Battery Cell Cooler With Ribs For Structural Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery cell coolers face challenges in providing compact, thin, and efficient cooling solutions with sufficient strength to prevent deformation during assembly and coolant filling, while maintaining effective heat transfer and minimizing coolant-side pressure drops.
Innovation Solution
The design features a pair of complementary plates forming a tubular flow passage with dimples or ribs for structural support and enhanced heat transfer, along with a P-shaped narrowing to prevent air entrapment, and a thin profile to maintain compactness, using materials like aluminum for brazed construction and mechanical clinching for alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If wide channels are used in battery cooling plates, then heat transfer capability is improved, but channel strength deteriorates causing deformation during assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by adding ribs only in specific locations where structural support is needed, rather than uniformly throughout the entire cooling plate. The ribs are strategically positioned to reinforce wide channels against deformation during assembly while preserving the wide channel geometry for effective heat transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling plate structure combines different geometric features (wide channels and ribs) within the same component, creating a composite structure that simultaneously provides both thermal management functionality and mechanical strength. This composite approach allows the plate to fulfill dual requirements of heat dissipation and structural integrity.
2Volume of moving object
If thin profile coolers are used, then compactness is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling plate is segmented into distinct functional zones: wide channels for heat transfer, ribs for structural support, and P-shaped narrowings for air entrapment prevention. This segmentation allows each feature to be optimized independently while maintaining overall compactness, and simplifies manufacturing by clearly defining separate functional regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional planar cooling channels to three-dimensional features including ribs extending upward and P-shaped narrowings with vertical components. This dimensional evolution enables the thin profile cooler to incorporate complex functions (structural support, air trapping prevention) within a compact thickness.
3Device complexity
If common manifold coolant supply is used, then device complexity is reduced, but coolant-side pressure drops increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the coolant flow parameters by creating P-shaped narrowings that control and regulate flow distribution. These narrowings change the flow velocity and pressure distribution patterns, ensuring adequate coolant delivery to all channels while maintaining acceptable pressure drops in the common manifold supply system.
4Temperature
If wide channels are used in cooling plates, then heat transfer is improved, but channel deformation during assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ribs are incorporated into the cooling plate design as preliminary anti-action features that preemptively counteract the deformation forces that will be applied during assembly. By pre-positioning these structural reinforcements, the wide channels are protected from collapsing or deforming when vacuum and fill processes or coolant filling occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The structural ribs are built into the cooling plate during manufacturing, performing the structural support function in advance before the assembly process begins. This preliminary action ensures that when the cooling plate is later subjected to assembly forces, the channels are already reinforced and resistant to deformation.
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
This solution provides robust, compact, and efficient battery cell coolers that maintain heat transfer capabilities without deforming during assembly, while minimizing pressure drops and ensuring electrical isolation, thus optimizing battery performance and lifespan.
Implementation Method 1
Close thermal contact between the plate heat exchangers and the battery cells, is used to conduct heat in the direction required to limit and modulate the battery operating temperature
Implementation Method 2
liquid-cooled plate heat exchangers that are interspaced between individual cells
Data Source
AI summary
A battery cell cooler containing a pair of complementary plates. The pair of complementary plates together forms a tubular flow passage and one or more tubular sections. The flow passage has an inlet end, an outlet end and dimples or ribs along the length of the flow passage. The one or more tubular sections have an inlet duct and an outlet duct, the inlet duct being coupled to an expanded receptacle at the inlet end and in fluid communication with the inlet end of the flow passage and the outlet duct being coupled to an expanded receptacle, at the outlet end and in fluid communication with the outlet end of the flow passage. Also, disclosed is a device containing a battery cell sandwiched between a pair of battery cell coolers, as described herein. Further disclosed is a method for forming the battery cell cooler, as described herein.