Battery module, cooling plate, and battery pack

Abstract

The present application provides a battery module, a cooling plate, and a battery pack. The battery module comprises: a plurality of battery cell groups; and a plurality of cooling plates, each cooling plate being arranged between two adjacent battery cell groups. The cooling plates each further comprise a plurality of first partition walls and a plurality of second partition walls, wherein the first partition walls divide a fluid channel into a plurality of first flow channels, and the second partition walls each divide a corresponding first flow channel into at least two second flow channels.

Description

Battery module, cooling plate and battery pack

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on November 23, 2023, with application number 202323183521.9. The entire contents of the above application are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of battery technology, and in particular to a battery module, a cooling plate and a battery pack. Background Art

[0003] Cylindrical battery modules usually require the use of serpentine cooling plates for heat dissipation. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] In the related art, the installation height allowed by the serpentine cooling plate is usually smaller than the height of the cylindrical battery. Therefore, along the height direction of the cylindrical battery cell, the side of the battery cell cannot be completely covered by the cooling plate, thereby affecting the cooling effect of the serpentine cooling plate on the battery cell. Secondly, the heat exchange effect of the serpentine cooling plate is hindered because the coolant contained in its inner cavity and its inner wall have limited heat exchange effects.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a battery module, comprising:

[0006] A plurality of battery cell groups, the plurality of battery cell groups are arranged in parallel, wherein each of the battery cell groups includes a plurality of battery cells, and the plurality of battery cells are arranged side by side along a first direction;

[0007] a plurality of cooling plates, the plurality of cooling plates being arranged at intervals along a second direction, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction, and the cooling plates being arranged between two adjacent battery cell groups;

[0008] The cooling plate includes a fluid channel extending from one side thereof to the other side thereof, and the cooling plate also includes a plurality of first partition walls and a plurality of second partition walls, wherein the second partition walls are connected between two adjacent first partition walls, wherein the first partition walls divide the fluid channel into a plurality of first flow channels, each of the first flow channels is provided with at least one second partition wall, and the second partition walls divide the first flow channel into at least two second flow channels.

[0009] In the second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a cooling plate, which is used for a battery module, and the cooling plate includes a fluid channel extending from one side thereof to the other side thereof, and the cooling plate also includes a plurality of first partition walls and a plurality of second partition walls, and the second partition walls are connected between two adjacent first partition walls, wherein the first partition walls divide the fluid channel into several first flow channels, each of the first flow channels is provided with at least one second partition wall, and the second partition walls divide the first flow channel into at least two second flow channels.

[0010] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a battery pack, comprising a plurality of battery modules, wherein the battery modules include the above-mentioned battery modules. Beneficial effects

[0011] The battery module provided in the present application is configured by arranging multiple first partition walls and second partition walls inside the cooling plate, wherein the first partition wall divides the fluid channel into several first flow channels, each of the first flow channels is provided with at least one second partition wall, and the second partition wall divides the first flow channel into at least two second flow channels, so that the fluid channel of the cooling plate is divided into multiple microchannel structures, so that the coolant inside each microchannel can fully exchange heat with the first partition wall and the second partition wall, thereby effectively improving the cooling effect of the cooling plate.

[0012] The cooling plate provided in the present application is configured such that a plurality of first partition walls and a second partition wall are arranged inside the cooling plate, wherein the first partition wall divides the fluid channel into a plurality of first flow channels, each of the first flow channels is provided with at least one second partition wall, and the second partition wall divides the first flow channel into at least two second flow channels, so that the fluid channel of the cooling plate is divided into a plurality of microchannel structures, so that the coolant inside each microchannel can fully exchange heat with the first partition wall and the second partition wall, thereby effectively improving the cooling effect of the cooling plate.

[0013] The battery pack provided in this application is designed based on the above-mentioned battery module. Its beneficial effects can be found in the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned battery module, which will not be described in detail here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a battery module provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0015] FIG2 is a perspective view of a cooling plate provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0016] FIG3 is a partial enlarged view of FIG2;

[0017] FIG4 is a partial enlarged view of FIG3;

[0018] FIG5 is a cross-sectional view of a cooling plate provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] FIG6 is a partial enlarged view of FIG5;

[0020] Figure Number:

[0021] 100, battery module; 10, battery cell; 11, battery cell group; 20, cooling plate; 201, one side; 202, other side; 21, first side wall; 22, second side wall; 222, second opening; 23, first inner wall; 24, second inner wall; 30, partition wall; 31, first partition wall; 32, second partition wall; 321, first wall; 322, second wall; 40, fluid channel; 41, first flow channel; 42, second flow channel; 43, inlet port; 44, outlet port; Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] In this application, unless otherwise specified, directional words such as "upper" and "lower" generally refer to the upper and lower parts of the device in actual use or working state, specifically the direction of the drawings in the accompanying drawings; while "inside" and "outside" refer to the outline of the device.

