Energy storage battery pack thermal management system

Abstract

An energy storage battery pack thermal management system including a plurality of energy storage battery packs and temperature control sub-units, each of the energy storage battery packs including a plurality of battery modules and a main housing for housing the battery modules, the plurality of temperature control sub-units being respectively attached to the energy storage battery packs, each temperature control sub-unit including a speed adjustment fan for cooling the energy storage battery pack, a temperature detection device for detecting the battery module temperature, and a PWM controller, the speed adjustment fan, the temperature detection device, and the PWM controller of the same temperature control sub-unit being signal-connected, the PWM controller being used to adjust the duty ratio of the speed adjustment fan based on the difference between the battery module temperature and a temperature threshold, the temperature threshold being a preset value, an energy storage battery pack thermal management system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of energy storage systems, and particularly to an energy storage battery pack thermal management system. <Cross-reference to Related Applications> This patent application claims the priority of a Chinese patent application filed on January 4, 2023, with the application number 202320015462.5, the applicants being Zhejiang Jike Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., WeRide Electric Vehicle Technology (Ningbo) Co., Ltd., and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd., and the invention title being "Energy Storage Battery Pack Thermal Management System", and the full text of the above application is incorporated into this application by reference.

Background Art

[0002] An energy storage system is generally a device assembly that can rationally utilize energy to improve energy utilization efficiency, collect energy that is not temporarily used in some way, and store it for reuse. Currently, using a fan for cooling in an energy storage system is the most common cooling method in the industry. Cooling by a fan has advantages such as a simple structure, low price, mature technology, and high reliability, so it is widely used.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] An energy storage system at or above the MWh (megawatt) level that uses fans for cooling necessarily requires a large number of fans. All fans typically use the same control parameters. Specifically, when the fans are turned on and off, the fans corresponding to the battery boxes with high temperatures and the battery boxes with low temperatures are simultaneously controlled to operate with the same parameters. As a result, problems such as high energy consumption of the energy storage system, high fan noise, and low fan lifespan occur. In addition, there are drawbacks such as uneven cooling of the batteries in the energy storage system and a large temperature range between the batteries and the battery packs. Both uneven cooling and a large temperature difference shorten the lifespan of the batteries and the battery packs, affecting the stability and economic benefits of the system.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0004] In view of this, the present invention provides an energy storage battery pack thermal management system that can stabilize the temperature of the batteries in an energy storage system and extend the lifespan of the batteries and the battery packs.

[0005] The energy storage battery pack thermal management system of the present invention includes a plurality of energy storage battery packs and a plurality of temperature control sub-units. Each of the energy storage battery packs includes a plurality of battery modules and a main housing for accommodating the battery modules. The plurality of temperature control sub-units are respectively attached to the plurality of energy storage battery packs. Each temperature control sub-unit includes a speed adjustment fan for cooling the energy storage battery pack, a temperature detection device for detecting the temperature of the battery module, and a PWM controller. The speed adjustment fan, the temperature detection device, and the PWM controller of the same temperature control sub-unit are signal-connected. The PWM controller is used to adjust the duty ratio of the speed adjustment fan based on the difference between the battery module temperature and a temperature threshold value, and the temperature threshold value is a preset value.

[0006] Furthermore, the energy storage battery pack further includes a cooling duct, the cooling duct is provided in the main housing, the speed adjustment fan is provided at one end of the cooling duct and communicates with the cooling duct, and the battery modules are provided on both sides of the cooling duct.

[0007] Furthermore, the temperature detection device is in close contact with the plurality of battery modules, and the temperature detection device detects the temperatures of the plurality of battery modules in close contact therewith 、as the battery module temperature for transmission to the PWM controller.

[0008] Furthermore, the PWM controller is signal-connected to the speed adjustment fan located in the same battery module, and the PWM controller controls the duty ratio of the speed adjustment fan in the same battery module to bring the battery module temperature closer to the temperature threshold.

[0009] Furthermore, the PWM controller is signal-connected to the temperature detection device located in the same battery module, and the PWM controller is used to adjust the duty ratio of the speed adjustment fan based on the temperature of the battery module in close contact with the temperature detection device and the temperature threshold.

[0010] Furthermore, when the difference between the battery module temperature and the temperature threshold is less than or equal to a first difference, the PWM controller is used to adjust the duty ratio of the speed adjustment fan with a first preset duty ratio value. When the difference between the battery module temperature and the temperature threshold is less than or equal to a second difference, the PWM controller is used to adjust the duty ratio of the speed adjustment fan with a second preset duty ratio value. The first difference, the second difference, the first preset duty ratio value, and the second preset duty ratio value are all preset values, and the second difference is greater than the first difference.

[0011] Furthermore, the speed adjustment fan is a PWM fan.

[0012] Furthermore, the speed adjustment fan is an energy storage temperature control fan.

