Dual Refrigerant Pipe Battery Pack for Uniform Cell Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Secondary battery packs used in devices like electric vehicles and uninterruptable power supplies face degradation due to uneven heating and lack of effective cooling, leading to performance issues.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack design featuring dual refrigerant circulation pipes with a control unit to manage temperature, using high thermal conductivity materials and an intermediate medium for uniform heat transfer, ensuring efficient cooling of battery cells.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single refrigerant circulation pipe is used to cool battery cells, then the cooling system is simple, but uneven cooling occurs leading to degraded battery performance
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is divided into two separate refrigerant circulation pipes (first and second pipes) that independently cool different regions of the battery cells. This segmentation allows each pipe to handle cooling for specific cell groups, preventing uneven temperature distribution and improving overall cooling uniformity across the battery pack.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the battery cells are provided with differentiated cooling through the two separate pipes. The first pipe cools cells in one region while the second pipe cools cells in another region, allowing localized temperature control and ensuring uniform cooling across different parts of the battery pack.
2Temperature
If refrigerant circulation pipes directly contact battery cells, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
An intermediate medium is introduced between the refrigerant circulation pipes and the battery cells to facilitate heat transfer. This intermediary layer simplifies the manufacturing process by eliminating the need for precise direct contact between pipes and cells, while still maintaining effective thermal coupling through the intermediate material.
3Temperature
If refrigerant is circulated continuously, then cooling effectiveness is maximized, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigerant circulation is controlled to operate periodically rather than continuously. The system activates the refrigerant flow only when cooling is required (when battery temperature exceeds a threshold) and deactivates it when cooling is sufficient, thereby maintaining effective temperature control while minimizing unnecessary energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
A control unit monitors the temperature of the battery cells and provides feedback to control the refrigerant circulation. Based on the detected temperature conditions, the control unit adjusts or stops refrigerant flow, ensuring cooling is applied only when needed and optimizing energy efficiency.
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 solution provides stable and extended service life for battery packs by uniformly cooling battery cells, improving performance and minimizing power loss by circulating refrigerant only when necessary.
Implementation Method 1
a first refrigerant circulation pipe arranged adjacent to the plurality of battery cells... the first refrigerant circulation pipe is adapted to guide a refrigerant from the first side to the second side of the battery pack
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 2B
AI summary
Disclosed is a battery pack that can uniformly cool a plurality of battery cells so as to significantly improve stability. The battery pack includes a plurality of battery cells arrayed from a first side to a second side, a first refrigerant circulation pipe having a first surface adjacent to outer surfaces of the battery cells, the first refrigerant circulation pipe extending from the first side of the battery cells to the second side, the first refrigerant circulation pipe being configured to supply refrigerant from the first side, and a second refrigerant circulation pipe adjacent to a second surface of the first refrigerant circulation pipe and extending from the first side of the battery cells to the second side, the second refrigerant circulation pipe being configured to supply refrigerant from the second side.