Battery Pack Coolant Flow Layout for Uniform Cell Temperature
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle battery packs face challenges in temperature regulation, leading to reduced battery performance and safety issues due to inadequate heat exchange efficiency, which affects the driving range and safety of electric vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack design featuring heat exchange agent flow-paths with a strategically positioned inlet and outlet, along with first and second flow sections, that allow for efficient heat exchange with both the outer and middle parts of the battery, reducing temperature differences and enhancing regulation, while optimizing the height, branching, and cross-sectional areas to minimize weight and pressure loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If heat exchange pipes are placed around the battery with conventional inlet and outlet positioning, then the battery temperature can be regulated, but the temperature regulation effect is insufficient due to inadequate heat exchange efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional heat exchange pipe arrangement by positioning the inlet farther from the battery center and the outlet closer to the center. This reversal creates a flow path that first contacts the outer battery parts (which are more affected by ambient temperature) and then progresses inward, optimizing heat exchange efficiency and temperature regulation effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the heat exchange agent flow-path into distinct first and second flow sections with different heights (h1 and h2), where each section is optimized for its specific function. The first flow section has greater height for enhanced heat exchange with outer battery parts, while the second flow section has reduced height for efficient heat exchange with inner battery parts, creating local quality variations that improve overall temperature regulation.
2Device complexity
If the heat exchange agent flow-path uses uniform cross-sectional area throughout, then the structure is simple, but the heat exchange efficiency and temperature regulation effect are suboptimal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the heat exchange agent flow-path into multiple sections (first flow section and second flow section) with different cross-sectional areas. This segmentation allows each section to be optimized for its specific heat exchange requirements, with the first section having larger area for outer battery heat exchange and the second section having smaller area for inner battery heat exchange, thereby improving temperature uniformity across the battery.
3Temperature
If the heat exchange agent flow-path is designed with optimized first and second flow sections, then the temperature difference between different battery positions is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating distinct first and second flow sections with different geometric characteristics (heights h1 and h2). These localized variations in flow-path geometry are strategically positioned to address specific heat exchange needs at different battery locations, reducing temperature differences while maintaining overall structural simplicity through the systematic application of local optimizations.
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 regulates battery temperature, improving performance, reducing weight, and enhancing safety by uniformly distributing heat exchange, thus extending the driving range and ensuring safer operations.
Implementation Method 1
the heat exchange agent in the heat exchange pipes is used to exchange heat with the battery
Implementation Method 2
after the heat exchange agent enters the first flow section from the heat exchange agent inlet, it can first exchange heat with the outer part of the battery
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack including: housing and battery provided in the housing; two or more heat exchange agent flow-paths for regulating temperature of the battery in the housing; the heat exchange agent flow-paths having heat-exchange-agent-inlet and heat-exchange-agent-outlet, the distance of the heat-exchange-agent-inlet from the center of the battery pack being greater than the distance of the heat-exchange-agent-outlet from the center of the battery pack; the heat exchange agent flow-paths further includes first-flow-section and second-flow-section; one end of the first-flow-section being in communication with the heat-exchange-agent-inlet; one end of the second-flow-section being in communication with the heat-exchange-agent-outlet; the other end of the first-flow-section being in communication with the other end of the second-flow-section; the distance between the first-flow-section and the center of the battery pack being greater than the distance between the second-flow-section and the center of the battery pack.