Battery Pack Case Incline Plane for Uniform Coolant Flux
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional middle- or large-sized battery packs experience nonuniform cooling due to the orientation of coolant inlet and outlet ports, leading to temperature deviations among battery cells, which can result in performance deterioration and safety issues such as overheating or explosion.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack case design where the upper end of the coolant introduction part features an incline plane starting from the coolant outlet port side, increasing its inclination towards the coolant inlet port, ensuring uniform coolant flux distribution between battery cells, thereby enhancing cooling efficiency and cell performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If coolant inlet and outlet ports are directed in opposite directions with parallel top and bottom surfaces, then the battery pack case structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the coolant flux distribution becomes nonuniform causing temperature deviations among battery cells
Solution Approach 1:
The coolant introduction part is designed with non-parallel top and bottom surfaces, creating varying cross-sectional areas along the flow direction. This local geometric variation optimizes coolant flux distribution to different battery cell regions, ensuring uniform cooling across all cells while maintaining structural simplicity for ease of manufacture
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the coolant introduction part by making the top and bottom surfaces non-parallel. This parameter modification alters the flow characteristics and cross-sectional area distribution, thereby achieving uniform coolant flux distribution and eliminating temperature deviations among battery cells
2Device complexity
If coolant flux is concentrated toward the coolant outlet port side, then the structure is simple, but the battery cells near the outlet port receive excessive coolant while those near the inlet port receive insufficient coolant
Solution Approach 1:
The non-parallel surfaces of the coolant introduction part create localized flow control zones. The varying cross-sectional area along the flow path directs coolant flux more evenly toward the outlet port side, preventing both excessive and insufficient cooling at different locations, thus improving cooling uniformity without significantly increasing structural complexity
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 design effectively reduces temperature deviations among battery cells, improving cooling efficiency and extending the lifespan of battery cells by ensuring uniform heat removal during charge and discharge cycles.
Implementation Method 1
an upper end inside part of the coolant introduction part facing a top of the cell stack is configured in a structure in which an incline plane starting from an end opposite to the coolant inlet port has an inclination increasing toward the coolant inlet port
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed herein is a battery pack case in which a battery module (32) having a plurality of stacked unit cells (30) is mounted. The battery pack case is provided at an upper part and a lower part thereof with a coolant inlet port (10') and a coolant outlet port (20'), respectively. The coolant inlet port (10') and the coolant outlet port (20') are directed in opposite directions. The battery pack case is further provided with a coolant introduction part (40') and a coolant discharge part. An upper end inside part of the coolant introduction part (40') is configured in a structure in which an incline plane starting from an end opposite to the coolant inlet port (10') has an inclination increasing toward the coolant inlet port (10') with respect to the top of the cell stack.