Battery Pack Thermoelectric Cooling Unit Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large battery packs used in middle- or large-sized devices and vehicles generate significant heat, which existing cooling methods fail to manage efficiently, leading to potential performance degradation and safety issues.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack design incorporating a cooling unit with a first heatsink, a second heatsink, a thermoelectric device, and a heat pipe to facilitate both convection and conduction cooling, ensuring effective heat dissipation by using heatsink pins and thermoelectric devices to manage heat generated by secondary batteries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If a plurality of secondary batteries are connected in parallel and/or series to provide sufficient power to middle- or large-sized devices, then the power output is improved, but the heat generation increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
A heat pipe is introduced as an intermediary thermal management component between the battery cells and the cooling system. The heat pipe efficiently conducts heat away from the battery assembly through its high thermal conductivity, serving as a mediator that transfers heat from the power-generating batteries to the cooling unit without direct thermal contact between batteries and coolant
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces conventional passive cooling methods with an active thermoelectric cooling system. The Peltier device (thermoelectric module) uses electrical energy to create a heat flux that actively pumps heat from the battery side to the external side, substituting thermal conduction alone with electromechanical heat pumping capability
2Device complexity
If conventional cooling methods are used for large battery packs, then the device complexity is reduced, but the cooling efficiency is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple cooling mechanisms into a single integrated cooling unit: the Peltier device for active heat pumping, heatsink fins for passive heat dissipation, and a fan for forced convection. This combination of multiple cooling functions in one unit achieves high cooling efficiency while maintaining manageable system complexity through functional integration
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling unit is designed with multi-functionality to handle various heat loads and operating conditions. The same cooling unit can operate in different modes (passive heatsink mode, active Peltier cooling mode, or combined mode) depending on the thermal requirements, making it a universal solution for different power output levels and environmental conditions
3Productivity
If a Peltier device and heatsink are used for cooling, then the cooling efficiency is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling components are arranged in a nested configuration where the Peltier device is positioned between the battery assembly and the heatsink. The heatsink fins are nested around the Peltier device, and the fan is positioned to blow air through the heatsink structure. This nested arrangement maximizes heat transfer efficiency while minimizing the overall footprint and structural complexity of the cooling unit
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 proposed design significantly enhances cooling efficiency, effectively managing heat through convection and conduction, thereby improving the performance and safety of battery packs by maintaining optimal operating temperatures.
Implementation Method 1
a thermoelectric device between the first heatsink and the second heatsink
Implementation Method 2
a heat pipe attached to a bottom surface of the secondary battery. An end of a side of the heat pipe may contacts the first heatsink
Implementation Method 3
a first heatsink disposed toward the inside of the outer case, a second heatsink disposed toward the outside of the outer case
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack includes a secondary battery, an outer case receiving the secondary battery, and a cooling unit disposed at a predetermined position of the outer case, wherein the cooling unit includes a first heatsink disposed toward the inside of the outer case, a second heatsink disposed toward the outside of the outer case, and a thermoelectric device between the first heatsink and the second heatsink.