Battery Pack Cooling via Base Plate Integrated Channels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Middle or large-sized battery packs face challenges in achieving efficient cooling while maintaining a compact size, as existing cooling systems often increase the overall size of the pack and can be complex to design, especially with air cooling systems, and there is a risk of heat accumulation leading to deterioration or safety issues like fires or explosions.
Innovation Solution
The battery pack design incorporates coolant conduits formed to maximize contact area with the coolant, integrated at the lower parts of heat dissipation fins, allowing coolant flow between battery cells, which enhances cooling efficiency without additional heat conduction members and minimizes pack size, and can be applied to both air and water cooling systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If coolant channels are provided between stacked battery cells or modules, then heat removal efficiency is improved, but the overall size of the battery pack is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The base plate is designed to integrate multiple functions: it serves as both the structural support for mounting battery modules and as the coolant flow channel structure. The coolant flow channels are formed by grooves and protrusions directly on the base plate surface, eliminating the need for separate coolant channels between battery cells. This merging of structural and cooling functions achieves effective heat removal while maintaining a compact battery pack size.
2Volume of stationary object
If air cooling system is used with narrowed coolant channel intervals, then battery pack size is reduced, but design complexity and pressure loss increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention adopts a water cooling system with coolant flow channels formed on the base plate, utilizing fluid dynamics to efficiently remove heat. The coolant channels are designed with optimized pathways that minimize pressure loss while maintaining effective cooling. The base plate integrates coolant inlet and outlet ports with flow channels that follow the heat generation patterns of battery modules, achieving compact design without excessive complexity.
3Temperature
If multiple coolant channels are provided for each battery cell, then cooling efficiency is improved, but the number of components and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The base plate serves as a universal cooling structure that cools all battery modules simultaneously through integrated coolant flow channels. Instead of providing individual coolant channels for each battery cell, the base plate design allows coolant to flow through channels that pass beneath multiple battery modules, efficiently removing heat from all cells through the thermally conductive base plate material.
4Temperature
If battery cells are stacked with predetermined intervals, then heat removal is improved, but space utilization and compactness are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The base plate acts as an intermediary thermal management component between the battery modules and the coolant system. Battery modules are mounted directly on the base plate with minimal spacing, and the base plate's coolant flow channels and thermal conductivity provide efficient heat removal. This intermediary structure allows tight stacking of battery modules while maintaining effective cooling through the base plate rather than requiring large intervals between cells.
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 high cooling efficiency, reduces the overall size of the battery pack, and minimizes damage from moisture leakage, providing a safer and more compact structure suitable for high-power, large-capacity applications like electric vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
cooling members, each including a heat dissipation fin disposed in contact with outsides of corresponding ones of the unit cells and a coolant conduit connected to a lower end of the heat dissipation fin to allow a coolant to flow therealong
Implementation Method 2
a coolant is introduced from one side of the pack case, flows through the coolant conduits of the cooling members disposed between the unit cells, and is then discharged to the other side of the pack case
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a middle or large-sized battery pack configured to have a structure in which two or more battery modules, each including a plurality of battery cells or unit modules (unit cells) which can be charged and discharged, are mounted in a space defined between a pack case and a base plate, wherein cooling members, each including a heat dissipation fin disposed in contact with outsides of corresponding ones of the unit cells and a coolant conduit connected to a lower end of the heat dissipation fin to allow a coolant to flow therealong, are mounted at interfaces between the unit cells, the base plate, located below the battery modules, is configured to form a coolant flow channel having a coolant flow direction corresponding to the coolant flow direction in the coolant conduit, the pack case is coupled to the base plate in a state in which the battery modules are mounted on the base plate, and a coolant to remove heat generated from the unit modules is introduced from one side of the coolant flow channel of the base plate, flows through the coolant conduits of the respective cooling members, and is then discharged to the other side of the coolant flow channel of the base plate.