition wall is larger, the first partition wall is farther away from other second partition walls, which reduces the competitive withdrawal of liquid aluminum at the position of the first partition wall due to the lower pressure, thereby improving the reliability of flow chamber forming, reducing the influence of the first partition wall on the forming of other second partition walls, ensuring the forming of other partition walls, reducing the probability of deformation of the flow channels, and improving the qualification rate of the heat exchanger plate during production.

[0009] The utility model also includes a battery module comprising a first battery assembly, a second battery assembly, and a heat exchanger plate. The first battery assembly and the second battery assembly are arranged on both sides of the heat exchanger plate, the heat exchanger plate is the aforementioned heat exchanger plate, and the heat exchanger plate is arranged perpendicular to a base plate of a battery case. Since the battery module includes the aforementioned heat exchanger plate, it has the advantages of the aforementioned heat exchanger plate, which are not repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the utility model or the prior art, the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art are briefly presented below. Of course, the drawings described below represent only a few embodiments of the utility model. Those skilled in the art can derive additional drawings from these drawings without any creative effort. Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional structural representation of a prior art heat exchanger plate with unidirectional flow channels; Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional structural illustration from a perspective of a prior art heat exchanger plate with bidirectional flow channels; Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional structural illustration from another perspective of a prior art heat exchanger plate with bidirectional flow channels; Fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a battery module according to an embodiment of the utility model; Fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram from a perspective showing the connection between the heat exchanger plate and the liquid inlet and outlet pipes in the battery module according to an embodiment of the utility model; Fig. Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram along AA in Fig. 5; Fig. Figure 7 is an enlarged schematic partial structure representation of part B in Fig. 6; and Fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of a heat exchanger plate according to another embodiment of the utility model.

[0011] Where: 01 - first flow channel, 02 - distribution chamber, 03 - second flow channel, 04 - separating rib plate, 05 - partition wall, 1 - plate body, 101 - inlet channel, 102 - outlet channel, 103 - first partition wall, 104 - second partition wall, 2 - liquid inlet pipe, 3 - liquid outlet pipe, 4 - first battery assembly, 5 - second battery assembly, 6 - Distributor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0012] The utility model discloses a heat exchanger plate that can improve the heat dissipation effect at thick-walled portions of the plate body, ensure reliable formation of flow chambers with partition walls of different thicknesses, reduce the probability of deformation of the flow channels, and improve the qualification rate of heat exchanger plate forming.

[0013] The utility model also discloses a battery module.

[0014] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the utility model are described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the utility model. The described embodiments are obviously only a part of the embodiments of the utility model, not all embodiments. All other embodiments determined by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the utility model without creative effort fall within the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0015] With reference to the Fig. 4 to 8, the heat exchanger plate of the utility model comprises a plate body 1 provided with a plurality of flow chambers along a height direction, wherein the flow chambers are spaced apart from each other by a first partition wall 103 or a second partition wall 104, wherein a thickness of the first partition wall 103 is greater than a thickness of the second partition wall 104, a height of the flow chamber on each side of the first partition wall 103 is H3, and a height of each of the other flow chambers is H4. As shown in the Fig. 7 and Fig. As shown in Figure 8, H3 is larger than H4. The height of the plate body 1 refers to its height when installed on the base plate of the battery case.

[0016] The first partition wall 103 and the second partition wall 104 can be arranged horizontally or at a certain angle to the horizontal plane, which is not limited here. A first partition wall 103 or a second partition wall 104 is located between two adjacent flow chambers along the height direction.

[0017] The heat exchanger plate of the utility model, by setting the height of the flow chamber on each side of the thicker partition wall to a value greater than the height of each of the other flow chambers, causes the flow channel area of ​​the flow chamber on each side of the thicker partition wall to be larger, thereby increasing the coolant flow in the channels and achieving better heat dissipation, thereby balancing the heat dissipation at the position of the thicker first partition wall 103.During the forming process, since the height of the flow chamber on both sides of the first partition wall 103 is larger, the first partition wall 103 is farther away from other second partition walls 104, thereby reducing the competitive withdrawal of liquid aluminum at the position of the first partition wall 103 due to the lower pressure, improving the reliability of flow chamber forming, reducing the influence of the first partition wall 103 on the forming of other second partition walls 104, ensuring the forming of other partition walls, reducing the probability of deformation of the flow channel, and improving the qualification rate of the heat exchanger plates during production.

[0018] Specifically, the ratio of the height H3 of the flow chamber on each side of the first partition wall 103 to the height H4 of the other flow chambers is in the range of 1 to 2, preferably 1.1 to 1.6. If this ratio is too small, causing the height of one of the flow chambers near the first partition wall 103 to be close to the height of each of the other flow chambers, this will result in poor heat exchange at the battery positions near the first partition wall 103 and poor molding quality of the flow channel structure. If this ratio is too large, causing the height of the flow chamber on both sides of the first partition wall 103 to be much larger than that of the other flow chambers, this will result in the other flow chambers being too small, resulting in poor heat exchange at other positions and a sharp local temperature increase in the battery.

