Cooling structure

Abstract

To provide a cooling structure capable of controlling the position for cooling battery cells.SOLUTION: A cooling structure 100 includes a plurality of slits 14 provided between stacked battery cells 13, a first cooling passage 12 communicating with the slits 14 and having a first inlet 101 through which coolant can flow, and a second cooling passage 15 communicating with the slits 14 and having a second inlet 102 through which the coolant can flow. The ratio of the refrigerant flow rate entering from the first inlet 101 to the refrigerant flow rate entering from the second inlet 102 is adjustable.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling structure, for example, a cooling structure for a battery module. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a battery pack for an electric vehicle in which a refrigerant flows in through a first cooling flow path to cool the battery cells, and then the refrigerant is discharged through a second cooling flow path, and the cooling structure is a U-shaped structure in which the inflow direction and the discharge direction of the refrigerant are opposite to each other. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-520235 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the electric vehicle battery pack of Patent Document 1 had problems in that it was not possible to maintain the same temperature in all battery cells due to variations in the ease of heat generation caused by individual differences in the internal resistance of the battery cells, pressure loss, and stagnation due to the generation of vortices in the refrigerant. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In one embodiment of a battery that is cooled by a refrigerant such as gas, the refrigerant is supplied from the side that is provided as an exhaust port, thereby allowing more effective cooling of specific battery cells. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the cooling structure of the present disclosure, the position of the battery cell to be cooled can be controlled, and cells that tend to become hot can also be cooled. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the temperature distribution of the refrigerant and the cells in a general cooling structure and the cooling structure according to the first embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Embodiment 1 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the temperature distribution of the refrigerant and the cells in a general cooling structure and a cooling structure according to a first embodiment.

[0009] As shown in FIG. 1(a), the coolant supplied from the inlet 11 to the first cooling flow path 12 flows through multiple slits 14 in the stacked battery cells 13 into the second cooling flow path 15 and reaches the outlet 16. In the example of FIG. 1(a), if the flow rate is fast in the area of ​​the battery cell 13 close to the inlet 11, the coolant has difficulty entering the slits 14 and is therefore difficult to cool. Also, if the flow rate is slow in the area of ​​the battery cell 13 far from the inlet 11, the coolant has difficulty entering the slits 14 and is therefore difficult to cool. As a result, as shown in the temperature distribution in FIG. 1(a), the temperature of the cells varies depending on the area.

[0010] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1(b), when a vortex 17 of the coolant occurs in the first cooling flow path 12, the battery cells 13 near the position of the vortex 17 are difficult to cool, and the temperature is high.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1(c), the cooling structure 100 of the first embodiment includes a first inlet 101 of the first cooling flow path 12 and a second inlet 102 of the second cooling flow path 15. The first inlet 101 communicates with the slits 14, allowing the refrigerant to flow in. The second inlet 102 communicates with the slits 14, allowing the refrigerant to flow in. The multiple slits 14 are provided between the stacked battery cells 13.

[0012] In this way, the cooling structure of embodiment 1 can control the position of the battery cell 13 to be cooled by changing the ratio between the flow rate of the refrigerant entering through the first inlet 101 and the flow rate of the refrigerant entering through the second inlet 102. The ratio between the flow rate of the refrigerant entering through the first inlet 101 and the flow rate of the refrigerant entering through the second inlet 102 can be determined by a flow control valve or a mass flow controller.

[0013] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications can be made as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, it is desirable that the first inlet of the first cooling flow path and the second inlet of the second cooling flow path are provided on opposite sides of the cooling flow path, but they can be provided in different directions. Furthermore, the outlet may also serve as the second inlet of the second cooling flow path, and the functions of the inlet and outlet may be switched by changing the timing, or the outlet may be provided separately in the second cooling flow path. [Explanation of symbols]

[0014] 11 Inlet 12 First cooling channel 13 Battery Cells 14 Slit 15 Second cooling channel 16 Outlet 17. Vortex 100 cooling structure 101 First Inlet 102 Second Inlet

Claims

[Claim 1] a plurality of slits provided between the stacked battery cells; a first cooling flow path having a first inlet communicating with the slit and allowing the coolant to flow therein; a second cooling flow path that is in communication with the slit and has a second inlet through which the refrigerant can flow, A cooling structure capable of changing the ratio of the flow rate of the coolant entering from the first inlet to the flow rate of the coolant entering from the second inlet.

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