Battery assembly

Abstract

The invention relates to a battery assembly (11) containing: at least one electrically rechargeable battery (12); a housing (10) for accommodating the battery (12); terminals for connection to an electrical power supply (32); and a heat generator (14) arranged in the housing for generating heat, wherein the heat generator (14) forms an integral part of the battery assembly (11) which can be installed jointly with the battery assembly, characterized in that a hydrogen tank (40) is provided with hydrogen for operating the heat generator (14), and the heat generated by the heat generator (14) is applied to the battery (12). The battery assembly may, for example, be used in a vehicle, in place of a conventional high-voltage battery.

Description

[0001] Battery arrangement

[0002] Technical area

[0003] The invention relates to a battery arrangement comprising

[0004] (a) at least one electrically rechargeable battery;

[0005] (b) a housing for receiving the battery;

[0006] (c) connections for connection to an electrical power supply; and

[0007] (d) a heat generator arranged in the housing for generating heat, the heat generator forming an integral part of the battery assembly which can be mounted together with the battery assembly.

[0008] Batteries can store energy and make it available again as electrical energy when needed. Rechargeable batteries, also known as accumulators, can be used multiple times.

[0009] State of the art

[0010] In the past, most vehicles were powered by fossil fuels, for example in an internal combustion engine. Other solutions are now being sought to achieve climate neutrality. In particular, vehicles with electric drive and a powerful vehicle battery are already available as standard. Drives with fuel cells are also known. In internal combustion engines, the energy stored chemically in the fuel is first converted into thermal energy and then into mechanical work. In electrically powered vehicles, the energy stored in a battery is converted into mechanical work via an electric drive. In a fuel cell, the energy stored chemically in a fuel, for example hydrogen, is converted directly into electrical energy and then into mechanical work.

[0011] In addition to these drive systems, there are also hybrid systems, also known as hybrid drives. These utilize a conventional combustion engine and an additional electric drive with a battery as an energy storage device. As long as the battery is supplying power, the vehicle is powered exclusively by electric energy. After that, the combustion engine serves as the primary drive. Depending on the design, the battery can be recharged through recuperation or, in the case of plug-in hybrids, from external energy sources. Hybrid drives utilize two primary drives and two associated energy storage devices—a battery and a fuel tank. These are complex and heavy, thus increasing manufacturing costs, maintenance effort, and energy consumption.

[0012] The disadvantages of purely electric vehicles are their limited range, the long charging time, and the short battery life. These adverse effects are more pronounced at low temperatures, particularly in cold regions, at night, and in winter. At low temperatures, battery efficiency decreases. This makes it necessary to heat the battery. The heating is powered by energy from the vehicle battery. The same applies to the passenger compartment, which also requires electrical heating. This reduces the vehicle's range.

[0013] Batteries designed to store and deliver large amounts of energy are comparatively heavy. When the battery is moved using its stored energy, such as in vehicles, the weight leads to additional energy consumption. This is undesirable. The most powerful batteries currently installed in vehicles are based on lithium-ion technology. These batteries are comparatively expensive. Batteries without lithium-ion exist, but they do not provide the range currently demanded by the market.

[0014] DE102011076737A1 discloses a device for providing electrical energy, in which the electrical energy storage device is thermally coupled to the fuel cell assembly by means of a heat transfer arrangement. The known fuel cell assembly is permanently installed in the vehicle. The associated additional costs and weight therefore arise even when they are not actually needed, for example, when the vehicle is to be used in warmer climates or only in summer, or when the vehicle is regularly parked in a garage, where additional heating of the battery is not necessary.

[0015] DE11 2020 004 489 B4 discloses a hybrid electric unit for a vehicle with a high-temperature fuel cell powered by methanol from a separate tank, replacing at least half of the batteries in a common housing. The fuel cell primarily serves to generate electrical energy, which is converted in a converter and fed into the vehicle batteries. The heat generated by the fuel cell is fed into the vehicle's cooling circuit, which also passes through the common housing to prevent the batteries from overheating. Additionally, a thermally insulating wall is provided between the fuel cell and the battery. The arrangement is comparatively complex. Every energy conversion and every heat transfer involves losses.

