Liquid cooling device and battery system

Abstract

Disclosed in the present application are a liquid cooling device and a battery system. The liquid cooling device comprises: a bottom cold plate; and lateral cold plates, there being a plurality of lateral cold plates, and the plurality of lateral cold plates being arranged on the bottom cold plate at intervals. An accommodation space for accommodating a battery cell is provided between at least two adjacent lateral cold plates among the plurality of lateral cold plates. A liquid inlet flow channel and a liquid outlet flow channel communicating with each other are provided inside each lateral cold plate, the liquid inlet flow channel being closer than the liquid outlet flow channel to a post of a battery cell.

Description

Liquid cooling device and battery system

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202422655334.4, filed with the Chinese Patent Office on October 30, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of battery equipment, and more specifically, to a liquid cooling device and a battery system. Background Technology

[0003] Currently, liquid cooling plates are typically mounted at the bottom of the battery box for system heat dissipation. Technical issues

[0004] However, battery cells are usually positioned with the terminals protruding from the top. The actual heat is conducted from the terminals to the aluminum busbar. Under high-rate charging conditions, the top of the cell becomes hot while the bottom becomes cold, resulting in a large temperature difference between the top and bottom of the cell, which in turn affects the battery's lifespan.

[0005] Therefore, in related technologies, there are issues with the performance of battery liquid cooling devices, which can easily lead to a large temperature difference between the top and bottom of the battery cell. Technical solutions

[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a liquid cooling device, comprising: a bottom cold plate; and multiple side cold plates, which are spaced apart and erected on the bottom cold plate. At least two adjacent side cold plates have a receiving space for accommodating a battery cell. The side cold plates have interconnected liquid inlet channels and liquid outlet channels inside, with the liquid inlet channel being closer to the terminal of the battery cell than the liquid outlet channel.

[0007] Secondly, this application provides a battery system including the liquid cooling device described above. Beneficial effects

[0008] The beneficial effects provided by this application are as follows: By applying the technical solution of this application, the liquid cooling device in this application includes a bottom cold plate and a side cold plate. There are multiple side cold plates, which are spaced apart on the bottom cold plate. At least two adjacent side cold plates have a receiving space for accommodating the battery cell. The interior of the side cold plate has an inlet flow channel and an outlet flow channel that are interconnected, and the inlet flow channel is closer to the electrode post of the battery cell than the outlet flow channel.

[0009] When using the liquid cooling device of this application, since the liquid cooling device has a bottom cold plate and a side cold plate, and the battery cell can be placed in the receiving space enclosed by the side cold plate and the bottom cold plate, the liquid cooling device can simultaneously cool the battery cell through the bottom cold plate and the side cold plate, thereby effectively improving the cooling effect of the liquid cooling device on the battery cell. Therefore, when increasing the fast charging rate of the battery cell, it can effectively prevent the battery cell from experiencing thermal runaway. Furthermore, regarding the side cold plate in this application, since the inlet channel is closer to the battery cell's terminal post than the outlet channel, the side cold plate absorbs more heat from the top of the battery cell through the inlet channel than it absorbs from the bottom of the battery cell through the outlet channel. This effectively avoids the battery cell becoming hot at the top and cold at the bottom. Therefore, the liquid cooling device of this application effectively solves the problem in related technologies where poor performance of battery liquid cooling devices easily leads to a large temperature difference between the top and bottom of the battery cell. Attached Figure Description

[0010] Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a battery system according to a specific embodiment of this application;

[0011] Figure 2 shows a partial exploded view of the battery system in Figure 1;

[0012] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of the positional relationship between the liquid inlet channel, liquid outlet channel, and intermediate channel of a side cold plate according to a specific embodiment of this application;

[0013] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of the positional relationship between the liquid inlet channel, liquid outlet channel, and intermediate channel of the lateral cold plate in another specific embodiment of this application.

[0014] In the picture:

[0015] 10. Bottom cold plate; 20. Side cold plate; 21. Liquid inlet channel; 22. Liquid outlet channel; 23. Middle channel; 30. Battery cell; 40. Housing space; 50. Connector; 60. Connecting pipeline assembly.

