Temperature Equalizing Walls for Battery Cooling Ducts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Battery systems with stacked rectangular batteries face challenges in maintaining uniform temperature, leading to temperature differences that reduce battery lifetime and performance, as the number of batteries increases, causing uneven charging and discharging efficiency and premature degradation.
Innovation Solution
The battery system incorporates temperature equalizing walls in the supply ducts with a long, narrow shape that gradually narrows towards the upstream end, and tapered regions to efficiently direct cooling gas flow, reducing pressure losses and turbulence, and strategically placing these walls near high-temperature battery cells to enhance cooling efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the number of stacked rectangular batteries is increased, then the battery system capacity is improved, but the temperature uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces temperature equalizing walls with specific geometric features (inclined surfaces, tapered structures) at strategic locations within the battery pack. These localized structural modifications create targeted airflow patterns and heat distribution zones that address temperature non-uniformity in specific regions without requiring complete redesign of the entire cooling system, thus maintaining temperature uniformity while supporting increased battery capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The temperature equalizing walls act as intermediary structures between the cooling medium and the battery cells. These walls mediate the heat transfer process by creating controlled airflow paths and thermal distribution zones, enabling the cooling system to effectively manage heat from a larger number of batteries while maintaining temperature uniformity across the expanded battery system
2Quantity of substance
If the number of stacked rectangular batteries is increased, then the battery system capacity is improved, but the temperature difference between batteries increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the battery pack into multiple zones using temperature equalizing walls, creating segmented cooling regions. This segmentation allows for more precise control of cooling airflow distribution across different sections of the battery pack, reducing temperature differences between batteries even as the total number of batteries increases
Solution Approach 2:
The temperature equalizing walls extend in the vertical dimension within the battery pack structure, creating three-dimensional cooling pathways. This vertical dimensionality enables more effective heat distribution and airflow management across multiple battery layers, reducing temperature differences that would otherwise increase with higher battery stacking density
3Reliability
If temperature differences between batteries are reduced, then battery lifetime is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature equalizing walls utilize the natural flow of cooling air and passive heat conduction principles to equalize temperatures across battery cells. The geometric features of the walls (inclined surfaces, tapered sections) automatically guide airflow and heat distribution without requiring active control mechanisms, sensors, or additional energy input, thus extending battery lifetime while avoiding significant increases in system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies geometric parameters of the cooling structure (wall angles, wall positions, wall dimensions) to optimize temperature distribution. By adjusting these physical parameters of the equalizing walls, the system achieves effective temperature uniformity and extended battery lifetime through simple structural modifications rather than complex control systems
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 configuration effectively reduces temperature differences between battery cells, prolongs battery lifetime, and ensures uniform degradation rates, allowing for optimal utilization of battery capacity and extending the overall system's performance and lifespan.
Implementation Method 1
a battery system having a plurality of battery cells, which are rectangular batteries, stacked with cooling gaps established between the battery cells to pass cooling gas; ventilating ducts disposed on both sides of the battery blocks which include supply ducts to forcibly introduce cooling gas into the cooling gaps
Implementation Method 2
the many stacked rectangular batteries are cooled by the flow of cooling medium such as air through the cooling gaps
Data Source
AI summary
A battery system including battery blocks (3) having a plurality of battery cells (1) stacked with cooling gaps (4) established between the battery cells to pass cooling gas; ventilating ducts (5), which are supply ducts (6) and exhaust ducts (7), disposed on both sides of the battery blocks to forcibly ventilate the cooling gaps; and ventilating apparatus (9) to force cooling gas to flow through the ventilating ducts. Cooling gas forcibly introduced by the ventilating apparatus flows from the supply ducts through the cooling gaps and into the exhaust ducts to cool the battery cells. In addition, the battery system has temperature equalizing walls (8) disposed in the supply ducts. The temperature equalizing walls are long and narrow with length in the direction of flow greater than the width, and each temperature equalizing wall gradually narrows towards the upstream end.