Cooling channel structure, liquid cooling plate, and battery system

Abstract

This application provides a cooling channel structure, a liquid cooling plate, and a battery system, which includes a group of cooling channels, a channel inlet, and a channel outlet. The group of cooling channels includes at least one cooling pipeline, the flow direction of the liquid in the cooling pipeline is set as the first direction, the cooling pipeline is distributed in a tree shape from one side to the other side along the first direction, one side of the tree structure is the tree head, and the other side is the tree tail. The channel inlet communicates with the tree head side of the cooling pipeline in the group of cooling channels. The channel outlet communicates with the tree tail side of the cooling pipeline in the group of cooling channels.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims the priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 2023216687013, filed with the Chinese Patent Office on June 28, 2023, and Chinese Patent Application No. 2023107772736, filed with the Chinese Patent Office on June 28, 2023. The content of the above applications is hereby incorporated by reference into this application in its entirety. This application relates to the technical field of batteries, and particularly to a cooling channel structure, a liquid cooling plate, and a battery system.

Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of the electric vehicle field, the use of power batteries is becoming increasingly widespread. Power batteries generate a large amount of heat during the charging and discharging process, causing the temperature inside the battery pack to rise, affecting the service life of the battery, and even potentially leading to safety accidents due to thermal runaway. Therefore, the thermal management and thermal safety of power batteries have received increasing attention.

[0003] In existing battery systems, the requirements for rapid charging of cells are becoming increasingly high, and it is becoming difficult to control the heat generation of high-current rate (high-rate) cells. To enhance the cooling effect, existing battery systems usually have a liquid cooling plate installed on the upper or bottom surface of the cells. The liquid cooling plate is provided with cooling channels.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Existing cooling channels are usually arranged symmetrically or designed in a coil shape. Such channels are very unsuitable for battery systems with relatively long battery modules, and it is easy to出现 a phenomenon where the temperature difference between the cells on the left and right sides of the same horizontal channel is large, resulting in uneven cell cooling.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a cooling channel structure including a group of cooling channels, a channel inlet, and a channel outlet. The group of cooling channels includes at least one cooling channel, the direction of liquid flow in the cooling channel is set as a first direction, and the cooling channels are distributed in a tree-like manner along the first direction from one side to the other. The channel inlet communicates with the tree head side of the cooling channel in the group of cooling channels, and the channel outlet communicates with the tree tail side of the cooling channel in the group of cooling channels.

[0006] In a second aspect, the present application provides a liquid cooling plate including a cooling channel structure and a liquid cooling plate body. The cooling channel group is bonded to or fitted onto one or both sides of the liquid cooling plate body.

[0007] In a third aspect, the present application provides a battery system comprising a battery case, a group of cells, and a liquid cooling plate. The group of cells and the liquid cooling plate body are arranged within the battery case, and the liquid cooling plate body is located on the top or bottom surface of the group of cells. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] 1. By designing the cooling pipeline in a tree structure, the number of cooling pipelines can be increased in each layer, thereby effectively addressing the problem of the coolant gradually rising within the pipeline. Increasing the heat exchange area improves the heat exchange efficiency and equalizes the temperature difference throughout the heat exchange process.

[0009] 2. The number and quantity of cooling pipe layers can be increased according to the actual situation, thereby ensuring complete coverage of the heat exchange and increasing the heat exchange area.

[0010] 3. By combining cooling lines and a liquid cooling plate, a heat exchange plate with uniform heat exchange can be formed, and the design of the cooling channels is flexible, which is advantageous in uniformizing the heat exchange temperature across the entire heat exchange plate and reducing temperature differences.

