Battery Pack Cooling Layout Using Natural Convection Tanks

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing battery packs face challenges in efficiently dissipating heat while maintaining structural simplicity and avoiding short circuits, particularly in high-power applications like electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles.

Innovation Solution

A battery pack design incorporating first, second, and third tanks surrounding battery cells, with different cooling media in each tank to facilitate natural convection and fluid cooling, eliminating the need for duct structures or fluid pumps, and using media with high heat capacity to enhance heat dissipation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If a liquid cooling system with high heat capacity media is used to improve heat dissipation efficiency, then heat dissipation efficiency is improved, but structural complexity and cost increase due to the need for duct structures and fluid pumps

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat dissipation efficiencyVSAvoidstructural complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cooling medium utilizes natural convection to circulate through the battery pack, eliminating the need for external pumps. The system serves itself by leveraging the density differences created during heating and cooling cycles to maintain continuous circulation without mechanical assistance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts and eliminates the unnecessary duct structures and fluid pump components from traditional liquid cooling systems. By using natural convection, the system removes the mechanical complexity while retaining the effective heat dissipation benefits of liquid cooling

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Temperature

If a liquid cooling system with high heat capacity media is used to improve heat dissipation efficiency, then heat dissipation efficiency is improved, but cost increases due to additional components

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat dissipation efficiencyVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts and eliminates the unnecessary duct structures and fluid pump components from traditional liquid cooling systems. By using natural convection, the system removes the mechanical complexity while retaining the effective heat dissipation benefits of liquid cooling

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The cooling medium utilizes natural convection to circulate through the battery pack, eliminating the need for external pumps. The system serves itself by leveraging the density differences created during heating and cooling cycles to maintain continuous circulation without mechanical assistance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Temperature

If a fluid pump and duct structures are used to force cooling medium circulation, then heat dissipation efficiency is improved, but the risk of short circuit at electrode terminals increases due to leakage or accumulation of cooling medium

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat dissipation efficiencyVSAvoidshort circuit risk

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The cooling medium utilizes natural convection to circulate through the battery pack, eliminating the need for external pumps. The system serves itself by leveraging the density differences created during heating and cooling cycles to maintain continuous circulation without mechanical assistance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts and eliminates the unnecessary duct structures and fluid pump components from traditional liquid cooling systems. By using natural convection, the system removes the mechanical complexity while retaining the effective heat dissipation benefits of liquid cooling

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

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 design achieves high heat dissipation efficiency with reduced costs by utilizing natural convection and high-capacity cooling media, minimizing the risk of short circuits and structural complexity.

Implementation Method 1

a cooling medium contained in the first and second tanks relatively close to electrode terminals are allowed to naturally convect at a relatively low flow speed or dissipate heat in a static state in which the flow speed of the cooling medium is substantially zero

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectNatural convection: Free Convection

Implementation Method 2

realizing a fluid cooling system with a cooling medium having a relatively high heat capacity

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectHeat dissipation: Heat Exchanger

Data Source

PatentUS12531292B2Battery pack

Publication Date: 2026.01.20 SAMSUNG SDI CO LTD

AI summary

A battery pack of the present disclosure includes: battery cells each including a terminal surface on which an electrode terminal is formed, a top surface which is opposite the terminal surface, and a lateral surface which is between the terminal surface and the top surface; a first tank facing the terminal surfaces of the battery cells; a second tank extending from the first tank and facing the lateral surfaces of the battery cells; and a third tank extending from the second tank and facing the top surfaces of the battery cells, and a cavity may be formed in the first to third tanks to extend across the first to third tanks, and the cavity may be filled with a first cooling medium and may be fluidically isolated from outside of the battery pack, and a cooling tube may be accommodated in the third tank to extend across the cavity.