Vehicle Battery Cooling via Liquid Evaporation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional water-cooled battery systems for electric vehicles consume excessive power, reducing mileage due to the need for air conditioning or separate heat exchangers to prevent battery module overheating, which shortens battery life and increases weight.
Innovation Solution
A battery cooling system utilizing a liquid supply unit and injection unit with latent heat evaporation, where a hydrophilic porous coating facilitates liquid diffusion and evaporation, cooled by wind-driven air flow, reducing power consumption to approximately 10 W with the pump operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a conventional water-cooled battery system is used to cool the battery module, then the battery temperature is controlled, but the power consumption increases significantly due to the need for air conditioning or separate heat exchangers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the phase transition of water from liquid to vapor through evaporation. Water is injected onto the battery module surface where it evaporates, absorbing latent heat of vaporization (approximately 2260 kJ/kg) directly from the battery surface. This phase change mechanism provides intensive cooling without requiring mechanical compression or heat exchangers, reducing power consumption from kilowatt level to approximately 10W for the injection pump alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs natural evaporation and wind-driven air flow to remove heat from the battery module without requiring active cooling components. The injected water serves itself by evaporating and absorbing heat, while ambient air flow naturally carries away the vapor and heat. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for air conditioning systems or separate heat exchangers that would otherwise consume significant electrical power.
2Temperature
If a conventional cooling system with air conditioning or heat exchangers is installed, then the battery is cooled effectively, but the vehicle weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the heavy air conditioning system and separate heat exchanger components from the vehicle. Instead, it uses a simple water injection system where water is sprayed directly onto the battery module surface. This extraction of unnecessary heavy components significantly reduces vehicle weight while maintaining effective battery cooling through direct evaporation cooling.
3Temperature
If conventional cooling systems are used to prevent battery overheating, then battery temperature is controlled, but the system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a complex mechanical cooling system that forces heat removal through compressors and heat exchangers, the patent inverts the approach by using direct evaporation cooling. Water is applied directly to the battery surface where it naturally evaporates, reversing the conventional wisdom of enclosed cooling systems. This inversion simplifies the system architecture dramatically, eliminating multiple mechanical components and control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical cooling system (compressors, heat exchangers, fans) with a chemical/physical process-based cooling method. Instead of using mechanical work to transfer heat, the system uses the latent heat of vaporization of water during phase change. This substitution of mechanical systems with a phase change process dramatically reduces system complexity, component count, and maintenance requirements.
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
Effectively cools the battery module with significantly reduced power consumption, increasing electric vehicle mileage and extending battery life without the need for conventional cooling systems.
Implementation Method 1
cooling the battery module by using latent heat of evaporation of the liquid
Implementation Method 2
cooling the battery module by using latent heat of evaporation of the liquid
Implementation Method 3
the casing may be provided with a coating layer by being coated with a hydrophilic porous material on an outer surface thereof, thereby facilitating diffusion of the liquid when the liquid is injected
Implementation Method 4
the casing may be provided with a coating layer by being coated with a hydrophilic porous material on an outer surface thereof, thereby facilitating diffusion of the liquid when the liquid is injected
Implementation Method 5
the liquid injected by the injection unit during vehicle travel may be evaporated by running wind introduced through the inlet, whereby the battery module is cooled by latent heat of evaporation
Implementation Method 6
the liquid injected by the injection unit during vehicle travel may be evaporated by running wind introduced through the inlet
Data Source
AI summary
A battery cooling system for a vehicle includes: a battery module supplying drive energy to a vehicle; a liquid supply unit supplying liquid to the battery module; and an injection unit configured such that a first side of the injection unit is connected to the liquid supply unit to be supplied with liquid from the liquid supply unit and a second side of the injection unit is adjacent to the battery module to supply the liquid supplied from the liquid supply unit to an outer surface of the battery module, thereby cooling the battery module by using latent heat of evaporation of the liquid.