Battery Module Bus-Bar Cooling with Liquid Heat Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current battery module bus-bars face limitations in heat dissipation due to increased charging currents, leading to excessive heat generation, which existing natural cooling methods cannot effectively manage, and solutions involving larger sizes or higher-cost materials are impractical.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a liquid cooling tube above the bus-bars and battery cells, allowing for efficient heat transfer and dissipation without increasing bus-bar size or material costs, by using a thermally conductive insulating layer and a flat tube design that minimizes installation space and weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If natural cooling methods are used for bus-bars, then the structure remains simple and cost-effective, but heat dissipation becomes insufficient under increased charging currents
Solution Approach 1:
A liquid cooling plate is introduced as an intermediary component between the bus-bar and the cooling system. The cooling plate includes a liquid cooling channel that receives cooling liquid, enabling efficient heat transfer from the bus-bar without directly modifying the bus-bar structure. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by providing enhanced cooling capability while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a liquid cooling system where cooling liquid flows through channels in the cooling plate to remove heat from the bus-bar. This hydraulic cooling approach provides superior heat dissipation compared to natural cooling methods, addressing the temperature management requirement while keeping the overall system design straightforward.
2Temperature
If bus-bar size is increased to improve heat dissipation, then heat dissipation capability improves, but installation space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling function is segmented from the bus-bar structure itself and transferred to a separate cooling plate component. This segmentation allows the bus-bar to maintain its original compact dimensions while the cooling plate, equipped with liquid cooling channels, handles the heat dissipation function. The result is effective heat management without increasing the bus-bar's installation space footprint.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of increasing the bus-bar size in planar dimensions to improve heat dissipation, the solution moves the cooling function to a separate dimension by introducing a cooling plate with three-dimensional cooling channels. This dimensional shift enables efficient heat removal while preserving the compact footprint of the original bus-bar structure.
3Temperature
If higher-cost materials are used for bus-bars to improve heat dissipation, then heat dissipation capability improves, but material costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The heat dissipation function is extracted from the bus-bar material selection and transferred to a separate cooling plate system with liquid cooling channels. This extraction allows the use of standard, cost-effective bus-bar materials while achieving superior heat dissipation through the dedicated cooling system, thereby resolving the contradiction between performance and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling plate acts as an intermediary that provides enhanced heat dissipation capability without requiring expensive bus-bar materials. The cooling plate with its liquid cooling channels handles the thermal management, allowing the bus-bar to be made from conventional, cost-effective materials while still achieving the required heat dissipation performance.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The liquid cooling tube effectively absorbs and dissipates heat from bus-bars and other high-temperature areas, enhancing overcurrent capacity without size or cost constraints, thus addressing the limitations of existing heat dissipation methods.
Implementation Method 1
a liquid cooling tube, disposed above all the top covers and cooperate with the at least one bus-bar for heat transfer
Data Source
AI summary
A battery module and an energy storage device are provided. The battery module includes at least two battery cells, each of the at least two battery cells having a respective top cover; at least one bus-bar, each of the at least one bus-bar being arranged above two respective adjacent top covers, and electrically connected to poles provided on the two adjacent top covers; and a liquid cooling tube provided on all the top covers and cooperates with the at least one bus-bar for heat transfer.