[0013] Furthermore, the energy storage battery pack thermal management system further includes a plurality of battery clusters, a single one of the battery clusters includes a plurality of the energy storage battery packs, a plurality of the temperature control sub-units within a single one of the battery clusters are signal-connected via a sub-control box, a plurality of the sub-control boxes are signal-connected via a main control box, and the main control box is used to control all of the temperature control sub-units via the sub-control box so that the duty ratios of all of the speed adjustment fans are not exactly the same.

[0014] Furthermore, the energy storage battery pack thermal management system further includes a main control box, a plurality of the sub-control boxes are signal-connected via the main control box, the main control box includes an electric control system, and the electric control system is used to control the temperature control sub-units to detect the battery module temperature with a temperature detection interval as a period, and the temperature detection interval is a preset value.

Advantages of the Invention

[0015] The energy storage battery pack thermal management system of the present invention controls any one of the energy storage battery packs individually by the energy storage battery pack and the temperature control sub-unit provided thereon, so that any one of the energy storage battery packs can be independently cooled without being affected by the cooling policy of any other energy storage battery pack based on the temperature of the battery modules therein, stabilizes the temperature of the entire energy storage system, reduces unnecessary fan losses, reduces the overall energy consumption of the energy storage system, extends the life of the speed adjustment fan, and also reduces the noise of the speed adjustment fan.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0017] In order to further elaborate on the technical means and effects adopted by the present invention to achieve the intended invention purpose, the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings and preferred embodiments.

[0018] The terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth", etc. in the specification and claims of the present invention are for distinguishing similar objects and not for indicating a specific order or sequence.

[0019] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, the energy storage battery pack thermal management system of the present invention includes a plurality of energy storage battery packs 2 and a plurality of temperature control sub-units. Each energy storage battery pack 2 includes a plurality of battery modules and a main housing for accommodating the battery modules. The plurality of temperature control sub-units are respectively attached to the plurality of energy storage battery packs 2. Each temperature control sub-unit includes a speed adjustment fan 1 for cooling the energy storage battery pack 2, a temperature detection device for detecting the temperature of the battery module, and a PWM controller. Specifically, the speed adjustment fan 1, the temperature detection device, and the PWM controller of the same temperature control sub-unit are signal-connected and are all provided on the same energy storage battery pack 2. The temperature detection device can detect the temperature of the battery modules located within the same energy storage battery pack 2. The PWM controller can adjust the duty ratio of the speed adjustment fan 1 based on the difference between the battery module temperature and a preset temperature threshold. In this embodiment, the temperature threshold is 30°C. When the temperature detection device detects that the battery module temperature is higher than this value, the PWM controller outputs a high-duty ratio signal to increase the rotation speed of the speed adjustment fan 1 and bring the battery module temperature closer to the temperature threshold of 30°C. In the reverse case, a low-duty ratio signal is output to decrease the rotation speed of the speed adjustment fan 1 and bring the battery module temperature closer to the temperature threshold of 30°C. In particular, the PWM controller in the present invention is only signal-connected to the speed adjustment fan 1 located in the same energy storage battery pack 2 and corresponds to the control of only the speed adjustment fan 1 located in the same energy storage battery pack 2. The temperature detection device corresponds to the detection of only the battery modules located within the same energy storage battery pack 2. That is, any one of the energy storage battery packs 2 in the energy storage battery pack thermal management system of the present invention can be cooled independently without being affected by the cooling policy of any other energy storage battery pack 2 based on its own cooling policy, i.e., the battery module temperature, stabilizing the temperature of the entire energy storage system and reducing unnecessary fan losses.

[0020] Referring particularly to FIGS. 2 and 3, further, the temperature detection device in the present invention is in close contact with a plurality of battery modules, and the temperature detection device detects the temperatures of the plurality of battery modules in close contact therewith. 、as the battery module temperature It is used to transmit to the PWM controller. The PWM controller is signal-connected to the speed adjustment fan 1 located within the same battery module. The PWM controller can bring the battery module temperature closer to the temperature threshold by controlling the duty ratio of the speed adjustment fan 1 within the same battery module. The PWM controller is signal-connected to the temperature detection device located within the same battery module. The PWM controller is used to adjust the duty ratio of the speed adjustment fan 1 based on the temperature of the battery module in close contact with the temperature detection device and the temperature threshold. In this embodiment, since the temperature threshold of the speed adjustment fan 1 is a preset value, the value of its initial duty ratio is also a preset value. Further, the PWM controller presets the duty ratio preset values corresponding to the speed adjustment fan 1 at different temperatures. The PWM controller is further used to adjust the duty ratio of the speed adjustment fan with the first duty ratio preset value when the difference between the battery module temperature and the temperature threshold is less than or equal to the first difference. The PWM controller is further used to adjust the duty ratio of the speed adjustment fan with the second duty ratio preset value when the difference between the battery module temperature and the temperature threshold is less than or equal to the second difference. The first difference, the second difference, the first duty ratio preset value, and the second duty ratio preset value are all preset values. In this embodiment, the second difference is greater than the first difference. The temperature control subunit in the present invention can adjust the cooling policy of any energy storage battery pack 2 by adjusting preset parameters such as the first duty ratio preset value, the second duty ratio preset value, the first difference, and the second difference, so that the operation logic of the system is reasonable and the cost management is simple.

