Battery Cooling Duct Support Structure to Prevent Kinking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible ducts in battery packs are prone to kinking at points of inflection, leading to blockages and pressure build-ups, which hinder coolant flow and can cause the duct to burst, especially when arranged around cylindrical cells with uneven surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A support structure is provided to guide the flexible duct, featuring channels and recesses that prevent kinking by allowing excess slack and providing mechanical support, ensuring the duct follows a predetermined path without bulging or bursting, while maintaining consistent thermal contact across the battery pack.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the duct is arranged in a serpentine formation around cylindrical cells, then thermal contact with cells is maintained, but the duct becomes prone to kinking at points of inflection
Solution Approach 1:
A support structure acts as an intermediary element between the duct and the battery pack components. This support structure includes channels that guide the duct and prevent it from kinking at inflection points, while allowing the duct to maintain thermal contact with cylindrical cells through controlled positioning rather than direct conformal contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution moves from a two-dimensional serpentine path constrained by cell surfaces to a three-dimensional guided path through support structure channels. This dimensional change allows the duct to follow a predetermined trajectory that avoids sharp bends and inflection points while still achieving thermal management objectives.
2Temperature
If the duct changes direction frequently to follow cell contours, then thermal contact is improved, but pressure losses increase due to kinking
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure channels are pre-configured to guide the duct along an optimized path before the duct is installed. This preliminary arrangement of the support structure ensures that the duct follows a smooth trajectory with minimal direction changes, reducing kinking and associated pressure losses while maintaining adequate thermal contact.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the duct is made flexible to conform to cell surfaces, then adaptability to cell geometry is improved, but the duct becomes susceptible to bulging and bursting under pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The duct is designed as a flexible shell that can conform to the general geometry of cylindrical cells, but its flexibility is controlled and limited by the support structure channels. These channels provide mechanical reinforcement that prevents excessive bulging and bursting while allowing the duct to maintain contact with cell surfaces for thermal management.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure serves as a mediator between the flexible duct and the rigid cell surfaces. It provides the necessary mechanical support to prevent duct failure while allowing the duct to adapt to cell geometry, effectively decoupling the duct's flexibility requirements from its pressure resistance requirements.
4Temperature
If the duct follows a tortuous path around cells, then thermal contact is maintained, but assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure channels provide a predetermined three-dimensional path that simplifies duct installation. Instead of requiring manual routing of the duct around complex cell arrangements, the channels guide the duct through a standardized path that maintains thermal contact while reducing assembly complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure with its integrated channels is manufactured and positioned before duct installation. This preliminary preparation creates a ready-made guide system that simplifies the subsequent duct installation process, reducing assembly complexity while ensuring proper thermal contact geometry.
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 support structure enhances coolant flow and thermal management by preventing kinking and pressure losses, ensuring a consistent temperature distribution across the battery pack, thereby extending the life of the battery cells and improving fast-charging capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
the support structure defines a guide path for the flexible duct. The guide path is configured such that the flexible duct follows the guide path from the point the flexible duct emerges from the array to the point that the flexible duct re-enters the array
Implementation Method 2
a flexible duct configured to be placed around cells of a battery pack to carry a fluid such that heat can be transferred between the flexible duct and the cells
Implementation Method 3
The fluid within the duct can be a coolant fluid used to thermally manage the cells via heating and/or cooling
Data Source
AI summary
A support structure 1 for a flexible, heat-exchanging duct of the type that is locatable proximal to cells 4 of a battery pack for thermally managing the battery pack. The support structure 1 is configured to provide support to a duct to prevent the duct kinking when the duct changes direction.