[0011] 4. By employing a liquid cooling plate and serpentine liquid cooling tubes, three-sided liquid cooling heat exchange is achieved, significantly improving heat exchange efficiency and enhancing temperature control. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the cooling channel according to an embodiment of this application. [Figure 2] This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a liquid cooling plate according to an embodiment of this application. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a battery system according to an embodiment of this application. [Figure 4] This is a schematic diagram of the connection structure of a liquid cooling plate according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 5] This is a schematic diagram of the side structure of a battery system according to an embodiment of this application. [Figure 6] This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a battery system according to an embodiment of this application. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Conventional cooling lines are typically spiral or meandering pipes. The longer the coolant flows and exchanges heat within the cooling line, the higher its temperature becomes. As a result, the heat exchange effect with heat-generating devices located in the latter half of the cooling line is poor.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, Embodiment 1 of this application discloses a cooling channel structure including a cooling channel group 1, a channel inlet 3, and a channel outlet 2. The cooling channel group 1 includes at least one cooling pipe 11. The direction of liquid flow in the cooling pipe 11 is set as a first direction. Note that since the first direction is the direction that accounts for a large proportion of the flow direction of the cooling pipe 11, there may be a partial diversion structure in the cooling pipe 11, but it should be understood that the main flow direction does not change. In Embodiment 1, the first direction is the longitudinal direction of the cooling channel group, and the cooling pipe 11 is distributed in a tree-like manner from one side to the other along the first direction. The tree structure has at least two layers. When the tree structure has two layers, the tree structure includes two layers: a tree head 111 and a tree tail 113. When the tree structure has three or more layers, the tree structure includes a tree head 111, a tree trunk 112, and a tree tail 113. One side of the tree structure is a tree head 111, and the other side is a tree tail 113, with the tree trunk 112 located between the tree head 111 and the tree tail 113. The flow channel inlet 3 communicates with the tree head 111 side of the cooling pipe 11 in the cooling flow channel group 1, and the flow channel outlet 2 communicates with the tree tail 113 side of the cooling pipe 11 in the cooling flow channel group 1. The temperature of the coolant in the cooling pipe 11 increases with increasing length of the pipe. By designing the cooling flow channel group 1 as a tree-like distribution of cooling pipes 11, the number of cooling pipes 11 can be increased in each layer. By increasing the number of layers of the tree structure according to the area requiring heat exchange, heat exchange in the latter half of the cooling pipe 11 is made more concentrated, thereby gradually increasing the area in contact with the heat-generating component and effectively addressing the problem of the coolant temperature in the cooling pipe 11 gradually rising. Increasing the heat exchange area reduces the temperature difference between cells, allows for control of the temperature of the heat-generating components within a reasonable range, and achieves uniform heat exchange, which is advantageous for extending the service life of the heat-generating components.

[0015] In one embodiment, when the cooling channel group 1 includes only one cooling pipe 11, the cooling pipe 11 is connected to the channel inlet 3, and the cooling pipe 11 is connected to the channel outlet 2 as a single pipe on the tree tail 113 side. The coolant introduced into the channel inlet 3 first flows through the tree head 111 structure of the cooling pipe 11, then flows through the tree tail 113 structure of the cooling pipe 11, and finally flows out from the channel outlet 2, thereby achieving the heat exchange effect of the coolant.

[0016] In one embodiment, when the cooling channel group 1 includes two or more cooling pipes 11, each cooling channel lies on the same horizontal plane, and each cooling pipe 11 in the cooling channel group 1 is kept horizontal, so that the cooling channel group 1 forms a cooling plane. The tree head 111 structure of each cooling pipe 11 is connected to one inlet main pipe 5, and the inlet main pipe 5 communicates with the channel inlet 3. The tree tail 113 structure of each cooling pipe 11 is connected to one outlet main pipe 4, and the outlet main pipe 4 communicates with the channel outlet 2. By arranging the inlet main pipe 5 and the outlet main pipe 4, each cooling pipe 11 can be relatively fixed between the inlet main pipe 5 and the outlet main pipe 4 to form a plane. The coolant introduced into the flow channel inlet 3 first flows into the inlet main pipe 5, then disperses through the tree head 111 structure of each cooling pipe 11, then flows through the tree tail 113 structure of each cooling pipe 11, and finally passes through the outlet main pipe 4 before flowing out from the flow channel outlet 2, thereby achieving the heat exchange effect of the coolant.