[0019] The thickness of the first partition wall 103 is 1 to 4 mm. It is understandable that the greater the thickness of the first partition wall 103, the greater the height of the adjacent flow chambers should be to ensure reliable molding and heat dissipation.

[0020] In one embodiment, the flow chambers comprise an inflow channel 101 and an outflow channel 102. As shown in the Fig. As shown in Figures 6 to 8, the inflow channel 101 and the outflow channel 102 are arranged along the height direction of the plate body 1 of the heat exchanger plate, with the first partition wall 103 being arranged between the inflow channel 101 and the outflow channel 102. The arrangement of the first partition wall 103 with a certain thickness effectively prevents mutual temperature influences between the coolant flow in the inflow channel 101 and the coolant flow in the outflow channel 102.

[0021] In a preferred embodiment, to facilitate the flow of liquid in the channels, the inflow channel 101 is arranged above the outflow channel 102, i.e., the inflow channel 101 is positioned higher than the outflow channel 102. In particular, the inflow channel 101 is arranged above the first partition wall 103, and the outflow channel 102 is arranged below the first partition wall 103.

[0022] In order to ensure a uniform inflow of the heat exchange fluid into the inflow channel 101, the inflow channel 101 has several inflow chambers arranged above the first partition wall 103. As shown in the Fig. 7 and Fig. 8, the plurality of inflow chambers are arranged along the height direction of the plate body 1 of the heat exchanger plate, with adjacent inflow chambers being separated from each other by a second partition wall 104. To ensure a uniform inflow of the heat exchange fluid into the outflow channel 102, the outflow channel 102 also has a plurality of outflow chambers arranged on the underside of the first partition wall 103. As shown in the Fig. 7 and Fig. As shown in Figure 8, the plurality of outflow chambers are arranged along the height direction of the plate body 1, with adjacent outflow chambers also being separated from each other by a second partition wall 104. The height of the outflow chamber near the first partition wall 103 is greater than the height of the outflow chamber farther from the first partition wall 103; similarly, the height of the inflow chamber near the first partition wall 103 is greater than the height of the inflow chamber farther from the first partition wall 103. The inflow chambers are arranged above the outflow chambers to facilitate the flow of liquid in the channels.

[0023] The inflow chambers comprise at least one row of inflow chambers arranged along the height direction, and similarly, the outflow chambers comprise at least one row of outflow chambers arranged along the height direction. The number of rows of inflow chambers corresponds to the number of rows of outflow chambers, with corresponding rows being in fluid communication to form a circulation circuit. In one embodiment, as shown in the Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, the inflow chambers comprise two rows of inflow chambers, and the outflow chambers comprise two rows of outflow chambers, wherein the left row of inflow chambers is in fluid communication with the left row of outflow chambers and the right row of inflow chambers is in fluid communication with the right row of outflow chambers. In a further embodiment, as shown in Fig.8, the inflow chambers comprise a series of inflow chambers and the outflow chambers comprise a series of outflow chambers, the series of inflow chambers being in fluid communication with the series of outflow chambers.

[0024] To ensure heat dissipation, the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the inflow chambers is larger than that of the outflow chambers to increase the coolant flow. In one embodiment, the ratio of the sum of the cross-sectional areas of all inflow chambers to the sum of the cross-sectional areas of all outflow chambers is 2:1. In this embodiment, each inflow chamber has the same shape and size as each outflow chamber, so the number of inflow chambers is twice as many as the number of outflow chambers. In other embodiments, the ratio of the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the inflow chambers to the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the outflow chambers can take on other values, as long as it is greater than 1.

[0025] To improve the uniformity of heat dissipation between batteries at different positions within the same battery assembly, the inlet end of the inflow channel 101 and the outlet end of the outflow channel 102 are arranged on the same side of the plate body 1 of the heat exchanger plate. The outlet end of the inflow channel 101 is in fluid communication with the inlet end of the outflow channel 102 via a chamber in the manifold 6 located at a position remote from its inlet end. The inlet end of the inflow channel 101 is in fluid communication with a liquid inlet pipe 2, and the outlet end of the outflow channel 102 is in fluid communication with a liquid outlet pipe 3.In this utility model, since the inlet end of the inflow channel 101 and the outlet end of the outflow channel 102 are located at the same end, the temperature of the coolant flow is lowest at the initial end of the inflow channel 101, providing the greatest cooling capacity for a battery, and the temperature of the battery is lowest at the location corresponding to the inflow channel 101. As the coolant flow flows toward the end of the inflow channel 101, the coolant exchanges heat with the arranged batteries one after the other, with the temperature gradually rising and the heat exchange capacity decreasing. At the end of the inflow channel 101, the coolant flow turns and flows toward the inlet of the outflow channel 102.The coolant flow in the outflow channel 102 flows to the outlet end of the outflow channel 102 and further cools the arranged batteries, with the temperature of the coolant continuously rising until it reaches its highest value at the outlet end of the outflow channel 102. This position corresponds to the battery at the inlet position of the inflow channel 101, with the inflow channel 101 and the outflow channel 102 corresponding to different positions at the top and bottom of the battery. Thus, the position with the best cooling in the inflow channel 101 corresponds to the position with the poorest cooling in the outflow channel 102, and the position with the poorest cooling in the inflow channel 101 corresponds to the position with the best cooling in the outflow channel 102.The cooling effects of the inflow channel 101 and the outflow channel 102 compensate each other and ensure that the batteries within a battery assembly do not have large differences in temperature due to different positions, which leads to better temperature uniformity between the different batteries in the same battery assembly.