[0016] Implementation methods of this application

[0017] In order to address the issue that poor performance of liquid cooling devices in related technologies can easily lead to a large temperature difference between the top and bottom of the battery cell 30, this application provides a liquid cooling device and a battery system.

[0018] Furthermore, the battery system in this application has the following liquid cooling device.

[0019] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the liquid cooling device in this application includes a bottom cold plate 10 and side cold plates 20. There are multiple side cold plates 20, which are spaced apart on the bottom cold plate 10. At least two adjacent side cold plates 20 have a receiving space 40 for accommodating the battery cell 30. The side cold plates 20 have interconnected liquid inlet channels 21 and liquid outlet channels 22, and the liquid inlet channel 21 is closer to the electrode of the battery cell 30 than the liquid outlet channel 22.

[0020] When using the liquid cooling device of this application, since the liquid cooling device has a bottom cold plate 10 and a side cold plate 20, and the battery cell 30 can be placed within the receiving space 40 formed by the side cold plate 20 and the bottom cold plate 10, the liquid cooling device can simultaneously cool the battery cell 30 through the bottom cold plate 10 and the side cold plate 20, thereby effectively improving the cooling effect of the liquid cooling device on the battery cell 30. Therefore, when increasing the fast charging rate of the battery cell 30, thermal runaway of the battery cell 30 can be effectively prevented. At the same time, from another perspective, for the side cold plate 20 of this application, since the liquid inlet channel 21 is closer to the terminal of the battery cell 30 than the liquid outlet channel 22, the side cold plate 20 absorbs more heat from the top of the battery cell 30 through the liquid inlet channel 21 than it absorbs more heat from the bottom of the battery cell 30 through the liquid outlet channel 22, thus effectively preventing the battery cell 30 from being hot at the top and cold at the bottom. Therefore, the liquid cooling device in this application effectively solves the problem in related technologies where poor performance of battery liquid cooling devices easily leads to a large temperature difference between the top and bottom of the battery cell.

[0021] It should be noted that the liquid cooling device in this application can be integrated into the battery pack casing. Of course, the placement of the liquid cooling device can be adapted to meet specific usage requirements. In other words, the liquid cooling device in this application can also be located inside the battery pack casing.

[0022] Furthermore, for the battery cells 30 disposed within the receiving space 40, each receiving space 40 can contain one battery cell group consisting of multiple battery cells or multiple battery cell groups consisting of multiple battery cells. When two or more battery cell groups are disposed within the same receiving space 40, an installation gap can be provided between adjacent battery cell groups. Moreover, the arrangement direction of the multiple battery cells 30 within the same battery cell group can be the same as the length direction of the lateral cold plate 20.

[0023] Meanwhile, in this application, the side cooling plate 20 can be made of high-strength profile plate, so that the side cooling plate 20 can not only cool and dissipate heat from the cell 30, but also serve as the longitudinal beam of the battery pack casing.

[0024] In one specific embodiment of this application, the side cooling plate 20 can be made of 3-series aluminum, which ensures a thinner side cooling plate 20, saving internal system space and even not affecting the internal space of the battery casing. Optionally, the thickness of the side cooling plate 20 ranges from 1.6mm to 4mm, with different thicknesses selected according to different schemes. Of course, the thickness range of the side cooling plate 20 can also be adjusted according to actual design requirements.

[0025] Optionally, both the inlet channel 21 and the outlet channel 22 extend along the length of the side cooling plate 20 and are parallel to each other. This arrangement not only effectively ensures the cooling effect of the side cooling plate 20 on the battery cell 30, but also effectively reduces the processing difficulty of the side cooling plate 20, thereby reducing the production cost of the battery system. Simultaneously, this arrangement also ensures more stable flow of coolant within the side cooling plate 20.

