Battery Thermal Circuits With Parallel Couplings for Uniform Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing temperature-control systems in vehicles face challenges such as uneven performance, damage from condensation and pressure differentials, difficulty in maintaining thermal contact, and inefficient maintenance due to interconnections, leading to nonuniform wear and potential irreversible damage to batteries.
Innovation Solution
A temperature-control system with parallel, independent couplings for each energy-storage unit, utilizing a heat exchange system to provide uniform temperature control through equalized flow characteristics and separate connectors, ensuring consistent performance and facilitating independent maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If temperature-control elements are connected in series or through a common circuit, then the system structure is simplified, but uneven temperature control and nonuniform wear occur across battery modules
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature-control system is segmented into independent parallel circuits, with each battery module having its own dedicated temperature-control element and circuit. This segmentation ensures that each module receives equalized flow characteristics and can be controlled independently, eliminating the nonuniform wear and temperature control issues caused by series connections while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular architecture.
2Device complexity
If the temperature-control system uses interconnections between elements, then fluid distribution is simplified, but damage to one portion can disrupt temperature control across multiple modules
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid distribution system is segmented into independent parallel circuits for each battery module, with each circuit having its own temperature-control element and flow path. This segmentation isolates failures to individual modules, preventing cascading disruptions across the entire system while maintaining simplified fluid distribution within each independent circuit.
Solution Approach 2:
Each battery module is provided with locally optimized temperature control through dedicated control elements and independent circuits. The local quality approach ensures that each module receives appropriate flow characteristics tailored to its specific thermal needs, while the independent circuit architecture provides robustness against system-wide failures.
3Device complexity
If maintenance requires draining the entire system, then system simplicity is maintained, but maintenance efficiency and productivity are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature-control system is segmented into independent parallel circuits, allowing maintenance personnel to service individual battery modules by isolating and draining only the specific circuit being maintained. This segmentation dramatically improves maintenance efficiency and productivity compared to systems requiring complete system drainage, while the modular configuration maintains acceptable system simplicity.
4Reliability
If thermal contact with battery modules is maintained in vehicles experiencing jostling, then temperature control effectiveness is improved, but system complexity and difficulty of maintaining contact increase
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature-control elements utilize flexible thermal contact interfaces that can accommodate vehicle jostling and vibrations while maintaining consistent thermal contact with battery modules. The flexible design absorbs mechanical shocks and movements, preserving thermal contact stability without requiring complex active adjustment mechanisms or rigid attachment systems.
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 system ensures uniform temperature control across all energy-storage units, reduces the risk of damage, and allows for efficient maintenance by servicing individual units without disrupting the entire system, thereby extending battery life and maintaining consistent performance.
Implementation Method 1
The temperature-control elements may be coupled to a heat exchange system via separate, independent couplings having substantially equivalent flow characteristics. The heat exchange system may be configured to provide initialized temperature-control media to an inlet of each temperature-control element in parallel
Implementation Method 2
each temperature-control element comprises a respective temperature-control circuit of a plurality of parallel temperature-control circuits, each temperature-control circuit covering a respective energy-storage unit
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 2C~2E
AI summary
A temperature-control (TC) system (120) comprises a plurality of TC elements (122). Each TC element (122) is attached to a respective energy storage (ES) unit (112). Each ES unit (112) is part of an ES module (115) of a materials-handling vehicle (602). The TC elements (122) may be coupled to a heat exchange system (150) in parallel via separate, independent couplings (124). The TC elements (122) may be further configured such that a combined length of the coupling (124) of each TC element (122) is substantially equal, which may result in the ES units (112) receiving substantially equivalent TC services, even under high-load conditions.