Battery rack with drainage structure and energy storage system including same

Abstract

The battery rack according to the present invention may include: a rack case having a plurality of battery modules; storage sections arranged to fit and accommodate the plurality of battery modules at predetermined heights, and having a structure in which the top, bottom, left and right sides except the front and rear are closed; extinguishing water supply piping connected to each of the battery modules accommodated in the storage sections to supply extinguishing water in the event of a fire; and a drainage guide unit disposed on at least one of the front outer surface and the rear outer surface of the rack case, and guiding the drainage of extinguishing water so that the extinguishing water discharged to the outside of the battery modules falls at a position a predetermined distance away from the outer surface of the rack case when extinguishing water is injected into the battery modules.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery rack and an energy storage system including the same, and more particularly, to a battery rack having a drainage structure for preventing fire extinguishing water injected into a battery module in which a thermal event has occurred from flowing into other surrounding battery modules, and an energy storage system including the same.

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0054389, filed on May 2, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety in the specification and drawings. [Background technology]

[0003] Currently, widely used secondary batteries include lithium ion batteries, lithium polymer batteries, nickel cadmium batteries, nickel metal hydride batteries, nickel zinc batteries, etc. Among them, lithium secondary batteries have attracted attention due to the advantages that they can be freely charged and discharged since they hardly have a memory effect compared to nickel-based secondary batteries, and they have an extremely low self-discharge rate and a high energy density.

[0004] In general, lithium secondary batteries can be broadly classified into can-type secondary batteries, in which the electrode assembly is housed in a metal can, and pouch-type secondary batteries, in which the electrode assembly is housed in a pouch made of an aluminum laminate sheet, depending on the shape of the exterior material.

[0005] Although a secondary battery may be used alone, in general, since a single secondary battery has a voltage of only about 2.5 V to 4.5 V, when a higher output voltage is required, a battery module is formed by connecting multiple secondary batteries in series and / or parallel to each other. The battery module may be used alone, or two or more of them may be electrically connected in series and / or parallel to each other to form a higher level device such as a battery rack or a battery pack.

[0006] Meanwhile, in recent years, as issues such as power shortages and environmentally friendly energy have come to the forefront, energy storage systems that include multiple battery racks to store off-peak power and enable use of the stored power during peak times have been attracting attention.

[0007] As one example, an industrial energy storage system may include a battery rack consisting of a rack case and numerous battery modules housed vertically in the rack case, an air conditioning device for managing the temperature of the battery rack and the battery rack, and a container capable of housing a fire extinguishing device for preventing fires, etc.

[0008] Recently, as a safety measure in the event of a fire in an energy storage system, a fire extinguishing system has been introduced into the energy storage system, which is designed to inject fire extinguishing water into a specific battery module mounted on a battery rack in the event of a thermal runaway phenomenon in a battery cell inside the specific battery module to extinguish the fire before the heat spreads to other battery modules.

[0009] However, as shown in Fig. 1, the existing battery rack has a frame-like rack case that is open up, down, left and right, and the battery modules are stacked in multiple stages in the rack case without any appropriate drainage structure, so if the fire extinguishing water is injected into the inside of a battery module by the above-mentioned fire extinguishing system and leaks out of the battery module, it may easily flow into the inside of other surrounding battery modules. In this case, there is a concern that the other surrounding battery modules will suffer damage from flooding, and as a result, normal battery modules will also become unusable, causing a loss. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0010] The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and has an object to provide a battery rack with a drainage structure that can prevent fire extinguishing water injected into a battery module where a thermal event has occurred from flowing into other surrounding battery modules, and an energy storage system including the same.

[0011] The technical problems that the present invention aims to solve are not limited to the problems described above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the invention described below. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] In order to achieve the above object, the battery rack according to the present invention may include a rack case having a plurality of battery modules and storage sections arranged to be able to fit and store the plurality of battery modules at predetermined heights, with the top, bottom, left and right sides except for the front and rear being closed; extinguishing water supply piping connected to each of the battery modules stored in the storage sections to supply extinguishing water in the event of a fire; and a drainage guide unit disposed on at least one of the front outer surface and the rear outer surface of the rack case, for guiding the drainage of extinguishing water so that when extinguishing water is injected into the battery modules, the extinguishing water discharged outside the battery modules falls at a position a predetermined distance away from the outer surface of the rack case.

