Battery Module Cooling via Protruding Inlet and Outlet Lines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery modules face inefficiencies in cooling, requiring high volume flows of cooling fluid to achieve sufficient heat transfer, leading to high energy consumption and temperature inconsistencies among batteries, especially for lithium-ion batteries which need to maintain temperatures below 60°C with minimal temperature differences.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates inlet and outlet lines that protrude from the housing by more than 1 mm to create turbulent flow, with these lines ending in intermediate spaces between batteries, promoting high heat transfer coefficients and even cooling across batteries, while an air guiding device enhances airflow patterns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If longitudinal or axial flow cooling is used, then uniform temperature control is achieved, but heat transfer coefficient is low requiring high volume flow and high energy consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the flow regime parameter from laminar to turbulent by using transverse or radial flow instead of longitudinal flow, and by positioning inlet/outlet openings at specific locations to maximize turbulence. This increases the heat transfer coefficient significantly, allowing adequate cooling with much lower volume flow rates and thus lower energy consumption while maintaining temperature uniformity through the turbulent mixing effect
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
This configuration ensures effective cooling of batteries with a low volume flow, maintaining temperatures below 60°C and achieving uniform temperature differences of less than 4K, even under high electrical power draw, by optimizing the flow pattern and reducing energy consumption.
Implementation Method 1
The inner end of the at least one outlet line is at a distance, z. B. more than 1 mm, to the housing in order to introduce the cooling fluid from the interior of the battery module at a distance from the housing into the at least one outlet line to achieve a turbulent flow
Implementation Method 2
the at least one outlet line and the at least one inlet line in the interior of the battery module have a length of at least 10%, in particular at least 30%, of the length or width or height of the housing
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
Figure 6~7
AI summary
The invention relates to a battery module (1), comprising a housing (2), at least one battery (3) disposed in the housing (2), at least one inlet opening for feeding a cooling fluid into the housing (2), at least one outlet opening (6) for discharging the cooling fluid from the housing (2), that can be economically cooled using a low volume flow of cooling fluid at a temperature substantially the same as the temperature of the batteries in the battery module. Furthermore, the design effort is low and the production of the battery is inexpensive. The aim is achieved in that at least one outlet line (8) is designed for the passage of a cooling fluid out of the housing (2), and the at least one outlet line (8) extends into the interior (27) of the battery module (1) such that the inner end (19) of the at least one outlet line (8) ends at a distance form the housing (2) in order to introduce the cooling fluid into the at least one outlet line (8) from the interior (27) of the battery module (1) at a distance from the housing (2), and/or at least one inlet line (7) is designed for the passage of cooling fluid into the housing (2), and the at least one inlet line (7) extends into the interior (27) of the battery module (1) such that the inner end (20) of the at least one inlet line (7) ends at a distance from the housing (2), in order to introduce the cooling fluid into the interior (27) of the battery module (1) at a distance from the housing (2).