Battery Pack Enclosure With Integrated Coolant Channels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid cooling techniques for battery packs face challenges with airtightness issues at weld seams, leading to reduced cooling performance, increased weight, and decreased energy density due to separate liquid cooled plates taking up space.
Innovation Solution
An enclosure with integrated coolant channels and flow-diverting members that divide the coolant path into an inlet, outlet, and turning section, optimizing flow rates and preventing impurities, while ensuring airtightness and reducing space occupation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If liquid cooled plates are placed separately inside the battery pack, then cooling function is provided, but space is occupied and weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the enclosure structure with the liquid cooled plate into a single integrated component. The enclosure body directly forms the coolant channel cavity, eliminating the need for separate cooled plates. This integration reduces the number of parts, decreases weight, and improves space utilization while maintaining the cooling function.
2Temperature
If liquid cooled plates are placed separately inside the battery pack, then cooling function is provided, but space occupation increases and energy density decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The enclosure and coolant channel are merged into one integrated structure. The coolant channel cavity is formed directly within the enclosure body, allowing the cooling system to occupy minimal additional space beyond the necessary enclosure volume. This eliminates wasted space between separate components and improves energy density.
3Ease of manufacture
If coolant channels are welded together to form cooling channels, then cooling structure is assembled, but airtightness at weld seams is difficult to control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the welding process from the coolant channel assembly by using a snap-fit connection mechanism instead. The coolant channel components are designed with complementary geometric features that engage through elastic deformation, eliminating welding operations and their associated airtightness issues while maintaining manufacturing ease.
4Temperature
If flow-diverting members are arranged with different distribution densities, then coolant flow is optimized, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the distribution density of flow-diverting members in different sections of the coolant channel. The first, second, and third sections have different densities of flow-diverting members tailored to local flow requirements, optimizing coolant distribution while using simple geometric features for each member to keep manufacturing relatively straightforward.
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
Improves cooling performance, increases energy density, and extends service life by maintaining high flow rates and preventing impurity deposition, thus enhancing the overall efficiency of the battery pack.
Implementation Method 1
The plurality of flow-diverting members are configured to distribute flow of the coolant through the coolant channel
Implementation Method 2
the coolant channel is configured to conduct a coolant inside... improving the cooling performance of the enclosure
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of energy storage, and in particular to an enclosure for a battery pack, a battery pack, and an energy storage system. The enclosure includes a coolant channel arranged inside the enclosure and a plurality of flow-diverting members. The coolant channel includes an inlet section, an outlet section, and a turning section connecting the inlet section with the outlet section. The plurality of flow-diverting members include first flow-diverting members arranged in the inlet section, third flow-diverting members arranged in the outlet section, and second flow-diverting members arranged in the turning section. In a first direction, the inlet section has a first width smaller than a second width of the outlet section, where the first direction refers to a width direction of the enclosure.