[0013] The drainage guide unit may be configured to be coupled to an outer surface of the rack case at a position lower than an upper battery module and higher than a lower battery module among two adjacent battery modules arranged vertically.

[0014] The drainage guide unit may be provided to protrude from an outer surface of the rack case such that a plate surface of the drainage guide unit forms a predetermined angle with the outer surface of the rack case.

[0015] The drainage guide unit may be rotatably coupled to an outer surface of the rack case.

[0016] The drainage guide unit may be rotated upward to cover the receiving portion located at an upper portion of the drainage guide unit.

[0017] The drainage guide unit may be configured to be rotated downward to open the receiving portion at the upper portion of the drainage guide unit.

[0018] The drainage guide unit may include a drainage guide plate having a plate-like shape hinged to the outer surface of the rack case, and a stopper that limits the rotation of the drainage guide plate so that the drainage guide plate forms a predetermined angle with respect to the outer surface of the rack case.

[0019] The stopper may be provided as a protrusion protruding from a peripheral region of the drainage guide plate close to the rotation axis so as to contact the outer surface of the rack case at the predetermined angle.

[0020] The drainage guide unit may further include a magnet arranged on an edge region opposite the rotation axis of the drainage guide plate so that the drainage guide plate can be rotated upward and fixed so as to be aligned with the outer surface of the rack case.

[0021] The drainage guide unit may include a first drainage guide unit arranged on a front outer surface of the rack case, and a second drainage guide unit arranged on a rear outer surface of the rack case.

[0022] In the rack case, the storage section is configured so that the left and right width of the rear open end is narrower than the left and right width of the front open end, and the fire extinguishing water supply piping may be configured to pass through the rear outer surface of the rack case and be connected to each of the battery modules.

[0023] The first drainage guide unit may be sized to cover a front open end of each of the accommodating sections, and the second drainage guide unit may be sized to cover a rear open end of each of the accommodating sections.

[0024] The battery module may include a blower fan on a front surface of a module housing, and an air conditioning hole on a rear surface of the module housing, and may be inserted into the accommodating portion such that the air conditioning hole is exposed to the outside through an open end on a rear side of the accommodating portion.

[0025] When the battery module is inserted into the receiving portion, the rear surface of the module housing may be configured such that a lower side of the air conditioning hole is shielded by a rear outer surface of the rack case.

[0026] According to another aspect of the invention, there may be provided an energy storage system including one or more battery racks as described above. Effect of the Invention

[0027] According to the present invention, when extinguishing water is poured into a battery module in which a thermal event has occurred among the battery modules constituting a battery rack, even if the extinguishing water overflows from the battery module and is discharged to the outside, it is possible to prevent the water from flowing into other battery modules in the vicinity. Therefore, even if it is unavoidable to pour extinguishing water into the battery rack, damage caused by water ingress to other battery modules other than the battery module in which the thermal event has occurred can be prevented.

[0028] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those described above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains from this specification and the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0029] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an area of ​​a battery rack according to the prior art. [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view showing a battery rack according to an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a battery rack before a battery module is inserted therein; FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a battery rack according to an embodiment of the present invention, illustrating the battery rack after a battery module is inserted therein; [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a front view of the battery rack of FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a rear view of the battery rack of FIG. 3. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a side view of the battery rack of FIG. 3. [Figure 7] 2 is a diagram illustrating a rear side of a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which an air conditioning vent and a water supply valve are provided. FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a partial exploded view of the battery module of FIG. 7. [Figure 9] FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the battery module of FIG. 7. [Figure 10] 11 is a diagram for explaining an example of fire extinguishing water being supplied to and drained from a battery rack according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic diagram of an energy storage system according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0030] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, the terms and words used in this specification and claims are not to be interpreted as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings, but are to be interpreted as meanings and concepts corresponding to the technical ideas of the present invention in accordance with the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concepts of terms himself in order to best describe the invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiment described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and do not represent the entire technical ideas of the present invention, and therefore there may be various equivalent and modified embodiments that can be substituted for them at the time of this application.