[0021] Furthermore, the energy storage battery pack 2 further includes a cooling duct, the cooling duct is provided in the main housing, the speed adjustment fan 1 is provided at one end of the cooling duct and communicates with the cooling duct, and the battery modules are provided on both sides of the cooling duct. Specifically, the speed adjustment fan 1 is fixed to the main housing and provided facing the cooling duct, the PWM controller is directly connected to the temperature detection device in the main housing via a harness, the PWM controller is integrated with the speed adjustment fan 1, and the speed adjustment fan 1 sucks air from inside the cooling duct during operation to take away the heat of the batteries located on both sides of the cooling duct. In other embodiments, the cooling duct may be provided to surround the battery modules in other forms according to the number of battery modules in the energy storage battery pack 2, as long as the circulation of the air medium is ensured and cooling by air cooling can be achieved. The speed adjustment fan in the present invention may be a PWM fan or an energy storage temperature control fan. The PWM fan has the characteristics of simple control and low cost, and the energy storage temperature control fan has better load performance.

[0022] Furthermore, the energy storage battery pack thermal management system of the present invention further includes a main control box, a sub-control box, and a battery cluster to which a plurality of energy storage battery packs 2 are connected. A single battery cluster includes a plurality of energy storage battery packs 2. A plurality of temperature control sub-units in a single battery cluster are signal-connected via the sub-control box, a plurality of sub-control boxes are signal-connected via the main control box, and the main control box is used to control all the temperature control sub-units via the sub-control box so that the duty ratios of the speed adjustment fans corresponding to any of the temperature control sub-units are not exactly the same.

[0023] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the energy storage battery pack thermal management system of the present invention is applied to a 40-foot container-type energy storage system, in which a total of 256 energy storage battery packs 2 are provided 、 256 speed adjustment fans 1 are respectively 256 Attached to the energy storage battery pack 2 、One energy storage battery pack 2 corresponds to one speed adjustment fan 1, that is, the speed adjustment fan 1 Only the energy storage battery pack 2 is cooled, and a temperature detection device is provided in each energy storage battery pack 2 to independently detect the battery module temperature. When the energy storage system actually operates, the 256 temperature detection devices respectively detect the battery module temperatures in the 256 energy storage battery packs 2, and the 256 speed adjustment fans 1 operate at duty ratios that are not necessarily exactly the same under the control of the 256 PWM controllers. This is because the temperatures of the energy storage battery packs 2 in the energy storage system are not always the same, and the cooling needs at any time for any energy storage battery pack 2 are not always the same.

[0024] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, 10 battery clusters are connected to form one energy storage system. Each battery cluster includes 15 energy storage battery packs 2, and a speed adjustment fan 1, a PWM controller, and a temperature detection device are correspondingly provided in each energy storage battery pack 2. Each battery cluster controls the on / off of the temperature control sub-unit through one sub-control box, and the on / off of the 10 sub-control boxes is controlled through one main control box and the corresponding electrical control system. When the energy storage system actually operates, the temperature of any energy storage battery pack 2 in any battery cluster is not always the same, so the cooling needs at any time for any energy storage battery pack 2 are not always the same. The temperature detection device respectively detects the battery module temperature in the energy storage battery pack 2, and the speed adjustment fan 1 operates at a duty ratio that is not necessarily exactly the same under the control of the PWM controller. However, all the PWM controllers can detect the battery module temperature with the temperature detection interval as the period under the control of the main control box and the corresponding electrical control system BCM, and adjust the duty ratio of the speed adjustment fan 1 at the same time respectively.

[0025] When performing thermal management of any of the aforementioned energy storage systems using the energy storage battery pack thermal management system of the present invention, the temperature detection device in the temperature control subunit first detects the battery module temperature. Subsequently, the PWM controller compares the battery module temperature with the temperature threshold. When comparing, the PWM controller first compares the magnitudes of the two and then calculates the difference between them. As a result of the PWM controller comparing the magnitudes of the two, if the battery module temperature is higher than the temperature threshold, the PWM controller outputs a high-duty ratio signal to increase the rotational speed of the speed adjustment fan, bringing the battery module temperature closer to the temperature threshold. If the battery module temperature is lower than the temperature threshold, a low-duty ratio signal is output to decrease the rotational speed of the speed adjustment fan. When the PWM controller compares the difference, it compares the difference with a preset first difference and a second difference respectively. If the difference between the battery module temperature and the temperature threshold is less than or equal to the first difference, the duty ratio of the speed adjustment fan is adjusted with a first preset duty ratio value. If the difference between the battery module temperature and the temperature threshold is less than or equal to the second difference, the duty ratio of the speed adjustment fan is adjusted with a second preset duty ratio value. The PWM controller finally adjusts the duty ratio of the speed adjustment fan based on the comparison and calculation results of the battery module temperature and the temperature threshold to adjust the battery module temperature. Regardless of the number of battery clusters and energy storage battery packs included in the energy storage system, any energy storage battery pack performs thermal management according to the above control method.