[0023] An embodiment of the present application provides a battery module 100, as shown in Figure 1, which is a structural schematic diagram of the battery module 100. The battery module 100 includes a plurality of battery cells 10, a frame (not shown) for fixing the plurality of battery cells 10, and a cooling plate 20 for dissipating heat from the plurality of battery cells 10, wherein the plurality of battery cells 10 are arranged in a matrix, that is, the plurality of battery cells 10 are arranged side by side along a first direction and form a plurality of identical battery cell groups 11, the plurality of battery cell groups 11 are arranged at intervals along a second direction Y, and adjacent battery cell groups 11 are uniformly spaced, and the cooling plate 20 is arranged between two adjacent battery cell groups 11.

[0024] Continuing with reference to FIG2 , the cooling plate 20 has a length extending along the first direction X and a height extending along the third direction Z, wherein the height of the cooling plate 20 is configured to be substantially the same as the height of a single battery cell 10. When the battery module 100 has n battery cells 10 arranged along the first direction, the length of the cooling plate 20 is configured to be substantially the same as the sum of the diameters of the n battery cells 10. Taking the roughly cylindrical battery cell 10 as an example, the battery cell 10 includes two semicircular outer side surfaces, one of which is in close contact with the outer surface of the upper cooling plate 20 as much as possible, and the other is in close contact with the outer surface of the lower cooling plate 20 as much as possible.

[0025] In some embodiments, the cooling plate 20 extends in a wave shape along the first direction X, and the cooling plate 20 also includes two opposite outer surfaces, each of which includes a plurality of semicircular grooves. Each circular groove of the cooling plate 20 is used to accommodate a portion of a single battery cell 10. The cooling plate 20 with the above structure is conducive to increasing the contact area between the cooling plate 20 and the battery cell 10, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the cooling plate 20.

[0026] The cooling plate 20 has a side 201 and another side 202 opposite each other. The first side 201 includes a first side wall 21, and the other side 202 includes a second side wall 22. The first side wall 21 and the second side wall 22 both extend longitudinally along a third direction Z. The first side wall 21 includes a plurality of first openings (not shown), and the second side wall 22 includes a plurality of second openings 222. The cross-sectional areas of the first openings and the cross-sectional areas of the second openings 222 are configured to be substantially the same. One of the first openings 222 is configured as an inlet for the coolant, and the other of the first openings 222 is configured as an outlet for the coolant. The cooling plate 20 also includes a first inner wall 23 and a second inner wall 24 spaced apart. A hollow inner cavity is formed between the first inner wall 23 and the second inner wall 24, and the inner cavity communicates with the first openings and the second openings 222. The first openings, the second openings 222, and the inner cavity together define a fluid channel 40. In some embodiments, the length of the fluid channel 40 extending along the first direction X is equal to the length of the cooling plate 20 extending along the first direction.

[0027] In the embodiment of the present application, the fluid channel structure inside the cooling plate 20 is optimized so that sufficient heat exchange can be carried out between the coolant and the inner wall of the cooling plate 20. It can be understood that during the operation of the multiple battery cells 10, the heat generated by the multiple battery cells 10 is transferred to the wall of the cooling plate 20 through heat transfer between solids. The heat of the battery cells 10 absorbed by the cooling plate 20 is heat exchanged with the coolant inside its fluid channel 40. When the flow rate of the coolant inside the fluid channel 40 remains unchanged, the larger the surface area of ​​contact between the coolant and the inner wall of the cooling plate 20, the greater the cooling power of the cooling plate 20 per unit time. Therefore, when there is sufficient space for optimizing the external structure of the cooling plate 20, changing the fluid channel structure of the cooling plate 20 can improve its cooling effect.

[0028] Continuing to refer to Figures 2 to 6, a plurality of partition walls 30 are arranged inside the fluid channel 40 of the cooling plate 20, and the partition walls 30 include a plurality of first partition walls 31 and a plurality of second partition walls 32 arranged in an alternating manner, wherein the first partition walls 31 and the second partition walls 32 respectively separate the fluid channel 40 along different directions, and the plurality of first partition walls 31 separate the fluid channel 40 into a plurality of first flow channels 41, and at least one second partition wall 32 is arranged in each first flow channel 41, and the second partition walls 32 separate the first flow channel 41 into at least two second flow channels 42.

