Battery Pack Spacing Control for Thermal and Gas Stress Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lithium-ion battery packs face thermal and gaseous stress issues due to heat generation and gas emission during use, leading to reduced efficiency, longevity, and potential safety hazards, as heat is conducted to adjacent batteries and gas can become trapped, exceeding temperature and gas thresholds.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for mitigating thermal and gaseous stress in battery packs by obtaining data on battery positions, gas, and temperature measurements, identifying affected battery patterns, and creating space between batteries using a robotic base with expandable links to restore and maintain safe thresholds, based on predictive models and real-time measurements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If batteries are tightly packed in the battery pack, then space utilization and energy density are improved, but heat accumulates and gas becomes trapped between adjacent batteries, causing thermal and gaseous stress
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pack is divided into modular units with individual batteries separated by expandable spacers. Each battery compartment is segmented to allow independent thermal and gaseous stress management, preventing cumulative effects across the entire pack while maintaining high density through efficient modular arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
Expandable spacers are introduced between adjacent batteries that can dynamically adjust their volume in response to thermal and gaseous conditions. When stress thresholds are detected, the spacers expand to create relief space, and contract when conditions normalize, providing adaptive mitigation without compromising overall pack density.
2Power
If heat is generated by one battery, then energy delivery is improved, but heat is conducted to adjacent batteries, causing temperature thresholds to be exceeded
Solution Approach 1:
Thermal management materials and expandable spacers serve as intermediary layers between adjacent batteries. These intermediaries provide thermal isolation to prevent heat conduction to neighboring cells while maintaining electrical independence, allowing each battery to deliver maximum power without compromising adjacent cells' temperature safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements predictive thermal monitoring and preemptive spacer expansion before temperature thresholds are exceeded. By detecting early heat generation trends and expanding spacers in advance, the system creates thermal relief space before dangerous temperature accumulation occurs, protecting adjacent batteries from heat conduction.
3Productivity
If gas is emitted by one battery, then electrochemical reaction is improved, but gas becomes trapped between adjacent batteries, causing pressure buildup
Solution Approach 1:
The expandable spacers actively extract and isolate gas emissions by expanding into the inter-battery spaces where gas accumulates. This extraction action removes trapped gas from the confined spaces between batteries, preventing pressure buildup while allowing the electrochemical reactions to proceed efficiently at normal operating densities.
Solution Approach 2:
Gas-permeable expandable spacers dynamically respond to gas pressure differentials by expanding when gas accumulation is detected and contracting when pressure normalizes. This dynamic behavior provides continuous passive gas venting capability without requiring active pumping systems, maintaining productivity while preventing pressure stress.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If space is created between effected batteries and adjacent batteries, then thermal and gaseous stress is reduced, but battery pack density decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Expandable spacers provide dynamic space creation that only activates when thermal or gaseous stress thresholds are detected. During normal operation, the spacers remain contracted to maintain maximum battery pack density. When stress conditions arise, the spacers expand to create necessary relief space, then contract again after mitigation, providing on-demand space without permanent density loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the physical state and volume parameters of the spacers in response to environmental conditions. By transitioning spacers between compressed and expanded states based on real-time temperature and pressure measurements, the system optimizes the balance between stress mitigation and space utilization, maintaining high density during normal operation while providing sufficient clearance when needed.
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
Effectively reduces thermal and gaseous stress by optimizing battery pack conditions, preventing threshold exceedance, and enhancing safety by creating space based on minimum movement cost, thereby extending battery life and improving performance.
Implementation Method 1
Generation of heat by one battery can be transmitted to an adjacent battery
Implementation Method 2
emitted gas can become trapped therebetween as the batteries are tightly packed in the battery pack
Data Source
AI summary
The present inventive concept provides for a method of battery pack thermal and gaseous stress mitigation. The method includes obtaining data related to batteries within a battery pack. Features are extracted from the obtained data related to the batteries. The extracted features include effected batteries, battery positions, gas and temperature measurements, and gas and temperature thresholds. The extracted features are mapped. Effected battery patterns are identified. Space is created between the effected batteries and adjacent batteries based on the identified effected battery patterns.