Battery Pack Cooling Layout to Limit Cell Thermal Propagation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing demand for safety in secondary batteries used for mobility, such as battery electric vehicles, is not adequately addressed by existing technologies, as accidents like fires can pose significant risks to drivers, and there is a need for improved cooling and thermal management to prevent thermal propagation and ignition between adjacent battery cells.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack design featuring a pack housing with cooling channels, a separation structure separating battery cells, and a heat dissipation fin that thermally couples electrode leads to the bottom plate, along with a venting system for directional gas discharge, enhancing cooling efficiency and preventing thermal propagation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If battery cells are arranged closely to increase energy density, then productivity and space utilization improve, but thermal propagation risk between adjacent cells increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces separation structures including separation plates positioned between adjacent battery cells and a cover plate covering the upper surfaces. These segmented barriers physically divide the battery pack into isolated cell compartments, preventing thermal propagation while maintaining high energy density through optimized spatial arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs thermal interface materials and cooling plates as intermediary elements between battery cells and the cooling system. These intermediaries facilitate heat dissipation while providing thermal isolation, acting as mediators that manage thermal energy without allowing direct thermal propagation between cells.
2Temperature
If cooling channels are added to improve thermal management, then temperature control improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates cooling channels directly into the cover plate structure, merging the cooling system with the protective housing. This combination eliminates the need for separate cooling components, reducing device complexity while maintaining effective temperature control through direct thermal contact with battery cells.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover plate serves multiple functions: it protects battery cells from external damage, provides structural support, and acts as a heat dissipation component with integrated cooling channels. This multi-functionality reduces overall system complexity by consolidating multiple components into a single universal element.
3Reliability
If separation structures are introduced to prevent thermal propagation, then safety improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes thin separation plates and flexible thermal interface materials that can be easily inserted and positioned between battery cells during assembly. These thin-film separation structures provide effective thermal isolation while maintaining simplicity in the manufacturing process through straightforward installation procedures.
4Temperature
If electrode leads are thermally coupled to the bottom plate for heat dissipation, then cooling efficiency improves, but the risk of thermal propagation to adjacent cells increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies localized thermal management by providing cooling channels specifically at the bottom plate where electrode leads are thermally coupled. This localized cooling approach efficiently dissipates heat from high-temperature zones while the separation structures ensure that the cooled regions remain isolated, preventing thermal propagation to adjacent cells.
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 improves cooling efficiency, prevents damage during rework operations, and reduces the risk of thermal propagation and serial ignition, thereby increasing safety and energy density of the battery pack.
Implementation Method 1
a heat dissipation fin configured to thermally couple at least one of electrode leads of the plurality of battery cells to the bottom plate
Implementation Method 2
a pack housing including a bottom plate with a first cooling channel and a top plate with a second cooling channel
Implementation Method 3
the plurality of venting channels may extend in the second direction to guide a gas in the second direction
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The present technology provides a battery pack including a pack housing including a bottom plate with a first cooling channel and a top plate with a second cooling channel, and a battery assembly between the bottom plate and the top plate of the pack housing, in which the battery assembly includes a separation structure including a plurality of cell accommodation spaces separated from each other in a first direction, and attached to the top plate via an upper thermally conductive adhesive layer, a plurality of battery cells accommodated in the plurality of cell accommodation spaces of the separation structure, and extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, respectively, and a heat dissipation fin configured to thermally couple at least one of electrode leads of the plurality of battery cells to the bottom plate.