[0031] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a battery rack according to one embodiment of the present invention, which is a schematic perspective view of the battery rack before a battery module is inserted; FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a battery rack according to one embodiment of the present invention, which is a schematic perspective view of the battery rack after a battery module is inserted; FIG. 4 is a front view of the battery rack of FIG. 3; and FIG. 5 is a rear view of the battery rack of FIG. 3.

[0032] Referring to these drawings, a battery rack 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of battery modules 110, a rack case 120, a fire extinguishing water supply pipe 130, and a drainage guide unit 140.

[0033] Each battery module 110 may include a secondary battery 111 and a module housing 112 that accommodates the secondary battery 111, and may be configured to store and release electrical energy. Here, the secondary batteries 111 may be connected in series and / or in parallel to each other inside the module housing 112 depending on the capacity and output required for the battery module 110.

[0034] Also, each battery module 110 may include a cooling fan 114 and an air conditioning hole 116 as means for dissipating heat generated during charging and discharging. For example, the cooling fan 114 may be provided at the front part of the module housing 112, and the air conditioning hole 116 may be provided at the rear part of the module housing 112. When the cooling fan 114 is operated, external air enters the inside of the battery module 110 through the air conditioning hole 116 at the rear part of the battery module 110, absorbs heat from the secondary battery 111, and can be discharged to the outside through the cooling fan 114 at the front part of the battery module 110. Contrary to the present embodiment, the cooling fan 114 may be provided at the rear part of the battery module 110, and the air conditioning hole 116 may be provided at the front part of the battery module 110.

[0035] Furthermore, each battery module 110 may be configured to be able to supply extinguishing water directly into the module housing 112 in preparation for a situation in which a thermal event such as thermal runaway, fire, or explosion occurs in the secondary battery 111 during charging or discharging. For example, a fire extinguishing water supply pipe 130 may be connected to the rear of each battery module 110, and extinguishing water may be supplied to the battery module 110 when a thermal event occurs. This will be described in detail later.

[0036] 3, the rack case 120 may be provided in a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape so that the plurality of battery modules 110 can be inserted and accommodated therein at predetermined heights. The rack case 120 may be made of a rigid material so as to sufficiently protect the battery modules 110 from impact and vibration, and may be made of a metal-based material, but may also be made of a non-metallic material having excellent mechanical rigidity.

[0037] In particular, the rack case 120 according to the present invention is provided with a plurality of storage sections 121 along the vertical direction, and is configured so that the battery modules 110 can be stored in each of the storage sections 121. Each storage section 121 may have a structure in which the top, bottom, left, right, +Z, -Z, -X, and +X directions, excluding the front -Y and rear +Y, are closed. In other words, unlike the conventional rack case 1 (see FIG. 1) which is provided with a structure that is open in all directions, the rack case 120 according to the present invention has a structure in which the top, bottom, left, and right are closed.

[0038] As described above in the Background Art section of this specification, in the rack case 1 that is open on the top, bottom, left and right as shown in Fig. 1, when extinguishing water is supplied into the inside of a specific battery module 2, if the extinguishing water leaks out from the battery module 2, the battery module 2 arranged below the specific battery module 2 will suffer flooding damage. To solve this problem, the rack case 120 according to the present invention may be configured such that the top, bottom, left and right sides of each storage section 121 are closed and only the front and rear are open in order to prevent flooding damage to other battery modules 110 and to guide the drainage of extinguishing water forward or backward when extinguishing a fire using extinguishing water.

[0039] Furthermore, a drainage guide unit 140 may be provided on at least one of the front and rear outer surfaces of the rack case 120 so that when the fire extinguishing water discharged outside the battery module 110 moves to the front or rear of the rack case 120 and falls outside the rack case 120, it falls at a position a predetermined distance away from the outer surface of the rack case 120.