[0017] In one embodiment, when the cooling channel group 1 includes two or more cooling pipes 11, each cooling channel is located in a different horizontal plane, so that the cooling channel group 1 can dissipate heat to multiple surfaces of the heat-generating object. Therefore, each cooling pipe 11 in the cooling channel group 1 can be adaptively changed according to the surface shape of the heat-generating object. For example, if the heat-generating object is a cylinder, the inlet main pipe 5 is arranged along the circular circumference on one side of the cylinder, and the outlet main pipe 4 is arranged along the circular circumference on the other side of the cylinder. Each of the cooling pipes 11 is spaced apart between the inlet main pipe 5 and the outlet main pipe 4. Each cooling pipe 11 in the cooling channel group 1 is kept horizontal. The connection method between the cooling pipes 11 and the inlet main pipe 5 and the outlet main pipe 4 may be a vertical connection, or each cooling pipe 11 may be coiled along the side of the cylinder and exhibit a certain angle to achieve a heat exchange effect. When the heat-generating object is a rectangular prism, the inlet main pipe 5 is positioned along the outer circumference of one side of the prism, and the outlet main pipe 4 is positioned along the outer circumference of the other side of the prism. Each of the cooling pipes 11 is positioned with a gap between the inlet main pipe 5 and the outlet main pipe 4. Each of the cooling pipes 11 in the cooling channel group 1 is kept horizontal, thereby covering at least one side of the prism and achieving a heat exchange effect. When the heat-generating object is a rectangular prism or a frustocone, the inlet main pipe 5 and the outlet main pipe 4 are still positioned along the outer circumference of both end faces. Each of the cooling pipes 11 is positioned with a gap between the inlet main pipe 5 and the outlet main pipe 4. In this case, the spaces between each of the cooling pipes 11 are not all horizontal, thereby covering at least a portion of the sides of the prism or frustocone and achieving a heat exchange effect.

[0018] The number of layers in the tree structure of the cooling pipeline 11 is preferably two, three, or four, and the number of pipelines in each layer of the tree structure increases by a factor of two. Therefore, the distance between the tree heads 111 between each cooling pipeline 11 must be at least the width range of the tree tail 113. This ensures a smooth arrangement between the cooling pipelines 11. Thus, the tree structure becomes a binary tree structure, and the branches of each layer of the tree structure are kept parallel to each other, preventing excessive diversion that would cause a decrease in heat exchange efficiency due to the distance between cooling pipelines 11 located on one side of the tree head 111 being too great.

[0019] In one embodiment, when there are multiple cooling pipes 11 located on the same plane, the distance between tree heads 111 increases as the number of layers in the tree structure increases. Therefore, to ensure a larger heat exchange area in the horizontal plane of the cooling pipes 11, a third surrounding pipe 8 is provided between the outlet main pipe 4 and the inlet main pipe 5. The third surrounding pipe 8 is located at the ends of the outlet main pipe 4 and the inlet main pipe 5 and at the edge of the cooling channel group 1. This allows for supplemental heat exchange in areas where the tree heads 111 cannot exchange heat, thereby increasing the overall heat exchange area of ​​the cooling channel group 1. In some embodiments, the channel inlet 3 and channel outlet 2 are usually designed to be centrally located to reduce the area occupied by the entire cooling pipe group 11. For this reason, a first surrounding pipe 7 is provided on one side of the inlet main pipe 5, a second surrounding pipe 6 is provided on one side of the outlet main pipe 4, and the third surrounding pipe 8 is located on the other side of the inlet main pipe 5 and the other side of the outlet main pipe 4. The first surrounding tube 7 and the second surrounding tube 6 are arranged around one side of the edge of the cooling channel group 1. The end of the first surrounding tube 7 communicates with the channel inlet 3, and the end of the second surrounding tube 6 communicates with the channel outlet 2. As a result, the channel inlet 3 and the channel outlet 2 are centrally located, reducing the overall volume occupied by the cooling channel group 1 and increasing the heat exchange area.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the present application also relates to a liquid cooling plate including a liquid cooling plate body 9 and any one of the above cooling channel structures. The cooling channel group 1 is bonded or fitted to one or both sides of the liquid cooling plate body 9. Thereby, the heat exchange area from one side to the other side of the liquid cooling plate gradually increases, corresponding to the problem that the temperature of the coolant in the cooling pipeline 11 on the cooling plate gradually rises. This is advantageous for equalizing the temperature of the liquid cooling plate from one side to the other side in the horizontal direction.

[0021] The liquid cooling plate body 9 may be a coplanar flat plate structure and is used for heat exchange of a single surface of the heat source, or may be a non-coplanar bent plate structure and is used for heat exchange of at least two surfaces of the heat source. It is also possible to join a plurality of liquid cooling plates to form a cooling housing and use it for overall heat exchange of the heat source.

[0022] Referring to FIGS. 3 to 6, the present application also relates to a battery system including a battery case, a cell group, and a liquid cooling plate. In this embodiment, the liquid cooling plate body 9 is a coplanar flat plate. The cell group and the liquid cooling plate body 9 are arranged in the battery case. The liquid cooling plate body 9 is located on the upper or lower surface of the cell group, which is advantageous for heat exchange with the upper or lower surface of the cell group and ensures uniform heat exchange of the cell group. The flow direction of the cooling pipeline 11 on the liquid cooling plate body 9 coincides with the length direction of the battery case, which is advantageous for realizing the arrangement of the tree structure and uniform heat effect. In other embodiments, the liquid cooling plate body 9 can also be joined to six surfaces of the cell group to achieve overall heat exchange.