[0029] In some embodiments, the wall thickness and extension direction of the above-mentioned multiple first partition walls 31 are the same, so the multiple first flow channels 41 formed by the first partition walls 31 have the same width and height, and the wall thickness and extension direction of the multiple second partition walls 32 are also roughly the same, so the multiple second flow channels 42 formed by the second partition walls 32 also have the same width and height.

[0030] By arranging multiple first partition walls 31 and multiple second partition walls 32 inside the fluid channel 40, the multiple first partition walls 31 divide the fluid channel 40 into several first flow channels 41, and the coolant inside the first flow channel 41 can contact the first inner wall 23, the second inner wall 24 and the first partition wall 31. At least one second partition wall 32 is arranged inside the first flow channel 41, and the two ends of the second partition wall 32 are respectively connected to the two adjacent first partition walls 31. The second partition wall 32 divides the first flow channel 41 into at least two second flow channels 42. The coolant inside the second flow channel 42 can contact the first inner wall 23, the second inner wall 24, the first partition wall 31 and the second partition wall 32, so that the coolant inside the second flow channel 42 can fully exchange heat with the inner wall of the cooling plate 20.

[0031] It is understandable that the more first partition walls 31 and second partition walls 32 are set inside the cooling plate 20, the larger the contact area between the coolant in the micro second flow channel 42 separated by the first partition walls 31 and the second partition walls 32 and the inner wall of the cooling plate 20. However, at the same time, the first partition walls 31 and the second partition walls 32 themselves need to occupy a certain volume of the fluid channel 40. Therefore, the more first partition walls 31 and the second partition walls 32 are set, the smaller the capacity of the coolant that can be accommodated inside the fluid channel 40. Therefore, it is necessary to set a reasonable number of first partition walls 31 and second partition walls 32. In the embodiment of the present application, 1, 2 or 3 second partition walls 32 can be set inside the first flow channel 41 defined by two adjacent first partition walls 31.

[0032] Continuing to refer to Figures 2 and 3, one end of the first partition wall 31 is connected to the first inner wall 23, and the other end of the first partition wall 31 is connected to the second inner wall 24, and the first partition wall 31 is configured to be perpendicular to the first inner wall 23 and the second inner wall 24. Relative to the first partition wall 31 being configured to be set at an acute angle to the first inner wall 23 or the second inner wall 24, the first partition wall 31 being configured to be perpendicular to the first inner wall 23 and the second inner wall 24 is beneficial to improving the internal structural strength of the cooling plate 20 and preventing the first partition wall 31 from deforming.

[0033] The number of the above-mentioned first partition walls 31 is mainly determined by the height of the cooling plate 20. The higher the height of the cooling plate 20, the more first partition walls 31 can be set on the cooling plate 20. The height of the cooling plate 20 is mainly adjusted according to the height of the battery cell 10. The heights of battery cells 10 of different specifications are different. Therefore, the number of first partition walls 31 is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0034] Continuing with reference to Figures 3 and 4, two second partition walls 32 are disposed within each first flow channel 41. The two second partition walls 32 are disposed substantially parallel to each other. The two second partition walls 32 divide the first flow channel 41 into three second flow channels 42. In some embodiments, the three second flow channels 42 have substantially the same width and height. Specifically, two second partition walls 32 are disposed within each first flow channel 41 at intervals. The two second partition walls 32 are a first wall 321 and a second wall 322, respectively. The first wall 321 is disposed near the first inner wall 23, and the second wall 322 is disposed near the second inner wall 24. The interval formed between the first wall 321 and the first inner wall 23 is d1, and the interval formed between the second wall 322 and the second inner wall 24 is d2. In one specific embodiment, d1 is the same as d2, and the interval formed between the first wall 321 and the second wall 322 is d3, which is the same as d1, or d3 is the same as d2.