[0040] The drainage guide unit 140 may be protruded at a predetermined angle from the outer surface of the rack case 120 so that the plate surface forms a predetermined angle with the outer surface of the rack case, as shown in Fig. 3. In other words, the drainage guide unit 140 is arranged in a shape that protrudes obliquely at a predetermined angle outward based on the outer surface of the rack case 120 that is perpendicular to the ground, and is configured to play a role like an eaves that protects and blocks the battery module 110 in the receiving part 121 located below it from the fire extinguishing water falling from above. The drainage guide unit 140 may also play a role in preventing the vent gas or flames ejected from the battery module 110 from spreading to the battery module 110 located above or below it when the battery module 110 ignites.

[0041] Specifically, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the drainage guide unit 140 may be coupled to the outer surface of the rack case 120 at a position lower than the upper battery module 110 and higher than the lower battery module 110 among two battery modules 110 adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. That is, a plurality of drainage guide units 140 may be arranged in the vertical direction and configured to be coupled to the outer surface of the rack case 120 at each height between the upper battery module 110 and the lower battery module 110. For example, in the present embodiment, seven battery modules 110 are stacked in the vertical direction in the battery rack 100. In this case, six drainage guide units 140 may be coupled to the front outer surface 120F of the rack case 120 and six drainage guide units 140 may be coupled to the rear outer surface 120R of the rack case 120. As a result, even if a thermal event occurs in any of the seven battery modules 110 and fire extinguishing water is injected, the other battery modules 110 other than that battery module 110 will not suffer damage from flooding due to the fire extinguishing water.

[0042] 3, when looking at the front part of the rack case 120, the drainage guide unit 140 is provided so as to partially block the front side of the open end of the front side of the accommodating part 121 located thereunder. In this case, if the battery module 110 is to be immediately inserted into the accommodating part 121 in a horizontal state, it cannot be inserted into the accommodating part 121 due to interference by the drainage guide unit 140. Needless to say, unlike the present embodiment, the length of the eaves of the drainage guide unit 140 may be shortened to such an extent that the drainage guide unit 140 is not interfered with when the battery module 110 is inserted into the accommodating part 121. However, in the present embodiment, the length of the eaves of the drainage guide unit 140 is elongated so that the extinguishing water is more effectively drained by the drainage guide unit 140.

[0043] In this case, there is a problem that it becomes difficult to insert the battery module 110 into the storage portion 121. To solve this problem, the battery rack 100 according to this embodiment is provided with the drainage guide unit 140 rotatably.

[0044] Also, as shown in FIG. 2, before the battery module 110 is inserted into the receiving portion 121 of the rack case 120, the drainage guide unit 140 is configured to be rotated and attached to the outer surface of the rack case 120.

[0045] The drainage guide unit 140 is installed so as to be rotated upward to cover the storage portion 121 at the upper portion of the drainage guide unit 140. Conversely, the drainage guide unit 140 may be installed so as to be able to open the storage portion 121 at the upper portion of the drainage guide unit 140 when rotated downward. At this time, the drainage guide unit 140 rotated downward may act as an eave for the storage portion 121 located below it, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0046] According to the above-mentioned configuration, when the battery module 110 is accommodated in the rack case 120, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, the battery module 110 is inserted into the lowest receiving portion 121 of the rack case 120, and then the drainage guide unit 140 located immediately above the lowest receiving portion 121 is rotated downward by a predetermined angle. At this time, the second lowest receiving portion 121 of the rack case 120 is opened. The battery module 110 is inserted into the second receiving portion 121 thus opened. In this pattern, the battery modules 110 are inserted in order from the lowest receiving portion 121 to the highest receiving portion 121 of the rack case 120. Then, the battery module 110 is accommodated in the rack case 120, and each drainage guide unit 140 can be provided in a shape that forms a predetermined angle with the outer surface of the rack case 120 and protrudes from the outer surface of the rack case 120, as shown in FIG. 3.

[0047] Such a drainage guide unit 140 may include a drainage guide plate 141 and a stopper 142 .

[0048] The drainage guide plate 141 may be provided in the shape of a plate connected to the outer surface of the rack case 120 by a hinge 143. The drainage guide plate 141 is provided in a size that covers the upper storage section 121 when rotated upward and attached to the outer surface of the rack case 120, and may be made of any material, such as plastic or metal, as long as the material has rigidity. The drainage guide plate 141 may include a magnet 144, as shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 2, in an edge area opposite to the edge area connected to the hinge 143. The magnet 144 can be used to rotate the drainage guide plate 141 upward and fix it to the outer surface of the rack case 120.

