Lithium Ion Battery Module Cooling System Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current battery cooling systems face challenges in efficiently managing heat generated during high power applications, leading to potential thermal runaway and safety issues due to limitations in thermal conductivity and coolant distribution in battery cell designs.
Innovation Solution
A battery module design featuring thermally conductive backing plates and frames with integrated liquid coolant channels, combined with heat spreader sheets and compression bars, effectively distributes heat away from battery cells and prevents thermal runaway by using a ceramic sheet as a thermal barrier.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If cylindrical battery cells are used, then energy storage capacity is improved, but heat removal efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional cooling approach by placing cooling channels on the lateral sides of the battery module rather than attempting to cool the cylindrical surfaces directly. This allows efficient heat removal from flat cells while maintaining high energy storage capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameter of the battery cells from cylindrical to flat/prismatic shape, which fundamentally alters the heat transfer characteristics and enables more effective cooling through increased surface area contact with cooling plates
2Temperature
If current cooling designs with small liquid channels are used, then cooling proximity to cells is improved, but manufacturing reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses thin aluminum cooling plates with integrated channels that are sealed using extruded seals and thermal interface materials, avoiding the need for thin-walled complex castings that are prone to leaks while maintaining close thermal contact with battery cells
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling assembly uses composite construction combining aluminum plates with extruded sealing elements and thermal interface materials, creating a reliable multi-material structure that addresses both thermal contact and leakage prevention
3Temperature
If complex aluminum casted cooling structures are used, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into separate modular components: cooling plates, extruded seals, and thermal interface materials, which can be manufactured independently using simpler processes and assembled together, reducing overall manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses standard hydraulic/liquid cooling channels formed by extrusion rather than complex casting, simplifying the manufacturing process while maintaining effective coolant flow for cooling
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 provides efficient cooling for high power battery applications, preventing thermal runaway and maintaining safe operating temperatures, as demonstrated by tests where internal cell failures did not propagate to adjacent cells, maintaining temperature below critical levels.
Implementation Method 1
Each carrier assembly includes a thermally conductive backing plate and a frame integrally formed therewith. The frame comprises a channel extending through the frame for receiving a liquid coolant.
Implementation Method 2
The frame comprises a channel extending through the frame for receiving a liquid coolant
Implementation Method 3
A battery module design featuring thermally conductive backing plates and frames with integrated liquid coolant channels, combined with heat spreader sheets
Implementation Method 4
A battery module design featuring thermally conductive backing plates and frames with integrated liquid coolant channels, combined with heat spreader sheets and compression bars
Implementation Method 5
A battery module design featuring thermally conductive backing plates and frames with integrated liquid coolant channels, combined with heat spreader sheets and compression bars, effectively distributes heat away from battery cells and prevents thermal runaway by using a ceramic sheet as a thermal barrier.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~3A
Figure 4
AI summary
Apparatus, methods and systems are provided for cooling high power batteries. A plurality of carrier assemblies is stacked to form a cell stack. Each carrier assembly has a thermally conductive backing plate and a frame integrally formed therewith. A lithium-ion pouch cell (having a pair of cell tabs) is adhered to a front surface of the backing plate. Each cell tab is paired with a tab of opposite polarity of an adjacent battery cell. Thermally conductive compression bars are placed over the paired tabs to maintain electrical contact between the tabs. The compression bars also transfer heat to a cooling plate on top of the cell stack. Each carrier assembly incorporates a heat spreader sheet on a surface of the battery cell, a compressible foam sheet in front of the heat spreader sheet, and a thermally isolating sheet in front of the foam sheet.