Battery Rack Coolant Injection for Reused Pack Fire Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Used battery packs from electric vehicles, which have reached a predetermined period of use or capacity, pose a fire risk due to overheating and are not effectively reused in energy storage systems, leading to environmental pollution and safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
A battery rack design that includes a battery pack frame with a service plug for coolant injection, a feed pipe system with sprinklers, and cable through-holes to ensure safe operation and prevent fire spread, allowing for the reuse of these packs in energy storage systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If used battery packs are reused in energy storage systems, then resource utilization is improved and environmental pollution is reduced, but fire risk due to overheating increases
Solution Approach 1:
A service plug is introduced as an intermediary component between the battery pack and the external cooling system. The service plug includes a plug body with a through-hole that allows coolant to be injected directly into the battery pack's internal space, serving as a mediator to transfer cooling effect from the external environment to the internal battery components.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system utilizes hydraulic principles by injecting liquid coolant through the service plug into the battery pack. The coolant flows through the battery pack internal space and absorbs heat, then is discharged through the discharge hole. This hydraulic cooling method provides efficient heat removal to prevent overheating and fire risks.
2Reliability
If a cooling system is added to prevent fire, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into distinct functional components: a service plug for coolant injection, a discharge hole for coolant exit, and a feed pipe system with sprinklers. The service plug itself is segmented into a plug body and a through-hole. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, simplifying the overall system design and maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery pack design enables self-cooling capability through the service plug and internal coolant circulation path. When coolant is injected through the service plug, it naturally flows through the battery pack internal space and exits through the discharge hole, creating a self-contained cooling circulation that reduces the need for complex external cooling infrastructure.
3Temperature
If coolant is injected directly into the battery pack, then cooling efficiency is improved, but risk of electrical short circuit increases
Solution Approach 1:
The service plug acts as an intermediary barrier that controls coolant injection. The plug body with its through-hole provides a defined pathway for coolant entry, allowing precise control over where and how coolant enters the battery pack. This intermediary structure prevents uncontrolled coolant discharge that could cause electrical shorts.
Solution Approach 2:
The service plug incorporates a seal member that creates a flexible sealing interface between the plug body and the battery pack housing. This seal ensures that coolant is directed through the intended pathway (through the through-hole) rather than leaking into areas where it could cause electrical short circuits, while still allowing for thermal expansion and contraction.
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 stabilizes the reuse of battery packs by quickly extinguishing fires through coolant injection and preventing heat spread, ensuring safety and reducing environmental impact by recycling used battery packs.
Implementation Method 1
A coolant may be injected into the battery pack frame such that the at least one battery pack is submerged in the coolant at a predetermined depth when an abnormal situation occurs in the at least one battery pack
Implementation Method 2
The service plug may open the inside of the at least one battery pack to guide the direct injection of the coolant into the at least one battery pack when an internal pressure of the at least one battery pack rises above a predetermined pressure in the event of the abnormal situation
Data Source
AI summary
A battery rack and an energy storage system comprising the same are provided. The battery rack includes at least one battery pack used for a predetermined period of time or of which a predetermined capacity consumed; and a battery pack frame accommodating the at least one battery pack and having a height greater than a height of the at least one battery pack, and the at least one battery pack includes a service plug configured to open an inside of the at least one battery pack, thereby providing increased safety against fire resulting from an abnormal situation such as overheat.