[0049] In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, since the drainage guide unit 140 has a stopper 142 integrated with the drainage guide plate 141, when the drainage guide plate 141 rotates downward (-Z direction), the rotation can be stopped at a predetermined angle.

[0050] That is, when the drainage guide plate 141 forms a predetermined angle θ with respect to the outer surface of the rack case 120, one surface of the stopper 142 is configured to face and contact the outer surface of the rack case, so that the rotation of the drainage guide plate 141 is restricted. Here, the predetermined angle θ can be determined, for example, within a range of 30° to 60°. Therefore, the drainage guide unit 140 can function as an eave for the storage section 121 located thereunder.

[0051] In this embodiment, the stopper 142 may be provided as a protrusion protruding from the edge region of the drainage guide plate 141 close to the rotation axis so as to contact the outer surface of the rack case 120 at the predetermined angle θ, as shown in the enlarged view portion of Figure 3.

[0052] The shape of the protrusion is preferably a substantially right-angled triangular cross section, and can be provided so as to extend elongatedly by an amount corresponding to the length of the left-right (±X) width of the drainage guide plate 141. With such a stopper 142, the drainage guide plate 141 is rotated downward and stops when the inclined surface of the right-angled triangle abuts against the outer surface of the rack case 120. This enables the drainage guide plate 141 to have a protruding eaves structure that is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the outer surface of the rack case 120.

[0053] On the other hand, the drainage guide unit 140 according to this embodiment includes a first drainage guide unit 140A arranged on the front outer surface 120F of the rack case 120, as shown in FIG. 4, and a second drainage guide unit 140B arranged on the rear outer surface 120R of the rack case 120, as shown in FIG. 5.

[0054] The first drainage guide unit 140A may be provided in a size to cover the front open end of each of the storage sections 121, and the second drainage guide unit 140B may be provided in a size to cover the rear open end of each of the storage sections 121. For example, as described above, the first drainage guide unit 140A may be provided in a size to cover the front open end of the storage section 121 when rotated upward (+Z direction) and attached to the front outer surface of the rack case 120 as shown in FIG. 2, and similarly, the second drainage guide unit 140B may be provided in a size to cover the rear open end of the storage section 121 when rotated upward (+Z direction) and attached to the rear outer surface of the rack case 120.

[0055] That is, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, if the size of the front open end and the size of the rear open end of the storage section 121 are different from each other, the size of the first drainage guide unit 140A and the size of the second drainage guide unit 140B can be made different from each other to correspond to this.

[0056] In particular, in this embodiment, each storage section 121 of the rack case 120 is provided so that the left-right (±X direction) width of the rear open end is narrower than the left-right width of the front open end. In other words, as shown in FIG. 5, the left-right width of the rear open end of the storage section 121 is provided to have a width corresponding to "L1". This is to arrange the extinguishing water supply pipe 130 and the second drainage guide unit 140B on the rear outer surface 120R of the rack case 120 so that they do not interfere with each other. In other words, the extinguishing water supply pipe 130 is arranged in the remaining portion corresponding to "L2" in FIG. 5, and interference with the second drainage guide unit 140B can be avoided.

[0057] The extinguishing water supply pipe 130 is a component for supplying extinguishing water to each battery module 110 in an emergency, and may be configured to pass through an outer surface of the rear of the rack case 120 and be connected to the battery module 110 located inside the receiving portion 121. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the extinguishing water supply pipe 130 may include a main pipe 131 arranged along the vertical direction with respect to the rack case 120, and a plurality of connection nozzles 132 branched from the main pipe 131 in an intersecting manner, and each connection nozzle 132 may be provided to pass through an outer surface of the rear of the rack case 120 and be connected to a water supply valve 117 disposed on the rear of the battery module 110. For reference, each connection nozzle 132 may be fitted into the rack case 120 through a through hole (not shown) provided on an outer surface of the rear of the rack case 120.

