Battery Pack Cooling Interface With Compliant Thermal Buffer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery pack cooling systems have inadequate heat dissipation due to manufacturing issues causing a small contact area between the cooling plate and the battery box, resulting in reduced cooling efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack design incorporating a buffering member with a lower elastic modulus than the cooling plate and battery box, which is thermally conductive and positioned between the cooling plate and the battery box, allowing for increased contact area and improved heat dissipation by aligning the electrode assembly's greatest expansion force vertically and enhancing the fit between the cooling plate and the battery box.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a cooling plate is mounted directly to the battery box, then the cooling system structure is simple, but the contact area between cooling plate and battery box is small due to manufacturing flatness issues, reducing heat dissipation effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
A buffering member is introduced as an intermediary component between the cooling plate and the battery box. This buffering member has a first surface that contacts the cooling plate and a second surface that contacts the battery box, ensuring full contact area on both interfaces while accommodating surface flatness variations. The buffering member thus mediates the connection to achieve maximum heat dissipation contact area without complicating the overall cooling system structure.
2Strength
If the cooling plate is made with high rigidity for structural stability, then the cooling plate maintains its shape, but the contact area with the battery box is reduced due to manufacturing flatness deviations
Solution Approach 1:
The buffering member serves as a mediator that absorbs the rigidity mismatch between the rigid cooling plate and the battery box with manufacturing flatness deviations. The buffering member deforms to accommodate surface irregularities while the cooling plate maintains its structural rigidity, thereby achieving both structural stability and maximum contact area.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffering member is designed with specific material parameters (elastic modulus, thermal conductivity) that allow it to deform and adapt to surface flatness variations. By changing the physical parameters of the buffering member compared to the cooling plate and battery box, the system achieves improved contact area while the cooling plate retains its high rigidity for structural stability.
3Area of stationary object
If the buffering member has low elastic modulus to accommodate surface flatness variations, then the contact area is increased, but the buffering member material selection is more constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The buffering member is designed with specific material parameters including low elastic modulus (to accommodate surface flatness variations and increase contact area) and high thermal conductivity (to maintain heat dissipation effectiveness). These parameter specifications guide material selection to meet both mechanical compliance and thermal performance requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffering member may be constructed from composite materials that combine the desired low elastic modulus for compliance with high thermal conductivity for heat dissipation. This allows simultaneous satisfaction of mechanical and thermal requirements, easing material selection constraints while achieving increased contact area.
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 significantly increases the heat dissipation area and improves cooling efficiency by ensuring the buffering member fits closely with both the cooling plate and the battery box, effectively addressing the limitations of existing technologies.
Implementation Method 1
a buffering member, disposed between the cooling plate and the battery box, wherein an elastic modulus of the buffering member is less than an elastic modulus of the cooling plate and an elastic modulus of the battery box
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a battery pack, including: a battery box, a plurality of battery modules, a cooling plate, and a buffering member. Each battery module includes a plurality of battery cells and a plurality of busbars. Each battery cell includes an electrode assembly and a battery housing. The battery cells are laid flat. When the electrode assembly is of a wound structure and is flat, and outer surfaces of the electrode assembly include two flat surfaces. The two flat surfaces are opposite to each other in a vertical direction. Alternatively, when the electrode assembly is of a laminated structure, a first electrode plate, a separator, and a second electrode plate are stacked in a vertical direction. Therefore, the electrode assembly of the battery cells applies a greatest expansion force in the vertical direction during charge and discharge.