[0035] Since the plurality of first partition walls 31 are arranged roughly at even intervals along the height direction Z of the battery cell 10, the amount of coolant contained in the plurality of first flow channels 41 formed by the first partition walls 31 is roughly the same. When each first flow channel 41 is divided into three second flow channels 42 by two second partition walls 32, when d1, d2, and d3 have the same intervals, the amount of coolant that can be contained in the three micro second flow channels 42 is also roughly the same, so that along the same height direction of the battery cell 10, the heat of the battery cell 10 absorbed by the wall of the cooling plate 20 can be fully heat-exchanged with the coolant in the three micro second flow channels 42, and The wall of the cooling plate 20 includes at least one first partition wall 31 and at least two second partition walls 32. When the amount of coolant contained in each micro second flow channel 42 is the same, the contact area between the wall of the cooling plate 20 and the coolant is also the same, and the cooling effect of the coolant in each corresponding micro second flow channel 42 is also the same, thereby ensuring that the cooling effect of the multiple second flow channels 42 of the cooling plate 20 is also the same, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the cooling plate 20 while making the cooling effect of the multiple micro second flow channels 42 of the cooling plate 20 the same, thereby improving the uniformity of the cooling effect of each local part of the cooling plate 20.

[0036] Continuing with reference to Figures 5 and 6, when the battery cell 10 is configured as a cylindrical shape, the cooling plate 20 is typically configured as a serpentine plate, i.e., the first inner wall 23 and the second inner wall 24 have wavy surfaces. In some embodiments, the second partition walls 32 extend in a wavy shape along the height direction Z of the battery cell 10. Along the flow direction of the coolant, the coolant flows approximately in a laminar manner on the second partition walls 32, which helps improve the heat transfer efficiency between the coolant and the second partition walls 32. The two second partition walls 32 within each first flow channel 41 are arranged approximately parallel, and the curvature of each second partition wall 32 at each point is approximately the same as the curvature of the first inner wall 23 or the second inner wall 24. This ensures that the flow rate of the coolant within each micro-second flow channel 42 remains approximately the same, thereby improving the uniformity of the heat exchange effect of the cooling plate 20.

[0037] In the embodiment provided in the present application, a plurality of first partition walls 31 and a plurality of second partition walls 32 are provided inside the cooling plate 20, and the plurality of first partition walls 31 and the plurality of second partition walls 32 are staggered, wherein the plurality of first partition walls 31 are uniformly spaced approximately along the height Z direction of the battery cell 10, and the extension direction of each first partition wall 31 is approximately parallel to the second direction Y, and the second partition wall 32 is arranged between two adjacent first partition walls 31. The setting of the first partition wall 31 and the second partition wall 32 can obviously enhance the structural strength of the cooling plate 20 itself. In some embodiments, the thickness of the first partition wall 31 is greater than the thickness of the second partition wall 32, which is beneficial to prevent the first partition wall 31 from deforming, thereby affecting the uneven local cooling effect of the cooling plate 20.

[0038] In some embodiments, the length of the second partition wall 32 extending along the first direction X is substantially the same as the length of the cooling plate 20 extending along the first direction X, thereby effectively improving the tensile strength and yield strength of the cooling plate 20 and extending the service life of the cooling plate 20.

[0039] In some embodiments, the second partition wall 32 has an appropriate wall thickness d0, preferably no greater than 0.3 mm and no less than 0.5 mm. If the wall thickness d0 of the second partition wall 32 is too thin, the second partition wall 32 may lack strength and be susceptible to deformation, especially when the second partition wall 32 must withstand the impact of fluids for extended periods. If the wall thickness d0 of the second partition wall 32 is too thick, burrs and flash may form during the extrusion process, resulting in uneven sizes of the formed second flow channels 42. If the wall thickness d0 of the second partition wall 32 is too thick, the number of second partition walls 32 that can be installed within each first flow channel 41 may be reduced, thereby reducing the number of formed second flow channels 42. It is understood that the wall thickness d0 of the second partition wall 32 can be selected from any range between 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm, or any value between 0.3 mm and 0.5 mm, which are not listed in the embodiments of this application.

[0040] In some embodiments, the fluid channel 40 of the cooling plate includes an inlet end 43 and an outlet end 44, wherein the inlet end 43 is used for the entry of coolant, and the outlet end 44 is used for the exit of circulating liquid, and the flow rate of the coolant entering the inlet end 43 is less than the flow rate of the circulating liquid flowing out of the outlet end 44, wherein the temperature of the coolant entering through the inlet end 43 is lower, and the temperature of the coolant flowing out through the outlet end 44 is higher, and the coolant at the inlet end 43 is controlled to enter the interior of the cooling plate 20 at a lower speed, so that the coolant with lower temperature has sufficient residence time inside the cooling plate 20, and the circulating liquid with higher temperature is controlled to flow out of the cooling plate 20 quickly through the outlet end 44, thereby reducing the residence time of the circulating liquid in the cooling plate 20, which is beneficial to improving the heat exchange effect of the cooling plate 20.

