Battery Module Cooling with Pulsating Heat Pipes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current battery cooling methods, such as those using metal heat dissipation fins or cooling plates with flow paths, face limitations in cooling performance due to high pressure drops and limited heat capacity, leading to inefficient heat management under high heat generation conditions.
Innovation Solution
A battery module incorporating a pulsating heat pipe (PHP) as a heat transfer member, which includes first heat transfer parts along the side surfaces of battery cells and second heat transfer parts that partially surround the ends of the cells adjacent to a cooling member, enhancing heat dissipation performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a cooling plate with a long flow path is used to cool battery cells, then cooling performance at the inlet end is improved, but pressure drop increases and heat capacity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into multiple cooling plates, each with shorter flow paths, arranged in parallel or series to distribute the cooling load. This reduces the pressure drop in each individual flow path while maintaining overall cooling effectiveness across all battery cells.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling approach transitions from a single long flow path to multiple shorter flow paths distributed across different spatial dimensions. By stacking multiple cooling plates with perpendicular or parallel flow directions, the system achieves comprehensive cooling without excessive pressure drop in any single path.
2Area of stationary object
If a cooling plate with a long flow path is used, then cooling coverage is increased, but heat capacity is limited due to temperature rise at the outlet end
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple cooling plates are used instead of one large cooling plate with a long flow path. Each plate handles a portion of the thermal load with a shorter flow path, preventing excessive temperature rise in the cooling fluid and maintaining heat capacity throughout the system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses multiple cooling plates that collectively provide excessive cooling capacity to ensure that even under high heat generation conditions, the cooling fluid does not undergo excessive temperature rise that would limit its heat capacity.
3Device complexity
If metal heat dissipation fins are used, then device complexity is reduced, but cooling performance is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
A cooling plate with flowing coolant is introduced as an intermediary between the battery cells and the external environment. This mediator provides superior heat transfer capability compared to direct air cooling with fins, while the cooling plate itself maintains a relatively simple planar structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses hydraulic cooling with liquid coolant flowing through channels in the cooling plate. This hydraulic approach provides significantly higher heat transfer coefficients and cooling performance compared to the pneumatic (air) cooling method used with metal fins.
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 use of a pulsating heat pipe in the battery module significantly improves heat dissipation performance by reducing temperature differences between the upper and lower ends of the battery cells, thereby enhancing thermal management and preventing thermal runaway.
Implementation Method 1
a battery module configured to increase the size of a cooling area by providing a heat transfer member including a first heat transfer part and a second heat transfer part, in which the heat transfer member is formed of a pulsating heat pipe
Implementation Method 2
improve heat dissipation performance at the upper end of a battery cell and the lower end thereof
Data Source
AI summary
A battery module includes a battery cell including a plurality of battery cells, a cooling member located at one end of the battery cell, and a plurality of heat transfer members, each of the heat transfer members being configured to discharge heat from each of the battery cells to the cooling member. The heat transfer members include a plurality of first heat transfer parts, each of the first heat transfer parts being located along a corresponding one of one side surfaces of the respective battery cells, and a plurality of second heat transfer parts, each of the second heat transfer parts being configured to at least partially surround a corresponding one of one ends of the respective battery cells, each of the one ends being adjacent to the cooling member.