Battery Pack Cooling via Horizontal Airflow and Cell Spacers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery packs face challenges in efficiently cooling battery cells due to obstacles such as bus bars and exhaust ducts, which reduce cooling performance when trying to minimize the size of the battery pack case, especially in vertical flow configurations.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating spacers between battery cells to guide cooling air along the lateral sides and exposing a portion of each battery cell to facilitate airflow, while positioning bus bars and exhaust ducts to minimize ventilation resistance, allowing for effective heat dissipation and reduced fan power requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of stationary object
If bus bars, cables and exhaust duct are disposed in the vicinity of electrode terminals to reduce battery pack case size, then the battery pack case size is reduced, but cooling performance is degraded due to increased ventilation resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from vertical airflow to horizontal airflow by positioning the fan at the first end side and directing air flow through spacers along the lateral sides of battery cells. This dimensional change allows bus bars and exhaust ducts to be disposed at the first end side without blocking the cooling air flow path, thus maintaining cooling performance while reducing battery pack case size.
Solution Approach 2:
Spacers are introduced as intermediary components between adjacent battery cells to guide cooling air flow. The spacers create defined flow paths that direct air from the first end side along the lateral sides of battery cells to the second end side, ensuring efficient heat dissipation while accommodating bus bars and exhaust ducts at the first end side.
2Temperature
If cooling air circulation amount is increased to enhance heat transmission from battery cells to battery pack case, then heat dissipation is improved, but fan power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spacers are pre-positioned between adjacent battery cells to establish optimized airflow paths before cooling operation begins. This preliminary configuration ensures that cooling air flows efficiently along the lateral sides of battery cells with minimal resistance, achieving effective heat dissipation without requiring excessive fan power.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the airflow direction parameter from vertical to horizontal, and optimizes the flow path geometry through spacer positioning. This parameter optimization reduces ventilation resistance and improves heat transmission efficiency, allowing effective cooling with reduced fan power consumption.
3Ease of operation
If bus bars and exhaust duct are positioned at upward side in vertical flow type battery pack, then electrical connection and exhaust function are achieved, but they become obstacles to cooling air flow causing degraded cooling performance
Solution Approach 1:
The invention inverts the conventional vertical flow configuration to a horizontal flow configuration. Instead of having bus bars and exhaust ducts block upward airflow, the cooling air flows horizontally from the first end side along the lateral sides of battery cells to the second end side, with bus bars and exhaust ducts positioned at the first end side where they do not obstruct the flow path.
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 configuration enhances cooling efficiency by reducing ventilation resistance and ensuring sufficient airflow to the hottest areas around electrode terminals, promoting effective heat dissipation and allowing for a more compact battery pack design.
Implementation Method 1
a fan device disposed inside the battery pack case for circulating fluid within the battery pack case
Implementation Method 2
The secondary battery cells generate heat due to Joule heat due to a current and chemical reaction when charged or discharged
Implementation Method 3
This heat generation occurs mainly at the vicinity of the electrode terminals of the battery cells. Accordingly, the above battery pack is configured to use its bus bars or the like directly connected to the electrode terminals as heat transmission paths for dissipating the heat to coolant such as air
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack includes battery stacks each formed of battery cells stacked on one another and bus bars disposed at a first end side of the battery stack for connection between electrode terminals of the battery cells, a battery pack case housing the battery stacks, a fan device disposed inside the battery pack case for circulating fluid within the battery pack case and a spacer disposed between respective adjacent battery cells to guide the fluid to flow in a direction from the first end side to a second end side opposite to the first end side along lateral sides of the battery cells. Each of the battery cells includes a battery cell case as an outer shell thereof that includes an exposed portion having a predetermined exposed length by which the battery cell case projects from an end at the first end side of the spacer.