[0023] The cell group includes multiple rows of cells arranged in a straight line, and side liquid cooling plates 10 are provided on both sides of each row of cells. The side liquid cooling plates 10 are attached to the side walls of the cells and communicate with the inside of the liquid cooling plate body 9. Each side liquid cooling plate 10 includes a liquid inlet 102 and a liquid outlet 101. The liquid inlets 102 of the side liquid cooling plates 10 are connected in series to form a liquid introduction conduit 104, and the liquid outlets 101 of the side liquid cooling plates 10 are connected in series to form a liquid discharge conduit 103. In some embodiments, multiple liquid introduction conduits 104 and liquid discharge conduits 103 can be provided and assembled at both ends of the side liquid cooling plate 10.

[0024] During liquid injection, the coolant is sent through the diversion pipe 30 to each liquid inlet pipe 104 and the flow path inlet 3 of the liquid cooling plate body 9, respectively. After flowing through the side liquid cooling plate 10 and the liquid cooling plate body 9, it flows out from each liquid discharge pipe 103 and the flow path outlet 2 of the liquid cooling plate body 9, and is finally discharged collectively through the manifold pipe 20. By combining the side liquid cooling plate 10 and the liquid cooling plate body 9, three-sided cooling can be achieved on the top or bottom surface of the cell and on both sides of the cell, significantly increasing the heat exchange area between the cell and the coolant, and improving the charging safety of the cell when charging at a high current rate. In this embodiment, since the cell is cylindrical, the side liquid cooling plate 10 employs a serpentine liquid cooling plate, which is advantageous for bonding to the side wall surface of the cell and improves the heat exchange area. In other embodiments, the structure of the side liquid cooling plate 10 changes according to the change in the shape of the cell.

[0025] Furthermore, by changing the direction of liquid injection as described above, it is possible to achieve liquid injection in the reverse direction.

[0026] The number of cells covered by the tree structure in each layer of the cooling conduit 11 within the liquid cooling plate body 9 is 6 to 9. This prevents the number of cells cooled in each layer from being too large, thus preventing the problem of uneven cooling due to a decrease in the heat exchange effect from becoming more severe. In this embodiment, the tree structure consists of three layers.

[0027] When the liquid cooling plate body 9 is located on the upper surface of the cell group, the cooling conduit 11 exchanges heat in contact with the aluminum row above the cell. The perforated liquid cooling plate body 9 at the top of the cell is in direct contact with the welded aluminum row above the cell. When charged at a high current rate, the aluminum row generates significant heat, and the upper liquid cooling plate body 9 can exchange heat with it, while simultaneously cooling the cell because the aluminum row is welded to the pole columns of the cell.

[0028] In summary, the cooling channel structure, liquid cooling plate, and battery system provided by this application have the following technical effects. 1. By designing the cooling pipeline 11 in a tree structure, the number of cooling pipelines 11 can be increased in each layer, thereby effectively addressing the problem of the coolant gradually rising within the cooling pipeline 11. Increasing the heat exchange area improves the heat exchange effect and equalizes the temperature difference throughout the heat exchange. 2. The number and quantity of cooling pipes 11 can be increased according to the actual situation, thereby ensuring complete coverage of the heat exchange and increasing the heat exchange area. 3. By combining the cooling conduit 11 and the liquid cooling plate, a heat exchange plate with uniform heat exchange can be formed, and the design of the cooling channel is flexible, which is advantageous in uniformizing the heat exchange temperature across the entire heat exchange plate and reducing temperature differences. 4. By employing a liquid cooling plate and serpentine liquid cooling tubes, three-sided liquid cooling heat exchange is achieved, significantly improving heat exchange efficiency and enhancing temperature control. [Explanation of symbols]

[0029] 1. Cooling channel group; 11. Cooling pipe; 111. Tree head; 112. Tree trunk; 113. Tree tail; 2. Channel outlet; 3. Channel inlet; 4. Main outlet pipe; 5. Main inlet pipe; 6. Second surrounding pipe; 7. First surrounding pipe; 8. Third surrounding pipe; 9. Cooling plate body; 10. Side liquid cooling plate; 101. Liquid outlet; 102. Liquid inlet; 103. Liquid discharge pipe; 104. Liquid introduction pipe; 20. Manifold pipe; 30. Diverter pipe

