Battery Pack Converging Air Flow Path Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current battery packs for electric and hybrid vehicles face challenges in maintaining uniform temperature distribution and minimizing peak temperatures, which affects safety, performance, and longevity, while also experiencing pressure drops associated with air flow.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack design featuring a housing with angled battery assemblies and a converging air flow path between them, along with diverging air flow paths and strategically positioned air inlets and outlets, ensures efficient thermal management and air flow, minimizing temperature differentials and pressure drops.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If cells are bundled together in close proximity to maximize space utilization, then the battery pack density is improved, but heat dissipation deteriorates and temperature uniformity worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pack is divided into multiple modules, each containing a specific number of cells arranged in a structured pattern. This segmentation allows for optimized thermal management within each module while maintaining high overall density. The modules can be independently cooled, preventing heat accumulation in specific regions.
Solution Approach 2:
Thermal management components such as cooling plates, heat sinks, or thermal conductive materials are introduced as intermediaries between cells. These intermediaries facilitate heat transfer from cells to cooling channels, enabling efficient heat dissipation while maintaining close cell proximity for high density.
2Temperature
If air flow path is extended to cool all cells uniformly, then temperature uniformity is improved, but pressure drop increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air flow cooling system is divided into multiple independent cooling channels or zones, each serving specific cells or modules. This segmentation allows air to take shorter paths through each zone, reducing overall pressure drop while still achieving uniform cooling across all cells through distributed cooling points.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system transitions from a single linear air flow path to a three-dimensional network of cooling channels distributed throughout the battery pack. This dimensional change allows air to access cells from multiple directions and positions, achieving uniform temperature distribution with shorter effective flow paths and lower pressure drop.
3Volume of moving object
If cells are arranged in a compact configuration to reduce pack size, then volume efficiency is improved, but air flow accessibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cell arrangement transitions from a two-dimensional planar configuration to a three-dimensional structured layout with integrated cooling channels. This allows air flow to access cells from multiple spatial dimensions, maintaining excellent heat dissipation performance while achieving high volume efficiency through compact vertical stacking and optimized spatial utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
Thermal management intermediaries such as cooling plates or heat transfer fluids are positioned between cells in the compact arrangement. These intermediaries maintain thermal contact with cells while preserving air flow channels, enabling both high density and effective cooling accessibility.
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 achieves optimal temperature distribution and minimal pressure drop, enhancing the safety, performance, and extended life of battery packs by accelerating air flow and maximizing surface area coverage of electrochemical cells, thus maintaining uniform temperatures across the pack.
Implementation Method 1
A primary cooling cavity is formed between the first and second battery assemblies, wherein the primary cooling cavity is a converging air flow path
Implementation Method 2
efficient thermal management and air flow, minimizing temperature differentials and pressure drops
Implementation Method 3
A second source is resistive or I2R heating on charge and discharge of the cells, wherein I represents the current flowing into or out of the cell and R is the resistance of the cell
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a multi-cell battery pack having optimal temperature distribution throughout the battery pack and optimal air flow through the battery pack. Disclosed herein is a battery pack which provides optimal temperature distribution throughout the battery pack, wherein maximum cell temperature (Tmax) and temperature differential amongst all cells in the battery pack (ΔTcell) are optimized for efficient thermal management providing safety, improved performance and extended life of the battery pack and electrochemical cells. Also disclosed herein is a battery pack which provides optimal flow through the battery pack and minimal pressure drop (ΔP) throughout the battery pack.