[0026] Preferably, as shown in Figure 3, the interior of the lateral cooling plate 20 also has a middle flow channel 23. One end of the middle flow channel 23 is connected to the liquid inlet channel 21, and the other end of the middle flow channel 23 is connected to the liquid outlet channel 22. That is, in this application, the liquid inlet channel 21, the middle flow channel 23, and the liquid outlet channel 22 of the lateral cooling plate 20 can form a U-shaped flow channel. Of course, in this application, multiple sets of liquid inlet channels 21, middle flow channels 23, and liquid outlet channels 22 can be provided in the lateral cooling plate 20 according to actual design requirements, and each set of liquid inlet channels 21, middle flow channels 23, and liquid outlet channels 22 is U-shaped, but the U-shaped structure gradually decreases in size. In other words, at this time, the inlet channel 21, the intermediate channel 23 and the outlet channel 22 of the same group are interconnected, and all the inlet channels 21 of the multiple groups of inlet channels 21, intermediate channels 23 and outlet channels 22 are located above all the outlet channels 22, that is, all the inlet channels 21 are set close to the pole relative to all the outlet channels 22.

[0027] In another specific embodiment of this application, as shown in FIG4, unlike the above embodiment, the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet are located at the two ends of the length direction of the side cold plate 20, and at this time the liquid inlet channel 21, the middle channel 23 and the liquid outlet channel 22 extend and fold back and forth along the length direction of the side cold plate 20.

[0028] Optionally, the intermediate flow channel 23 is wavy or zigzag. Furthermore, the line connecting the two ends of the intermediate flow channel 23 is parallel to the horizontal direction or has an angle of less than 90 degrees with the horizontal direction.

[0029] Optionally, the length direction of the intermediate flow channel 23 is parallel to the vertical direction. Furthermore, in this application, the height direction of the lateral cold plate 20 is the same as the vertical direction. Of course, in this application, the intermediate flow channel 23 can also be configured as an arc-shaped flow channel, thereby ensuring a smoother transition at the connection between the intermediate flow channel 23 and the inlet flow channel 21, and at the connection between the intermediate flow channel 23 and the outlet flow channel 22, to ensure the effective flow of coolant in the lateral cold plate 20.

[0030] Optionally, the first end of the side cooling plate 20 along its length has an inlet and an outlet. The inlet is connected to the inlet channel 21, and the outlet is connected to the outlet channel 22. That is, in this application, the coolant enters the inlet channel 21 of the side cooling plate 20 through the inlet, and after flowing through the outlet channel 22, it flows out of the side cooling plate through the outlet.

[0031] Specifically, the liquid cooling device further includes at least one connector 50, through which the second ends of any two adjacent lateral cooling plates 20 in the longitudinal direction are connected. That is, in this application, the liquid inlet and outlet can be located at one end of the lateral cooling plate 20 in the longitudinal direction, while the connector 50 is located at the other end of the lateral cooling plate 20. Furthermore, by providing the connector 50, the stability between two adjacent lateral cooling plates 20 can be effectively ensured, thereby preventing mutual movement between them and ensuring that the size of the accommodating space 40 formed by the two adjacent lateral cooling plates 20 and the bottom cooling plate 10 does not change, thus ensuring the stability of the battery cell assembly within the accommodating space 40. Therefore, this arrangement in this application effectively ensures the performance of the battery system.

[0032] In one specific embodiment of this application, the liquid cooling device further includes a connecting pipe assembly 60, through which the liquid inlet channels 21 and liquid outlet channels 22 of the plurality of side cold plates 20 are respectively connected to the internal channels of the bottom cold plate 10. That is, in this embodiment, the internal channels of the bottom cold plate 10 of the liquid cooling device are connected to the liquid inlet channels 21 and liquid outlet channels 22 of all the side cold plates 20. This arrangement effectively simplifies the internal structure of the battery system, thereby facilitating the miniaturization and lightweight design of the battery system. Of course, in addition to the arrangement in this embodiment, the liquid inlet channels 21 and liquid outlet channels 22 of the side cold plates 20 may also be chosen not to be connected to the internal channels of the bottom cold plate 10.

[0033] Optionally, the multiple lateral cooling plates 20 are divided into at least two groups, with a clearance gap between adjacent lateral cooling plates 20 in two groups. This arrangement provides clearance space for the thermal expansion of the battery cell assembly, thereby effectively ensuring the performance and safety of the battery system. Simultaneously, this arrangement also makes it easier for operators to assemble the battery system.

