Battery Pack Frame Layout for Thermal Runaway Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lithium secondary batteries are prone to thermal runaway due to mechanical, electrical, or thermal abnormal conditions, leading to uncontrollable fires and explosions, which existing battery packs fail to effectively prevent.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack design featuring a frame that provides a thermal transfer pathway between pack units, using materials like aluminum or stainless steel with a thermal conductivity of 300 W/m·K or less, and incorporating heat transfer materials and flow paths to manage heat dissipation and prevent thermal runaway propagation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If battery packs use conventional thermal management designs without dedicated thermal transfer pathways, then the device complexity is reduced, but thermal runaway propagation cannot be effectively prevented and heat dissipation properties are poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a frame as an intermediary component between battery pack units that provides a dedicated thermal transfer pathway. This frame acts as a mediator to actively manage heat transfer, preventing thermal runaway propagation while maintaining structural integrity. The frame is specifically designed with thermal conductivity of 300 W/m·K or less to control heat transfer rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery pack is divided into separate pack units that are spaced apart and connected through the frame. This segmentation allows for independent thermal management of each unit while the frame provides controlled thermal coupling, enabling heat dissipation without creating a continuous high-risk thermal pathway.
2Reliability
If battery packs are designed with adequate spacing between pack units, then thermal runaway propagation is prevented, but the volume of the battery pack increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the spacing function with the thermal management function by introducing the frame structure. Instead of simple empty space between units, the frame actively provides thermal transfer pathways while maintaining the necessary spacing, thus achieving both thermal safety and space efficiency in a combined structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support for the battery pack units, creates the necessary spacing between units for thermal isolation, and establishes controlled thermal transfer pathways for heat dissipation. This multi-functionality reduces the overall volume compared to separate components performing each function.
3Strength
If the frame uses materials with high thermal conductivity for structural strength, then mechanical strength is improved, but thermal runaway propagation is facilitated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent specifies a thermal conductivity parameter of 300 W/m·K or less for the frame material, representing an optimal parameter range that balances mechanical strength requirements with thermal runaway prevention. This parameter change ensures the frame is not too conductive to facilitate propagation while maintaining sufficient structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent allows the frame to be made from composite materials or alloys (such as aluminum or stainless steel) that can achieve the required mechanical strength with controlled thermal conductivity properties, rather than using purely high-conductivity materials like copper.
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 effectively prevents thermal runaway propagation and enhances heat dissipation properties, ensuring safer operation of lithium secondary batteries by efficiently managing heat transfer between pack units.
Implementation Method 1
the frame provides a thermal transfer pathway through which heat generated from a heating element of the first pack unit is transferred to the second pack unit
Implementation Method 2
a plate thermally contacting with the heating element
Data Source
AI summary
A battery cell of the present disclosure includes an electrode assembly including a cathode, an anode, and a separator; an exterior material accommodating the electrode assembly therein; a notch portion recessed from an inner surface of the exterior material toward the outside and provided in the form of a groove; and a protrusion portion corresponding to the notch portion on an outer surface of the exterior material provided in an opposite direction of the inner surface and protruding toward the outside.