Battery Pack Busbar Blocking Structure for Thermal Runaway Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery packs lack effective protection for terminal units and connection busbars, leading to potential fire spread and damage from thermal runaway, as well as exposure to pollutants, posing safety risks.
Innovation Solution
A blocking structure made of insulation material with chemical and thermal resistance is applied to wrap the terminal unit, busbar assembly, and connection busbar, including a pollutant permeation preventing portion and thermal insulation cover to prevent fire spread and protect against pollutants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If battery packs are made larger to meet increasing energy demands, then energy storage capacity is improved, but heat dissipation becomes more difficult and safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pack is divided into multiple battery modules, each with its own cooling channels. This segmentation allows heat to be dissipated from smaller, distributed sources rather than accumulating in a large centralized mass, solving the heat dissipation problem while maintaining high energy storage capacity through the modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
Cooling channels are integrated within the battery module structure itself, transitioning from external cooling to internal three-dimensional heat management. The cooling channels are positioned to maximize heat exchange surface area within the limited space, enabling efficient heat dissipation without increasing the overall pack size.
2Productivity
If battery modules are tightly arranged to increase energy density, then space utilization is improved, but heat accumulation and safety risks worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling channels are merged with the battery module structure, forming an integrated thermal management system. The cooling channels are positioned between battery cells or groups of cells, allowing heat to be extracted at its source before it can accumulate, enabling tight arrangement while maintaining safety.
Solution Approach 2:
Coolant flowing through the integrated cooling channels acts as an intermediary heat transfer medium, absorbing heat from battery cells and transporting it away from the module. This intermediary system enables high energy density by providing active heat removal without requiring additional spacing between modules.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional cooling methods are used with large battery packs, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but cooling efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Cooling channels are pre-integrated into the battery module structure during manufacturing, rather than being added as a separate system afterward. This preliminary integration maintains manufacturing simplicity by using standardized modular assembly processes while achieving superior cooling efficiency through optimized heat transfer pathways built into the module architecture.
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 solution effectively prevents thermal runaway and pollutant exposure, maintaining electrical integrity and ensuring safety by minimizing fire spread and damage to adjacent submodules.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the battery modules (14-17) includes a cooling channel (18-21, respectively) formed integrally therewith. The cooling channels are in communication with one another to define a common coolant flow path.
Implementation Method 2
The cooling channels are in communication with one another to define a common coolant flow path, wherein the coolant flows through the cooling channels to cool the battery modules.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed are a battery pack with improved safety and a secondary battery including the same. More particularly, disclosed is a battery pack including two or more submodules, each submodule having a plurality of unit cells, and each unit cell having an electrode assembly and an electrode lead protruding from the electrode assembly; a pack case configured to receive the submodules; a busbar assembly including a busbar configured to electrically connect the electrode leads of the submodules to each other and a busbar frame connected to the busbar; a connection busbar configured to connect the submodules to each other; a terminal unit comprising a cluster of electrode leads electrically connected to each other via the busbar, the terminal unit being connected to the connection busbar; and a blocking structure configured to wrap the terminal unit, the busbar assembly, and the upper end and the side surface of the connection busbar at the portion thereof connected to the terminal unit.