[0058] Next, the configuration of the battery module 110 for injecting fire-extinguishing water into the battery module 110 in the event of thermal runaway or fire of the secondary battery 111 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0059] As described above, the battery module 110 may include a module housing 112, a secondary battery 111 accommodated inside the module housing 112, air conditioning holes 116 and a water supply valve 117 provided on the rear surface of the module housing 112, and a cooling fan 114 provided on the front surface of the module housing 112.

[0060] Therefore, when the battery module 110 is inserted into the receiving portion 121 of the rack case 120, the cooling fan 114 may be disposed at the front side of the rack case 120, and the air conditioning hole 116 and the water supply valve 117 may be disposed at the rear side of the rack case 120. When the battery module 110 is inserted into the receiving portion 121 of the rack case 120, the lower side of the air conditioning hole 116 may be shielded by the outer rear surface of the rack case 120. That is, as shown by "K1" in Figs. 5 and 6, the rack case 120 may include a wall protruding from the bottom surface of each receiving portion 121 at an open end on the rear side of the receiving portion 121. The wall serves to prevent the fire extinguishing water from leaking out to the rear side of the receiving portion 121.

[0061] The module housing 112 has an internal space capable of accommodating a cell stack formed by stacking secondary batteries 111 in one direction therein, and may be provided in the shape of a roughly rectangular box composed of a bottom plate, a top plate, left and right side plates 112a, a front plate 113, and a rear plate 115. Here, the six plates may be provided so as to be mutually assemblable and disassembleable, or some of the six plates may be fabricated integrally and the remaining plates may be fabricated separately so as to be partially assemblable and disassembleable.

[0062] A pouch-type secondary battery 111 can be adopted as the secondary battery 111. A plurality of pouch-type secondary batteries 111 are stacked in one direction to produce a cell stack, and the cell stack is housed inside a module housing 112.

[0063] The cell stack can be disposed in the module housing 112 such that the longitudinal direction of the pouch-type secondary batteries 111 intersects with the side plates 112a of the module housing 112. In other words, as shown in Fig. 9, when the directions intersecting with the stacking direction of the secondary batteries 111 are the front direction and the back direction of the cell stack, respectively, the cell stack can be disposed such that the front part and the back part face the left and right side plates 112a with a predetermined gap therebetween. In this way, by disposing the cell stack inside the module housing 112, it is possible to secure a space for air flow and a space in which the fire extinguishing unit 118 can be disposed inside the module housing 112.

[0064] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the fire extinguishing unit 118 may include a pipe-shaped unit body 118a and a plurality of injection nozzles 118b.

[0065] The unit body 118a may be provided in the form of a pipe having one end connected to the water supply valve 117 and extending in a long shape along the longitudinal direction of the module housing 112. A plurality of injection nozzles 118b may be provided at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction of the unit body 118a, with their outlets facing the cell stack.

[0066] Although not shown in detail, each spray nozzle 118b may include a glass bulb (not shown) that is normally discharged with extinguishing water to close the outlet and opens the outlet when thermal damage is applied. The glass bulb may contain a predetermined liquid or gas therein and may be configured to break due to the expansion of the volume of the liquid or gas when heated. With this configuration, for example, when the temperature inside the battery module 110 rises to 70°C to 100°C or more or a fire or high-temperature vent gas thermally damages the glass bulb, the material inside the glass bulb may expand and break the glass bulb, opening the outlet of the spray nozzle 118b. Then, the extinguishing water inside the unit body 118a may be discharged toward the cell stack through the outlet of the spray nozzle 118b.

[0067] Unlike the present embodiment, one end of the water supply valve 117 may be connected to the connection nozzle 132 of the fire extinguishing water supply pipe 130 on the outside of the rear plate 115, and the other end of the water supply valve 117, i.e., the outlet connected to the glass bulb, may be disposed on the inside of the rear plate 115. In this case, the above-mentioned fire extinguishing unit 118 may be omitted from the inside of the module housing 112.

[0068] According to the above-described fire extinguishing water supply method, fire extinguishing water can be supplied to the inside of only the battery module 110 in which a thermal event has occurred among the battery modules 110 included in the battery rack 100.