[0026] In summary, the energy storage battery pack thermal management system of the present invention controls any energy storage battery pack individually by the energy storage battery pack and the temperature control subunit provided thereon. Any energy storage battery pack can be cooled independently based on the temperature of the battery modules therein without being affected by the cooling policy of any other energy storage battery pack, stabilizing the temperature of the entire energy storage system, reducing unnecessary fan losses, reducing the overall energy consumption of the energy storage system, extending the life of the speed adjustment fan, and also reducing the noise of the speed adjustment fan.

[0027] The above are only specific embodiments of the present invention, and the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention, any changes and substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art should be included within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An energy storage battery pack thermal management system including a plurality of energy storage battery packs (2) and a plurality of temperature control subunits, each of the energy storage battery packs (2) including a plurality of battery modules and a main housing for accommodating the battery modules, the plurality of temperature control subunits are respectively attached to the plurality of energy storage battery packs (2), each of the temperature control subunits includes a speed adjustment fan (1) for cooling the energy storage battery packs (2), a temperature detection device for detecting a battery module temperature, and a PWM controller, the speed adjustment fan (1), the temperature detection device, and the PWM controller of the same temperature control subunit are signal-connected, and the PWM controller is used to adjust the duty ratio of the speed adjustment fan (1) based on a difference between the battery module temperature and a temperature threshold value, the temperature threshold value being a preset value; 1. An energy storage battery pack thermal management system comprising:

2. The energy storage battery pack (2) further includes a cooling duct, the cooling duct is disposed within the main housing, the speed-adjustable fan (1) is disposed at one end of the cooling duct and communicates with the cooling duct, and the battery modules are disposed on both sides of the cooling duct. The energy storage battery pack thermal management system of claim 1 .

3. the temperature detection device is in close contact with the plurality of battery modules, and the temperature detection device is used to detect temperatures of the plurality of battery modules in close contact therewith and transmit the temperatures to the PWM controller; The energy storage battery pack thermal management system of claim 1 .

4. The PWM controller is signal-connected to the speed-adjustable fan (1) located in the same battery module, and the PWM controller controls a duty ratio of the speed-adjustable fan (1) in the same battery module to bring the battery module temperature closer to the temperature threshold value. The energy storage battery pack thermal management system of claim 3 .

5. The PWM controller is signal-connected to the temperature detection device located in the same battery module, and the PWM controller is used to adjust the duty ratio of the speed-adjustable fan (1) based on the temperature of the battery module in close contact with the temperature detection device and the temperature threshold value. The energy storage battery pack thermal management system of claim 4.

6. the PWM controller is further used to adjust the duty ratio of the speed adjustable fan (1) with a first duty ratio preset value when a difference between the battery module temperature and the temperature threshold is equal to or less than a first difference, and the PWM controller is further used to adjust the duty ratio of the speed adjustable fan (1) with a second duty ratio preset value when a difference between the battery module temperature and the temperature threshold is equal to or less than a second difference, the first difference, the second difference, the first duty ratio preset value, and the second duty ratio preset value are all preset values, and the second difference is greater than the first difference; The energy storage battery pack thermal management system of claim 1 .

7. The speed-adjustable fan is a PWM fan. The energy storage battery pack thermal management system of claim 1 .

8. The speed-adjustable fan is an energy-storage temperature-controlled fan; The energy storage battery pack thermal management system of claim 1 .

9. The energy storage battery pack thermal management system further includes a plurality of battery clusters, a single battery cluster includes a plurality of the energy storage battery packs (2), a plurality of the temperature control sub-units in the single battery cluster are signal-connected via a sub-control box, and a plurality of the sub-control boxes are signal-connected via a main control box, and the main control box is used to control all the temperature control sub-units via the sub-control box so that the duty ratios of all the speed adjustment fans are not completely the same. The energy storage battery pack thermal management system of claim 1 .

10. The main control box includes an electrical control system, and the electrical control system is used to control the temperature control subunit to detect the temperature of the battery module at a temperature detection interval, and the temperature detection interval is a preset value. The energy storage battery pack thermal management system of claim 9.

Images