[0016] Disclosure of the invention

[0017] It is an object of the invention to provide an arrangement of the type mentioned at the outset which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0018] According to the invention, the object is achieved in that

[0019] (e) a hydrogen tank containing hydrogen is provided to operate the heat generator, and (f) the battery is supplied with the heat generated by the heat generator.

[0020] In particular, the hydrogen tank can be provided within the housing. In the solution according to the invention, heat is transferred directly from a hydrogen-powered heat generator to the battery. This minimizes energy losses. A control system regulates the heat generator in such a way that it is only activated at temperatures below the operating temperature required for efficient battery operation.

[0021] The heat generator can be a simple burner that combusts hydrogen with oxygen to generate heat. To avoid harmful nitrogen oxides, it is then advisable to conduct the combustion reaction not with atmospheric oxygen, but with pure oxygen from an oxygen reservoir.

[0022] Alternatively, the arrangement is designed as a low-temperature hydrogen-based fuel cell. This generates not only heat but also electrical energy. The reaction is advantageously controlled such that the generated heat remains primarily within the housing and does not have to be dissipated to the outside, as described in DEI 1 2020 004 489 B4. If the temperature within the housing or the outside temperature is sufficiently high, the fuel cell can be deactivated and the energy can be provided exclusively by the battery.

[0023] Hydrogen has a particularly high energy density, higher than that of a conventional battery. This means that, with the same energy content, hydrogen has a comparatively low mass compared to conventional batteries. The space available for the battery arrangement allows for a smaller and lighter battery to be used. The hydrogen tank and fuel cell are housed in the space created. This allows for a significant reduction in mass for energy storage while maintaining the same range of functions.

[0024] Such a battery arrangement can be used particularly advantageously when the battery is an electrically rechargeable high-voltage vehicle battery for powering the electric drive of a vehicle. A vehicle can be moved on land, water, or in the air. In particular, a vehicle can be a passenger car, truck, mobile home, sailboat, ship, aircraft, motorcycle, and the like.

[0025] If the range of electrically powered vehicles needs to be extended, the fuel cell can be activated regardless of the temperature. The electrical energy from the fuel cell can be supplied directly to electrical consumers in the vehicle. This means that the high-voltage battery is not put under additional strain and a longer range is achieved. The electrical energy can also be converted and fed into the high-voltage battery. The control system is set up so that the drive energy is always taken from the high-voltage battery first. This means that, unlike with pure hydrogen drives, hydrogen is only needed for heating or, when the high-voltage battery is empty, to extend the range. If sufficient heat is available in addition to the battery's requirements, this can also be transferred, for example, via the vehicle's own heat circuit.This can be used, for example, to heat the passenger compartment or other rooms in mobile homes, buses, ships, trains and the like.

[0026] Particularly in vehicles produced in large numbers, the available installation space for the battery assembly is fixed. Changing this space is complex. In such fully developed vehicles, the manufacturer can install a new battery assembly with identical connections, but cannot change the required installation space. It is therefore advantageous for the dimensions and / or connections of the battery assembly to be the same as those of conventional electrically rechargeable high-voltage vehicle batteries. This allows the battery assembly to be replaced in new vehicles from existing vehicle series or retrofitted to vehicles already sold.

[0027] The battery arrangement according to the invention enables a range extension due to its lower weight and the higher available energy. This is particularly economically attractive if it can be used to extend the range of cost-effective battery alternatives without lithium-ion technology.

[0028] The hydrogen in the hydrogen tank can be in molecular form as a compressed gas. However, the hydrogen tank can also be filled with hydrogen in chemically bound form.

[0029] The hydrogen tank can be designed to be replaceable and / or refillable. Hydrogen is available as fuel at many filling stations and can be refilled via a nozzle. Alternatively or additionally, the entire hydrogen tank can be replaced. The highly pressurized hydrogen cannot escape in this embodiment of the invention. Replacing the entire hydrogen tank can be designed to be easy to handle, similar to camping gas cylinders or similar.

