Battery Pack Multi-Tank Liquid Cooling System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery packs face challenges in heat dissipation efficiency, particularly in high-power devices like electric vehicles, where conventional cooling methods can be costly and prone to short circuits due to leakage of cooling media.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack design incorporating first, second, and third tanks surrounding the battery cells, with the first and second tanks filled with a high heat capacity cooling medium for natural convection and the third tank using a different cooling medium with forced flow, eliminating the need for a duct structure or fluid pump, thus enhancing heat dissipation efficiency while preventing short circuits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional cooling methods are used in battery packs, then heat dissipation can be achieved, but the cost increases and the risk of short circuits due to cooling medium leakage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is divided into multiple independent tanks (first tank, second tank, third tank) that are fluidically isolated from each other. Each tank contains cooling medium facing different surfaces of the battery cell (terminal surface, lateral surface, bottom surface), preventing leakage from one section from affecting other components and reducing short circuit risk.
Solution Approach 2:
A heat conduction block is introduced as an intermediary component to transfer heat from the battery cell to the cooling medium. This mediator allows efficient heat dissipation while maintaining physical separation between the cooling medium and electrical components, preventing direct contact that could cause short circuits.
2Temperature
If conventional cooling methods with duct structures and fluid pumps are used, then forced convection cooling can be achieved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system utilizes natural convection of the cooling medium without requiring external pumps or complex duct structures. The cooling medium naturally circulates due to density differences created by temperature gradients, allowing the system to serve itself and eliminate complex mechanical components.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical pumping system is replaced with a passive natural convection system. Instead of using fluid pumps to force cooling medium circulation, the invention relies on thermal buoyancy-driven flow, substituting mechanical actuation with thermal physics-based automatic circulation.
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 improves heat dissipation efficiency by using high heat capacity cooling media in a fluid cooling system, reducing the risk of short circuits and lowering costs through a simplified structure, while effectively managing heat from various surfaces of the battery cells.
Implementation Method 1
a cooling medium contained in the first and second tanks relatively close to electrode terminals are allowed to naturally convect at a relatively low flow speed
Implementation Method 2
a flow path is formed in the third tank to receive a flow of a second cooling medium which is different from the first cooling medium
Implementation Method 3
a heat conduction block may be provided between the cavity of the first and second tanks and the flow path of the third tank
Data Source
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AI summary
A battery pack of the present disclosure includes: a battery cell including a terminal surface on which an electrode terminal is formed, a bottom surface which is opposite the terminal surface, and a lateral surface which is between the terminal surface and the bottom surface; a first tank which faces the terminal surface of the battery cell; a second tank which extends from the first tank and faces the lateral surface of the battery cell; and a third tank which extends from the second tank and faces the bottom surface of the battery cell, wherein: a cavity is formed in the first and second tanks to extend across the first and second tanks, and the cavity is filled with a first cooling medium and is fluidically isolated from outside of the battery pack; and a flow path is formed in the third tank to receive a flow of a second cooling medium which is different from the first cooling medium. According to the present disclosure, the battery pack is improved in heat dissipation efficiency by using a liquid cooling medium contained to face different surfaces of the battery pack and is configured to realize high heat dissipation efficiency with low costs through a simple heat dissipation structure.