Battery Flooding Ports for Rapid Thermal Event Mitigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicles with battery systems are prone to thermal events, and existing cooling systems are inadequate in effectively managing and mitigating such events.
Innovation Solution
A battery flooding system with a flood port and elongated connector that facilitates direct fluid communication to the battery housing, combined with a controller to manage fluid flow and actuator systems for rapid cooling and drainage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing cooling systems are used for battery thermal management, then the system structure is relatively simple, but the cooling effectiveness is inadequate and cannot effectively mitigate thermal events
Solution Approach 1:
The battery housing is divided into multiple cooling zones with separate flood ports, allowing targeted cooling of specific battery regions. The cooling system is segmented into fluid delivery pathways and drainage pathways that operate independently, enabling precise thermal management while maintaining system reliability during thermal events.
Solution Approach 2:
Flood ports are pre-positioned on the battery housing in strategic locations to enable immediate fluid delivery upon thermal event detection. The elongated connectors are pre-configured with actuators that can rapidly deploy cooling fluid without requiring complex real-time system reconfiguration, thus improving response effectiveness while controlling complexity.
2Speed
If rapid cooling fluid delivery is implemented to effectively treat thermal events, then the thermal event mitigation effectiveness is improved, but the system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Elongated connectors serve as intermediary components between the fluid source and battery housing, pre-positioned to bridge the gap rapidly when thermal events occur. These connectors include integrated actuators that deploy the cooling pathway on-demand, enabling fast fluid delivery without requiring a permanently complex delivery system.
Solution Approach 2:
The fluid delivery system transitions from a static configuration to a dynamic deployable structure. The elongated connectors can be rapidly extended or activated to create cooling pathways only when needed, allowing rapid cooling fluid delivery while maintaining system simplicity during normal operation.
3Loss of time
If flood ports are integrated directly on the battery housing for rapid fluid access, then the cooling response time is reduced, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The flood port functionality is extracted from the main battery housing structure and implemented as separate, pre-fabricated components that can be precisely positioned and attached. This allows the flood ports to be manufactured with high precision in controlled environments and then installed at optimal locations, reducing cooling response time while managing manufacturing precision requirements through modular assembly.
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 prevents, mitigates, and treats battery thermal events by providing rapid cooling and drainage, ensuring the safety and functionality of the vehicle's battery system.
Implementation Method 1
The elongated connector is configured to receive fluid from a fluid source, generate a fluid shield using the fluid
Implementation Method 2
Effectively prevents, mitigates, and treats battery thermal events by providing rapid cooling and drainage
Data Source
AI summary
A battery flooding system includes a flood port and an elongated connector. The flood port is configured to be fluidly coupled to a battery housing of an electrified vehicle. The elongated connector is configured to interface with the flood port to facilitate providing a fluid to the flood port from a fluid source such that the fluid is provided within the battery housing.