[0030] Preferably, the heat generator is a low-temperature fuel cell. Such fuel cells are well known and therefore need not be described in detail here. The fuel cell can be water-cooled. Alternatively or additionally, the fuel cell can be air-cooled.

[0031] The electrical energy generated by the fuel cell can be converted to high voltage in a converter and fed into the vehicle battery. In addition to the electric drive, virtually every vehicle has a number of low-voltage electrical devices. In conventional arrangements, the energy required for these devices is taken from the high-voltage battery. For this purpose, the energy is converted back to low voltage. Both processes involve complexity, additional equipment, and conversion losses. Therefore, it is preferable for the fuel cell to generate electrical energy in the low-voltage range, which can be fed directly into the vehicle's low-voltage power grid.

[0032] However, an additional voltage converter can also be provided so that the high-voltage vehicle battery can be at least partially charged with electrical energy from the fuel cell. This is particularly advantageous if the vehicle's range is to be extended by also charging the high-voltage vehicle battery.

[0033] In a particularly versatile configuration, the fuel cell can be operated reversibly. A reversible fuel cell not only enables the generation of electrical energy from hydrogen, but also, conversely, the generation of hydrogen from electrical energy. The reversible fuel cell can be used to recuperate power peaks, for example, in off-road construction equipment, trains, boats, or trucks. It can also utilize sustainably generated energy that is not immediately consumed at the time of generation.

[0034] For reversible operation of the fuel cell, a water reservoir is advantageously provided. The water reservoir preferably contains distilled or lime-free water, which can be converted into hydrogen without residue.

[0035] For example, collection means can be provided to collect water generated during operation of the fuel cell, and the collected water can be transferred to the water reservoir. The water generated during operation of the fuel cell is stored in the water reservoir.

[0036] Alternatively or additionally, the water reservoir can be replaceable and / or refillable. This can be done similarly to the hydrogen water cartridge, i.e., together with the reservoir. However, it can also be designed so that only the water is refilled via a nozzle.

[0037] The water reservoir does not necessarily have to be provided within the fuel cell arrangement. The water reservoir can, for example, be arranged together with a water treatment device outside the battery arrangement and in particular outside the vehicle. It can also include a compressor for compressing the hydrogen generated during reversible operation. The compressor can also be arranged inside or outside the battery arrangement. A module intended for the reversible use of the fuel cell can be arranged as a whole outside the actual battery arrangement in a stationary manner in the area of ​​an energy generation device, such as a wind or solar power plant. With such a system, surplus, sustainably generated electrical energy can be used to generate compressed hydrogen.Especially for property owners with a photovoltaic system, this use can be a supplement to feeding into the public electricity grid.

[0038] The invention further relates to a storage arrangement for storing sustainably generated energy in the form of hydrogen, comprising:

[0039] (a) a water reservoir;

[0040] (b) a compressor for compressing hydrogen;

[0041] (c) a hydrogen tank for compressed hydrogen; and

[0042] (d) a battery assembly according to claim 10, wherein

[0043] (i) the fuel cell can be supplied with sustainably generated electrical energy and water from the water reservoir; and

[0044] (ii) the hydrogen produced in reversible operation can be compressed by the compressor and fed to the hydrogen tank.

[0045] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the water reservoir is connectable to a conventional drinking water line and has a water treatment device. The water reservoir can be located within the battery assembly or simply within the vehicle. It can be filled with treated water from the drinking water line, for example, via a nozzle.

[0046] The invention further relates to an electrically powered vehicle comprising a battery assembly according to one of claims 1 to 14 instead of a high-voltage vehicle battery. The battery assembly can be a replaceable module.

[0047] Embodiments of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims. One embodiment is explained in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Definitions

[0048] In this description and the appended claims, all terms have a meaning familiar to the person skilled in the art, as set forth in the specialist literature, standards, and relevant websites and publications, particularly lexical ones, such as www.wikipedia.de, www.wissen.de, or those of competitors, research institutes, universities, and associations, such as the VDI. In particular, the terms used do not have the opposite meaning to what the person skilled in the art would understand from the above publications.