[0069] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 10, a mechanism will be described in which, when a battery rack 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured, a thermal event occurs inside a battery module 110, fire extinguishing water is supplied, and then the fire extinguishing water is drained to the outside.

[0070] For example, when a thermal event occurs in the second battery module 110 from the top among the battery modules 110 included in the battery rack 100 shown in Fig. 10, the outlet of the injection nozzle 118b inside the second battery module 110 is opened. Then, due to a pressure difference, fire extinguishing water flows from the supply pipe into the battery module 110 through the water supply valve 117 of the second battery module 110, and is discharged from the outlet of each injection nozzle while moving along the unit body 118a.

[0071] In this way, by directly injecting fire extinguishing water into the second battery module 110 where a thermal event has occurred among the multiple battery modules 110, it is possible to more quickly and effectively extinguish the fire or thermal runaway situation in the second battery module 110 at an early stage. As a result, it is possible to block the spread of the thermal runaway or flame to the other battery modules 110, and further to prevent the entire energy storage system 200 including the battery rack 100 from burning.

[0072] Meanwhile, the module housing 112 of the battery module 110 is not structured to be completely sealed. That is, there may be gaps in the module housing 112 due to the air conditioning holes 116, the cooling fan 114, assembly tolerances, and the like. Therefore, the fire extinguishing water poured into the inside of the battery module 110 may leak out of the battery module 110 through such parts. If the fire extinguishing water flowing out of the battery module 110 flows into other normal battery modules 110, there is a concern that the battery module 110 may suffer serious damage from flooding.

[0073] For this reason, the battery rack 100 according to the present invention is configured to accommodate each battery module 110 in the accommodation section 121 that is closed on all sides except the front and rear, as described above, so as to prevent water from flooding other normal battery modules 110. For example, even if extinguishing water leaks from the second battery module 110, the water is drained only to the front and rear sides of the rack case 120, as shown in Fig. 10. Therefore, the possibility that other normal battery modules 110 will suffer water damage is very low.

[0074] Furthermore, when the extinguishing water is drained outside the receiving portion 121 in which the second battery module 110 is located, the flow of the extinguishing water is further guided outward along the drainage guide unit 140, so that the extinguishing water may fall from a position that is a predetermined distance away from the front outer surface or the rear outer surface of the rack case 120. In addition, since the drainage guide units 140 are arranged in multiple stages vertically along the height direction of the rack case 120, and the relatively lower drainage guide units 140 protect each battery module 110 from the extinguishing water falling from the height of the second battery module 110, the possibility that other normal battery modules 110 below the second battery module 110 will be damaged by flooding is further reduced.

[0075] In the case of the rack case 120 of this embodiment, since there is a wall protruding from the bottom surface of each storage section 121 at the open end on the rear side of the storage section 121, inside the storage section 121, as shown by "F1" in Fig. 10, the extinguishing water can move to the front side of the storage section 121 while being blocked by the wall. Therefore, most of the extinguishing water can be drained to the front side of the rack case 120.

[0076] As described above, the battery rack 100 according to the present invention can prevent fire extinguishing water injected into a battery module 110 in which a thermal event has occurred from flowing into other surrounding battery modules 110.

[0077] Meanwhile, the energy storage system 200 according to the present invention may be configured to include one or more of the battery racks 100 described above.

[0078] For example, as shown in FIG. 11 , the energy storage system 200 may include a plurality of battery racks 100, a container 210 for housing the plurality of battery racks 100, and a connecting piping 220 connected to the fire extinguishing water supply piping 130 of each battery rack 100.

[0079] Although not shown for ease of illustration, the energy storage system 200 may further include an air conditioning device for controlling the temperature inside the container 210, a Master Battery Management System for integrated control of the battery rack 100, and the like.

[0080] As described above, the present invention has been described using limited embodiments and drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these in any way, and it goes without saying that various modifications and variations can be made by a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs within the technical spirit of the present invention and the equivalent scope of the claims.