[0041] An embodiment of the present application provides a battery pack, which includes a case and a plurality of battery modules 100 arranged inside the case. The battery module 100 can be the battery module 100 provided by any of the above embodiments. The plurality of battery modules 100 can be connected in series or in parallel. Each battery module 100 in the battery pack adopts the above-mentioned cooling plate 20, thereby providing heat dissipation efficiency of the battery module 100, thereby improving the safety performance of the battery pack and providing a service life of the battery pack.

Claims

1. A battery module (100), comprising A plurality of battery cell groups (11), the plurality of battery cell groups (11) being arranged in parallel, wherein each of the battery cell groups (11) comprises a plurality of battery cells (10), and the plurality of battery cells (10) are arranged in parallel along a first direction; a plurality of cooling plates (20), the plurality of cooling plates (20) being arranged at intervals along a second direction, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction, the cooling plates (20) being arranged between two adjacent battery cell groups (11); The cooling plate (20) is provided with a fluid channel (40) extending from one side (201) thereof to the other side (202) thereof, and the cooling plate (20) further comprises a plurality of first partition walls (31) and a plurality of second partition walls (32), wherein the second partition walls (32) are connected between two adjacent first partition walls (31), wherein the first partition walls (31) divide the fluid channel (40) into a plurality of first flow channels (41), each of the first flow channels (41) is provided with at least one second partition wall (32), and the second partition walls (32) divide the first flow channel (41) into at least two second flow channels (42).

2. The battery module (100) according to claim 1, wherein: Two second partition walls (32) are arranged in each first flow channel (41), and the two second partition walls (32) are arranged in parallel.

3. The battery module (100) according to claim 1, wherein: The second partition wall (32) extends in a wave shape along the height direction of the battery core.

4. The battery module (100) according to claim 2, wherein: The cooling plate (20) includes a first inner wall (23) and a second inner wall (24) defining the fluid channel (40); the second partition wall (32) includes a first wall (321) and a second wall (322) that are spaced apart from each other; the first wall (321) is disposed close to the first inner wall (23); the second wall (322) is disposed close to the second inner wall (24); a space d1 is formed between the first wall (321) and the first inner wall (23); a space d2 is formed between the second wall (322) and the second inner wall (24); and d1 is the same as d2.

5. The battery module (100) according to claim 4, wherein: One end of the first partition wall (31) is connected to the first inner wall (23), and the other end of the first partition wall (31) is connected to the second inner wall (24). The first partition wall (31) is configured to be arranged vertically with the first inner wall (23) or the second inner wall (24).

6. The battery module (100) according to claim 1, wherein: The length of the second partition wall (32) extending along the first direction is substantially the same as the length of the cooling plate (20) extending along the first direction.

7. The battery module (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The wall thickness of the second partition wall (32) is smaller than the wall thickness of the first partition wall (31).

8. The battery module (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The wall thickness of the second partition wall (32) is not greater than 0.3 mm, and the wall thickness of the second partition wall (32) is not less than 0.5 mm.

9. The battery module (100) according to claim 1, wherein: A plurality of the first partition walls (31) are evenly spaced and distributed along the height direction of the battery core (10), and the first partition walls (31) extend substantially along the second direction.

10. The battery module (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The fluid channel (40) comprises an inlet end (43) and an outlet end (44), wherein the inlet end (43) is configured to allow coolant to enter, and the outlet end (44) is configured to allow circulating fluid to flow out, and the flow rate of the coolant entering the inlet end (43) is lower than the flow rate of the circulating fluid flowing out of the outlet end (44).

11. A cooling plate (20), the cooling plate (20) being used for a battery module (100), the cooling plate (20) comprising a fluid channel (40) extending from one side thereof to the other side thereof, the cooling plate (20) further comprising a plurality of first partition walls (31) and a plurality of second partition walls (32), the second partition walls (32) being connected between two adjacent first partition walls (31), wherein the first partition walls (31) divide the fluid channel (40) into a plurality of first flow channels (41), each of the first flow channels (41) being provided with at least one of the second partition walls (32), and the second partition walls (32) divide the first flow channel (41) into at least two second flow channels (42).

12. A battery pack, comprising a box and a plurality of battery modules (100) arranged inside the box, wherein the battery module (100) comprises the battery module according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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