Battery Module Cooling Plate Layout for Smaller Bus Bars
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery packs face challenges in efficiently cooling batteries during rapid charging, leading to thermal deterioration, and increasing the heat capacity of bus bars to address this issue results in larger and more costly battery packs.
Innovation Solution
A battery module design that includes a plurality of batteries electrically connected by bus bars and a thermally connected cooling plate, allowing for efficient cooling of the batteries while downsizing the bus bar and maintaining effective heat dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the heat capacity of the bus bar is increased to efficiently conduct Joule heat outside the battery, then thermal deterioration of the battery is suppressed and cooling efficiency is improved, but the size of the bus bar increases which leads to increased battery pack size and manufacturing cost
Solution Approach 1:
A cooling plate is introduced as an intermediary component between the bus bar and the battery. The cooling plate has high thermal conductivity and is thermally connected to the bus bar, allowing it to efficiently conduct Joule heat away from the battery. This intermediary structure enables effective heat dissipation without requiring the bus bar itself to have increased heat capacity or size.
2Reliability
If the heat capacity of the bus bar is increased to efficiently conduct Joule heat outside the battery, then thermal deterioration of the battery is suppressed and cooling efficiency is improved, but the manufacturing cost of the battery pack increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling plate serves as a cost-effective intermediary that provides the required thermal management functionality. By using a separate cooling plate component with appropriate thermal conductivity, the design achieves efficient Joule heat conduction without requiring expensive, large-diameter bus bars, thereby reducing overall manufacturing costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal conductivity parameter of the cooling system is optimized by selecting appropriate materials for the cooling plate. This allows the system to achieve the required cooling efficiency with a compact, cost-effective design rather than relying on increased bus bar dimensions.
3Productivity
If rapid charging is performed with large current flow, then charging speed is improved, but large Joule heat is generated inside the battery causing thermal deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling plate is positioned to utilize the Joule heat generated during rapid charging as a thermal gradient driver. The heat generated by large current flow during fast charging is efficiently conducted through the bus bar to the cooling plate, where it is dissipated to the surrounding environment, converting the harmful thermal effect into a manageable thermal flow that maintains battery safety during high-speed charging.
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 enables efficient cooling of the battery module, reduces the size and manufacturing cost of the bus bar, and improves the reliability of the battery pack by preventing thermal deterioration and corrosion.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling plate that is thermally connected to the one or more bus bars
Implementation Method 2
dissipating heat generated during charging and discharging of the battery to a space in the cooling passage
Data Source
AI summary
Battery module includes a plurality of batteries (secondary batteries), one or more bus bars that electrically connect the plurality of batteries, and cooling plate that is in contact with bus bar and has one or more passages through which a coolant flows. Each of the plurality of batteries has: an electrode body; an outer can that accommodates the electrode body; a lid that seals an opening of the outer can; and positive electrode terminal and negative electrode terminal that are individually inserted through a pair of through holes provided on the lid, are insulated from the lid, and are electrically connected to the electrode body. One of positive electrode terminal and negative electrode terminal is connected to bus bar.