Battery Pack Passive Cooling Structure for Prismatic Cell Heat Dispersion
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to effectively disperse heat generated by prismatic cells in a battery pack to prevent temperature rise and potential thermal runaway, while also ensuring efficient energy storage and safety.
Innovation Solution
The battery pack design thermally connects individual prismatic cells to the battery block, other adjacent battery blocks, and the pack case using thermally conductive materials. This configuration forms a single thermal mass that suppresses temperature rise and facilitates quick heat dispersion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If more battery cells are packed into the same pack space to increase energy density, then energy density per unit volume is improved, but heat dissipation efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the structural components (side plates, end plates, side brackets) with thermal management functions by making them thermally conductive. These components simultaneously provide mechanical support and heat dissipation, allowing efficient heat transfer across the battery pack while maintaining high cell density without requiring separate cooling infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The side plates and end plates serve multiple functions: structural support for the cell array, thermal conduction pathways for heat dissipation, and mechanical connection points for side brackets. This multi-functionality enables effective heat management in compact configurations, resolving the contradiction between high energy density and heat dissipation efficiency.
2Temperature
If battery cells are thermally connected to form a single thermal mass, then heat capacity is improved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines thermal management and structural support into a single integrated system. The side plates and end plates made of thermally conductive materials form both the mechanical framework and the thermal conduction network, eliminating the need for separate cooling structures and reducing overall system complexity while achieving high heat capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The structural components perform dual roles as both mechanical supports and thermal conduction pathways. The side brackets connect to side plates not only for structural stability but also to establish thermal connections between battery blocks, achieving unified thermal management through existing structural elements without adding complexity.
3Speed
If thermally conductive materials are used to connect battery blocks to pack case, then heat dissipation speed is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates thermal conduction into the existing structural assembly process. The side plates and end plates are manufactured as thermally conductive structural components, and the side brackets are attached during the same assembly process, eliminating the need for separate thermal management installation steps and maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The side brackets serve both structural and thermal functions. By making the side brackets thermally conductive and attaching them to both the side plates and pack case, the patent establishes heat dissipation pathways using the same components already required for mechanical support, avoiding additional manufacturing complexity while achieving rapid heat dissipation.
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 suppresses temperature rise during charging and discharging, and quickly disperses heat in emergency situations like thermal runaway, thereby enhancing the safety and efficiency of the battery pack.
Implementation Method 1
the side plate, the end plate, and the side bracket are all thermally connected to each other by being made of a thermally conductive material
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein relates to a battery pack which, in one example, includes a battery block including a cell array including a plurality of prismatic cells arranged in a row, a pair of side plates disposed on each of both sides of the cell array, and a pair of end plates disposed on each of front and rear surfaces of the cell array, wherein both ends of the end plates in the width direction are fixed to side brackets provided at both ends of the side plates in the longitudinal direction of the side plates, so that the cell array is constrained as a single block; and a pack case in which a plurality of the battery blocks are mounted, wherein the side plate, the end plate, and the side bracket are all thermally connected to each other by being made of a thermally conductive material.