[0049] Short description of the drawings

[0050] Fig.l is a schematic representation of a battery arrangement in which a conventional high-voltage battery is arranged together with a fuel cell in a jointly mountable housing.

[0051] Fig.2 shows the arrangement from Figure 1, in which in addition to the

[0052] High-voltage battery and fuel cell, a hydrogen tank is arranged in the housing.

[0053] Fig.3 is a schematic diagram of electrical circuits and thermal systems in a vehicle using a battery assembly with a fuel cell.

[0054] Fig.4 is a schematic representation of a vehicle and illustrates the use of a battery arrangement from Figure 2.

[0055] Description of the embodiment

[0056] The figures show a battery assembly, generally designated 11, arranged in a housing 10. A high-voltage battery 12 is arranged in the housing 10. The high-voltage battery 12 can, for example, be formed by a vehicle's traction battery (Fig. 4). It is understood that there are other applications for battery assemblies, and this is shown only as an example.

[0057] In the present embodiment, the housing 10 has dimensions that correspond to the dimensions of a conventional battery. The power connections 32 are also arranged at the locations where the power connections of a conventional battery are provided. The battery assembly 11 can therefore be installed without further modifications at the site of use, for example, in the space provided for the drive battery. One such example is illustrated in Figure 4. There, the battery is a high-voltage battery (traction battery) for driving a vehicle 100.

[0058] The high-voltage battery 12 inserted into the housing 10 is smaller than the housing interior. In the present exemplary embodiment, the high-voltage battery occupies approximately 60% (Fig. 1) or 50% (Fig. 2) of the housing interior. A fuel cell system with a fuel cell 14 is arranged in the remaining housing interior. In Figure 1, the high-voltage battery 12 is somewhat larger than in Figure 2. There is therefore somewhat more space in Figure 2. Two hydrogen tanks 40 are arranged in this additional space. The hydrogen tanks 40 are filled with gaseous, compressed hydrogen. The fuel cell 14 is supplied with hydrogen via supply lines 16. The supply lines 16 are provided with valves 17 that can be closed to replace the hydrogen tanks. A throttle for pressure reduction is also provided.Alternatively or additionally, the hydrogen tanks 40 have an inlet with a one-way valve through which the hydrogen tanks 40 can be filled.

[0059] Heat is generated during operation of the fuel cell 14. This heat is transferred directly to the battery 12 via terminals 20 (Fig. 3). This heat can be used to bring the battery 12 into a more efficient temperature range, enabling, for example, a greater vehicle range, requiring less frequent charging, and extending its service life. In addition to heat, the fuel cell 14 also generates electrical energy. This electrical energy is converted to a high voltage in a converter and can be fed into the battery 12 as such via terminals 30.

[0060] There are numerous applications that also feature a low-voltage electrical system. Examples of such applications include vehicles 50, as illustrated by way of example in Figures 3 and 4. These vehicles have a low-voltage electrical system with a low-voltage distributor 36. A low voltage generated by the fuel cell 14 can be fed into the low-voltage distributor 36 without being converted to a high voltage. Connections 34 (Figure 3) are provided for this purpose. The low-voltage energy is transferred to low-voltage consumers 38 and / or a low-voltage battery 37. This protects the high-voltage battery 12, and no or fewer losses occur at voltage converters. The energy consumption of the high-voltage battery 12 is thus reduced, enabling a greater vehicle range.

[0061] Excess energy from the fuel cell 14 can also be fed into a cooling and heating circuit 24 (thermal management system) of the vehicle. This occurs via a connection 35. The heat can be used, for example, to heat a passenger compartment. Heat can also be generated with a low-voltage resistance heater 39 and fed into the thermal management system 24. The low-voltage resistance heater can also be operated with electrical energy from the fuel cell 14 via connections 35.

