Battery Pack Frame With Coolant Submersion for Fire Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Used battery packs from electric vehicles, which are reused in energy storage systems, pose a fire risk due to overheating and require a safe and stable solution for accommodation and fire prevention.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack frame designed to accommodate reused battery packs, featuring a coolant system for submersion, smoke detection sensors, and a structural configuration to prevent coolant leakage and spread, ensuring quick fire suppression and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If battery packs are reused in energy storage systems, then resource utilization and cost efficiency are improved, but fire risk due to overheating increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by pre-installing smoke detection sensors and coolant systems in the battery pack frame before any thermal runaway occurs. The smoke detection sensor detects early signs of overheating, and the coolant system is pre-positioned to immediately suppress fires, preventing the harmful effect of fire spread before it can develop fully.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses coolant as an intermediary substance between the battery pack and the surrounding environment. The coolant system, including coolant supply channels and spray nozzles, introduces coolant as a mediating element that absorbs heat and suppresses fire, preventing direct thermal transfer that would otherwise cause fire spread to adjacent battery packs.
2Reliability
If a coolant system is installed for fire suppression, then fire safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the fire suppression function with the existing battery pack frame structure. The coolant supply channels are integrated into the frame itself, and the smoke detection sensor is mounted on the frame, combining multiple functions (structural support, cooling, and detection) into a unified system rather than adding separate independent components.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery pack frame is designed with multi-functionality, serving simultaneously as the structural support for the battery pack, the housing for the coolant system, and the mounting structure for the smoke detection sensor. This universal design reduces overall system complexity by eliminating the need for separate dedicated components for each function.
3Reliability
If smoke detection sensors are added, then early fire detection is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The smoke detection sensor is pre-installed on the battery pack frame during the manufacturing process, before the battery pack assembly is completed. This preliminary action allows the sensor to be integrated into the frame structure in a single manufacturing step, reducing the need for additional installation steps and lowering overall manufacturing complexity despite adding the detection component.
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 solution effectively stabilizes the reuse of battery packs by preventing fires and ensuring safety through rapid coolant application and containment, thereby reducing environmental risks and extending the life of reused battery packs.
Implementation Method 1
When a predetermined condition is detected in the at least one battery pack, the battery pack frame is filled with the coolant so that a predetermined height of the at least one battery pack is submerged in the coolant
Implementation Method 2
The battery pack frame may be configured to submerge the at least one battery pack to a first predetermined height with the coolant
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack frame comprising includes a space configured to accommodate at least one battery pack. The at least one battery pack is used for a predetermined period of time or below a predetermined capacity. A height of the battery pack frame is greater than a height of the at least one battery pack.