[0034] Optionally, the side cooling plates 20 and the bottom cooling plate 10 are perpendicular to each other. Furthermore, any two side cooling plates 20 are parallel to each other. This arrangement ensures a more compact arrangement of the battery cells within the battery system, thereby enabling more efficient use of the space within the battery system's casing.

[0035] From the above description, it can be seen that the embodiments of this application achieve the following technical effects: When using the liquid cooling device of this application, since the liquid cooling device has a bottom cold plate 10 and a side cold plate 20, and the battery cell 30 can be placed within the accommodating space 40 formed by the side cold plate 20 and the bottom cold plate 10, the liquid cooling device can simultaneously cool the battery cell 30 through the bottom cold plate 10 and the side cold plate 20, thereby effectively improving the cooling effect of the liquid cooling device on the battery cell 30. Therefore, when the fast charging rate of the battery cell 30 is increased, the phenomenon of thermal runaway of the battery cell 30 can be effectively prevented. Meanwhile, from another perspective, regarding the side cooling plate 20 in this application, since the liquid inlet channel 21 is closer to the terminal post of the cell 30 than the liquid outlet channel 22, the side cooling plate 20 absorbs more heat from the top of the cell 30 through the liquid inlet channel 21 than it absorbs from the bottom of the cell 30 through the liquid outlet channel 22. Therefore, it effectively prevents the cell 30 from becoming hot at the top and cold at the bottom. Thus, the liquid cooling device in this application effectively solves the problem in related technologies where poor performance of battery liquid cooling devices easily leads to a large temperature difference between the top and bottom of the cell.

Claims

1. A liquid cooling device, comprising: Bottom cold plate (10); Side cold plates (20), there are multiple side cold plates (20), the multiple side cold plates (20) are spaced apart on the bottom cold plate (10), at least two adjacent side cold plates (20) have a receiving space (40) for accommodating the battery cell (30), the side cold plates (20) have interconnected liquid inlet channel (21) and liquid outlet channel (22), and the liquid inlet channel (21) is closer to the terminal of the battery cell (30) relative to the liquid outlet channel (22).

2. The liquid cooling device according to claim 1, wherein, The inlet channel (21) and the outlet channel (22) both extend along the length of the lateral cold plate (20) and are parallel to each other.

3. The liquid cooling device according to claim 1, wherein, The interior of the side cold plate (20) also has an intermediate flow channel (23), one end of which is connected to the liquid inlet flow channel (21), and the other end of which is connected to the liquid outlet flow channel (22).

4. The liquid cooling device according to claim 3, wherein, The length direction of the intermediate flow channel (23) is parallel to the vertical direction; or The intermediate flow channel (23) is wavy or zigzag.

5. The liquid cooling device according to claim 1, wherein, The lateral cold plate (20) has a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet at its length end. The liquid inlet is connected to the liquid inlet channel (21), and the liquid outlet is connected to the liquid outlet channel (22). Both the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet are located at the first end of the length direction of the lateral cold plate (20); or The liquid inlet and the liquid outlet are located at opposite ends of the length of the lateral cold plate (20).

6. The liquid cooling device according to claim 5, wherein, The liquid cooling device further includes at least one connector (50), through which the second ends of any two adjacent lateral cooling plates (20) in the length direction are connected.

7. The liquid cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The liquid cooling device also includes a connecting pipe assembly (60), through which the liquid inlet channels (21) and liquid outlet channels (22) of the plurality of side cold plates (20) are respectively connected to the internal channels of the bottom cold plate (10).

8. The liquid cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The plurality of said lateral cold plates (20) are divided into at least two groups, and there is a clearance gap between two adjacent lateral cold plates (20) in two adjacent groups.

9. The liquid cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein, The lateral cold plate (20) and the bottom cold plate (10) are perpendicular to each other; and / or Any two of the lateral cold plates (20) are parallel to each other.

10. A battery system comprising the liquid cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images