[0062] The exemplary embodiments explained above serve to illustrate the invention claimed in the claims. Features which are disclosed together with other features can generally also be used alone or in combination with other features which are explicitly or implicitly disclosed in the text or in the drawings in the exemplary embodiments. Dimensions and sizes are given only as examples. Suitable ranges will become apparent to those skilled in the art from their specialist knowledge and therefore need not be explained in more detail here. The disclosure of a specific embodiment of a feature does not mean that the invention is to be limited to this specific embodiment. Rather, such a feature can be implemented by a multitude of other embodiments familiar to those skilled in the art.The invention can therefore be implemented not only in the form of the embodiments explained, but also by all embodiments covered by the scope of the appended claims. The terms "top," "bottom," "right," and "left" refer exclusively to the appended drawings. It is understood that claimed devices may also assume a different orientation. The terms "containing" and "comprising" mean that additional, unnamed components may be provided. The terms "essentially," "predominantly," and "predominantly" encompass all features that have a property or content in the majority, i.e., more than all other named components or properties of the feature—for example, more than 50% for two components.

Claims

Patent claims 1. Battery arrangement (11), containing (a) at least one electrically rechargeable battery (12); (b) a housing (10) for receiving the battery (12); (c) terminals for connection to an electrical power supply (32); and (d) a heat generator (14) arranged in the housing for generating heat, the heat generator (14) forming an integral part of the battery arrangement (11) which can be mounted together with the battery arrangement; characterized in that (e) a hydrogen tank (40) containing hydrogen is provided for operating the heat generator (14), and (f) the battery (12) is exposed to the heat generated by the heat generator (14).

2. Battery arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the battery (12) is an electrically rechargeable high-voltage vehicle battery for supplying the electric drive of a vehicle (50).

3. Battery arrangement according to claim 2, characterized in that the dimensions and / or terminals of the battery arrangement (11) are the same as the dimensions and terminals of conventional electrically rechargeable high-voltage vehicle batteries.

4. Battery arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hydrogen tank (40) is filled with hydrogen in chemically bound form.

5. Battery arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hydrogen tank (40) is designed to be replaceable and / or refillable.

6. Battery arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heat generator is a low-temperature fuel cell (14).

7. Battery arrangement according to claim 6, characterized in that the fuel cell (14) is air-cooled.

8. Battery arrangement according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the fuel cell (14) generates electrical energy in the low-voltage range, which can be fed into the low-voltage network (36) of a vehicle (50).

9. Battery arrangement according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that a voltage converter is provided so that the high-voltage vehicle battery (12) can be charged at least partially with electrical energy from the fuel cell (14).

10. Battery arrangement according to one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the fuel cell (14) is operable reversibly.

11. Battery arrangement according to claim 10, characterized in that a water reservoir is provided.

12. Battery arrangement according to claim 11, characterized in that collecting means are provided for collecting water generated during operation of the fuel cell (14), and the collected water can be transferred into the water reservoir.

13. Battery arrangement according to one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the water reservoir is replaceable and / or refillable.

14. Battery arrangement according to one of the preceding claims 10 to 13, characterized in that a compressor is included for compressing the hydrogen produced in reversible operation.

15. Storage arrangement for storing sustainably generated energy in the form of hydrogen, comprising: (a) a water reservoir; (b) a compressor for compressing hydrogen; (c) a hydrogen tank for compressed hydrogen; and (d) a battery assembly (11) according to claim 10, wherein (i) the fuel cell (14) can be supplied with sustainably generated electrical energy and water from the water reservoir; and (ii) the hydrogen produced in reversible operation can be compressed by the compressor and fed to the hydrogen tank.

16. Storage arrangement according to claim 15, characterized in that the water reservoir can be connected to a conventional drinking water pipe and has a device for water treatment.

17. An electrically powered vehicle (50) comprising a battery arrangement (11) according to any one of claims 1 to 14 instead of a high-voltage vehicle battery.

18. Vehicle according to claim 17, characterized in that the battery arrangement (11) is a replaceable module.

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