[0081] Meanwhile, in this specification, directional terms such as up, down, left, right, front, and back are used, but these terms are used merely for ease of explanation, and it will be obvious to those skilled in the art of the present invention that they may vary depending on the position of the object in question, the position of the observer, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 100 Battery Rack 110 Battery Module 111 Secondary battery 111 Pouch-type secondary battery 112 Module Housing 116 Air conditioning hole 117 Water supply valve 118 Fire extinguishing unit 118a Unit body 118b Injection nozzle 120 Rack Case 121 Storage unit 130 Fire water supply piping 131 Main Pipe 132 Connection nozzle 140 Drainage guide unit 140A First drainage guide unit 140B Second drainage guide unit 141 Drainage guide plate 142 Stopper 143 Hinge 144 Magnet 200 Energy Storage System

Claims

1. A plurality of battery modules; a rack case including a storage section that is provided to receive and store the plurality of battery modules at predetermined heights, and that has a structure in which all sides except the front and rear, top, bottom, left and right, are closed; a fire extinguishing water supply pipe connected to each of the battery modules housed in the housing for supplying fire extinguishing water in the event of a fire; a drainage guide unit that is disposed on at least one of a front outer surface and a rear outer surface of the rack case and guides drainage of extinguishing water so that the extinguishing water discharged to the outside of the battery module falls at a position spaced a predetermined distance from the outer surface of the rack case when the extinguishing water is poured into the battery module; Including the battery rack.

2. The drainage guide unit is 2. The battery rack according to claim 1, wherein, of each pair of vertically adjacent battery modules, one of the battery modules is coupled to the outer surface of the rack case at a position lower than an upper battery module and higher than a lower battery module.

3. The drainage guide unit is 3. The battery rack according to claim 1, wherein a plate surface protrudes from an outer surface of the rack case so as to form a predetermined angle with the outer surface of the rack case.

4. The drainage guide unit is The battery rack of claim 3 , rotatably coupled to an outer surface of the rack case.

5. The drainage guide unit is The battery rack according to claim 4 , wherein the drainage guide unit is rotated upward to cover the storage portion located at an upper portion of the drainage guide unit.

6. The drainage guide unit is The battery rack according to claim 4 , wherein the battery rack is configured to be rotated downward to open the storage section at the upper part of the drainage guide unit.

7. The drainage guide unit is a drainage guide plate having a plate-like shape and hinged to an outer surface of the rack case; a stopper that limits rotation of the drainage guide plate so that the drainage guide plate forms a predetermined angle with respect to an outer surface of the rack case; The battery rack of claim 4 .

8. 8. The battery rack according to claim 7, wherein the stopper is provided as a protrusion protruding from a peripheral area of ​​the drainage guide plate close to a rotation axis so as to contact an outer surface of the rack case at the predetermined angle.

9. The drainage guide unit is 8. The battery rack according to claim 7, further comprising a magnet disposed on an edge region opposite the rotation axis of the drainage guide plate so that the drainage guide plate is rotated upward and fixed so as to be aligned with an outer surface of the rack case.

10. The drainage guide unit is A first drainage guide unit disposed on an outer surface of the front of the rack case; A second drainage guide unit disposed on an outer surface of the rear of the rack case; The battery rack according to claim 1 or 2, comprising:

11. In the rack case, the storage section is provided such that a left-right width of the rear open end is narrower than a left-right width of the front open end, The battery rack according to claim 10 , wherein the fire extinguishing water supply piping passes through an outer surface at the rear of the rack case and is connected to each of the battery modules.

12. The first drainage guide unit is provided with a size sufficient to cover the front open end of each of the storage portions, The battery rack according to claim 10 , wherein the second drainage guide unit is sized to cover a rear open end of each of the storage sections.

13. 12. The battery rack according to claim 11, wherein the battery module includes a blower fan on a front surface of a module housing, and an air conditioning hole on a rear surface of the module housing, and is fitted into the accommodation portion such that the air conditioning hole is exposed to the outside through an open end on a rear side of the accommodation portion.

14. The battery rack according to claim 13 , wherein when the battery module is fitted into the accommodation portion, the rear surface of the module housing is shielded below the air conditioning hole by the rear outer surface of the rack case.

15. 3. An energy storage system comprising a battery rack according to claim 1 or 2.

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