Battery Plenum Design for Uniform Cell Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hybrid vehicle battery packs experience heat buildup due to ineffective heat removal, which can lead to thermal damage and restrict system performance, and existing cooling systems may not ensure uniform temperature across cells.
Innovation Solution
A battery design featuring a plenum and coolant flow channels arranged to direct coolant efficiently through a layered stack of cells, with an intake plenum having a decreasing cross-sectional area and an exhaust plenum with an increasing area, optimizing coolant flow and temperature uniformity across cells.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional cooling systems are used, then cooling function is provided, but heat removal effectiveness is insufficient causing thermal damage and performance restriction
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into multiple coolant flow channels, with each channel positioned to cool specific battery cells. This segmentation allows targeted cooling of individual cells or groups of cells, improving heat removal effectiveness while maintaining reliable operation under high discharge rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The plenum is designed with non-uniform cross-sectional area to create localized flow distribution. The varying plenum area optimizes coolant flow allocation to different regions of the battery stack, ensuring effective cooling where heat generation is highest and maintaining temperature within safe operating limits.
2Temperature
If uniform cooling is achieved, then temperature difference between cells is reduced, but coolant flow distribution becomes difficult to optimize
Solution Approach 1:
The plenum is designed with asymmetric cross-sectional area variation along its length, creating non-uniform flow distribution that compensates for thermal gradients in the battery stack. This asymmetric geometry simplifies the coolant channel arrangement while achieving uniform temperature across cells by directing more coolant to hotter regions.
3Reliability
If mechanical retention minimizes cell movement, then cell damage is prevented, but cooling interface contact may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The cartridge structure merges mechanical retention and cooling functions into a single integrated component. The cartridge mechanically secures the soft package lithium cell while simultaneously providing cooling interfaces through integrated coolant flow channels, ensuring both cell protection and effective thermal management without compromising either function.
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 effectively manages heat distribution, maintaining a maximum temperature difference of 5°C between cells, enhancing battery performance and preventing thermal damage while allowing for scalable and modular design.
Implementation Method 1
the coolant flow channel is located proximate to each surface and configured to define an entrance and an exit of the coolant flow channel... coolant enters the battery via the intake opening, passes through the coolant channel to cool the battery cell, and exits the battery via the exhaust opening
Implementation Method 2
The intake plenum is characterized as having an intake cross section area that decreases as a distance from the intake opening increases, and the exhaust plenum is characterized as having an exhaust cross section area that increases as a distance from the exhaust opening decreases
Data Source
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AI summary
A battery (10) suitable for hybrid vehicle use that includes coolant flow channels overlying a surface (26) of each battery cell (16) forming the battery (10), and a plenum (14) that provides structural integrity to the battery (10). The plenum (14) also defines an intake plenum (38) having an intake cross section area (54) that decreases as a distance (58) from an intake opening (28) increases and an exhaust plenum (40) having an exhaust cross section area (56) that increases as a distance (60) from an exhaust opening (32) decreases. The arrangement of battery cells (16) and the plenum (14) provide for a scalable battery (10) design that can be readily adapted to various battery (10) power ratings and cooling capabilities such as forced air cooling.