[0026] The utility model also includes a battery module comprising a first battery assembly 4, a second battery assembly 5, and a heat exchanger plate. The first battery assembly 4 and the second battery assembly 5 are arranged on both sides of the plate body 1 of the heat exchanger plate. The heat exchanger plate is the aforementioned heat exchanger plate and is arranged perpendicular to the base plate of a battery casing. The first battery assembly 4 includes a plurality of first battery cells arranged along the longitudinal direction of the plate body 1 of the heat exchanger plate, with the end faces of the first battery cells in contact with the plate body 1. The second battery assembly 5 includes a plurality of second battery cells arranged along the longitudinal direction of the plate body 1 of the heat exchanger plate, with the end faces of the second battery cells in contact with the plate body 1 of the heat exchanger plate.

[0027] In the description of this solution, please note that the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not intended to indicate or imply the relative importance or number of the specified technical elements. Thus, elements defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more such elements. In the description of this solution, "multiple" means two or more, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

[0028] The embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. Similar parts between embodiments may be cross-referenced.

[0029] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables one skilled in the art to implement or use the utility model. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the utility model. Therefore, the utility model is not limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

[1] Heat exchanger plate having a plate body, characterized by in that the plate body is provided with a plurality of flow chambers along a height direction, the flow chambers are spaced from each other by a first partition wall or a second partition wall, a thickness of the first partition wall is greater than a thickness of the second partition wall, and a height of the flow chamber on each side of the first partition wall is greater than a height of each of the other flow chambers. [2] Heat exchanger plate according to claim 1, characterized by that a ratio of the height of the flow chamber on each side of the first partition wall to the height of each of the other flow chambers is in the range of 1 to 2. [3] Heat exchanger plate according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the thickness of the first partition wall is 1 mm to 4 mm. [4] Heat exchanger plate according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the flow chambers have an inflow channel and an outflow channel, the inflow channel and the outflow channel are arranged along the height direction of the plate body and the first partition wall is arranged between the inflow channel and the outflow channel. [5] Heat exchanger plate according to claim 4, characterized by that the inflow channel has a plurality of inflow chambers arranged along the height direction of the plate body, and adjacent inflow chambers are separated by the second partition wall; and the outflow channel has a plurality of outflow chambers arranged along the height direction of the plate body, and adjacent outflow chambers are separated by the second partition wall. [6] Heat exchanger plate according to claim 5, characterized bythat the inflow chambers have at least one row of inflow chambers arranged along the height direction, and the outflow chambers have at least one row of outflow chambers arranged along the height direction; wherein the number of rows of inflow chambers is equal to the number of rows of outflow chambers. [7] Heat exchanger plate according to claim 5 or 6, characterized by that a sum of the cross-sectional areas of the inflow chambers is larger than a sum of the cross-sectional areas of the outflow chambers. [8] Heat exchanger plate according to one of claims 4 to 7, characterized by that the inflow channel is arranged above the first partition wall and the outflow channel is arranged below the first partition wall. [9] Heat exchanger plate according to claim 4, characterized bythat an inlet end of the inflow channel and an outlet end of the outflow channel are arranged on the same side of the heat exchanger plate and an outlet end of the inflow channel is in fluid communication with an inlet end of the outflow channel via a manifold; and the inlet end of the inflow channel is in fluid communication with a liquid inlet pipe and the outlet end of the outflow channel is in fluid communication with a liquid outlet pipe. [10] Heat exchanger plate according to one of the preceding claims, which is produced by aluminum extrusion. [11] Heat exchanger plate according to one of the preceding claims, which comprises or consists of aluminum. [12] A battery module comprising a first battery assembly, a second battery assembly and a heat exchanger plate, wherein the first battery assembly and the second battery assembly are arranged on both sides of the heat exchanger plate, characterized bythat the heat exchanger plate is the heat exchanger plate according to one of claims 1 to 11 and the heat exchanger plate is arranged perpendicular to a base plate of a battery housing. [13] Battery module according to claim 12, wherein the first battery assembly comprises a plurality of first battery cells arranged along the longitudinal direction of the plate body of the heat exchanger plate, wherein end surfaces of the first battery cells are in contact with the plate body; and the second battery assembly comprises a plurality of second battery cells arranged along the longitudinal direction of the plate body of the heat exchanger plate, wherein end surfaces of the second battery cells are in contact with the plate body of the heat exchanger plate. [14] A battery module according to claim 12 or 13, comprising conductive connectors, a module control unit, a frame, a cooling tube, pressure plates at both ends and fastening elements.

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