Claims

1. A cooling channel structure comprising a group of cooling channels (1), a channel inlet (3), and a channel outlet (2), wherein the group of cooling channels (1) includes at least one cooling conduit (11), the direction of liquid flow in the cooling conduit is set as a first direction, the cooling conduit (11) is distributed in a tree-like manner along the first direction from one side to the other, one side of the tree structure is a tree head (111), and the other side is a tree tail (113), The flow channel inlet (3) communicates with the tree head (111) side of the cooling pipe (11) in the cooling flow channel group (1), The flow channel outlet (2) communicates with the tree tail (113) side of the cooling pipe (11) in the cooling flow channel group (1), If there are two or more cooling pipes (11) in the cooling channel group (1), an inlet main pipe (5) is connected to one side of the cooling channel group (1), an outlet main pipe (4) is connected to the other side of the cooling channel group (1), the channel inlet (3) communicates with the inlet main pipe (5), and the channel outlet (2) communicates with the outlet main pipe (4). A cooling channel structure characterized in that a first surrounding pipe (7) is further provided on one side of the inlet main pipe (5), a second surrounding pipe (6) is further provided on one side of the outlet main pipe (4), a third surrounding pipe (8) is further provided between the other side of the inlet main pipe (5) and the other side of the outlet main pipe (4), the first surrounding pipe (7), the second surrounding pipe (6), and the third surrounding pipe (8) are all arranged to surround the edge of the cooling channel group (1), the first surrounding pipe (7) is in communication with the inlet main pipe (5), the second surrounding pipe (6) is in communication with the outlet main pipe (4), and the first surrounding pipe (7), the third surrounding pipe (8), and the second surrounding pipe (6) are sequentially connected to form a connecting pipeline that connects the inlet main pipe (5) and the outlet main pipe (4).

2. The cooling channel structure according to claim 1, characterized in that the cooling pipes (11) in the group of cooling channels (1) are on the same horizontal plane, and each cooling pipe (11) is spaced apart between the inlet main pipe (5) and the outlet main pipe (4).

3. The cooling channel structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, of the cooling channels (11) in the cooling channel group (1), at least two cooling channels (11) are not on the same plane, and each cooling channel (11) is arranged between the inlet main pipe (5) and the outlet main pipe (4) at an interval.

4. The cooling channel structure according to claim 1, wherein the cooling channel (11) includes at least two layers of tree structure, and if the tree structure has two or more layers, it further includes a tree trunk (112) between the tree head (111) and the tree tail (113) of the tree structure.

5. The cooling channel structure according to claim 4, characterized in that the tree structure is a binary tree structure, and the branches of the tree structure in each layer are kept parallel to each other.

6. A liquid cooling plate comprising a cooling channel structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and a liquid cooling plate body (9), wherein the cooling channel group (1) is bonded to or fitted onto one or both sides of the liquid cooling plate body (9).

7. A battery system comprising a battery case, a group of cells, and a liquid cooling plate as described in claim 6, wherein the group of cells and the liquid cooling plate body (9) are arranged inside the battery case, and the liquid cooling plate body (9) is located on the upper or lower surface of the group of cells.

8. The battery system according to claim 7, characterized in that the cell group includes multiple rows of cells arranged in a straight line, each row of cells is provided with a side liquid cooling plate (10) on both sides, the side liquid cooling plate (10) is attached to the side wall of the cell, and the side liquid cooling plate (10) communicates with the inside of the liquid cooling plate body (9).

9. The battery system according to claim 8, characterized in that the flow direction of the cooling pipes (11) on the liquid cooling plate body (9) coincides with the longitudinal direction of the battery case.

10. The battery system according to claim 8, characterized in that the number of cells covered by the tree structure in each layer is 6 to 9.

11. The battery system according to claim 8, characterized in that when the liquid cooling plate body (9) is located on the upper surface of the cell group, the cooling pipe (11) exchanges heat in contact with the aluminum row above the cells.

12. The battery system according to claim 8, further comprising a manifold (20) and a diversion pipe (30), wherein the diversion pipe (30) is used to divert the coolant into the side liquid cooling plate (10) and the liquid cooling plate body (9), and the manifold (20) is used to discharge the coolant in the side liquid cooling plate (10) and the liquid cooling plate body (9) together.

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