Battery Rack Drainage Structure for Fire Water Containment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional battery racks lack a proper drainage structure, causing fire fighting water to easily enter adjacent battery modules and resulting in flood damage during thermal events.

Innovation Solution

A battery rack with a drainage structure featuring a rack case with closed upper, lower, left, and right sides and open front and rear sides, equipped with drain guides on the outer surface to guide fire fighting water away from adjacent modules, preventing overflow and leakage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If a frame structure with open sides is used for the rack case, then ease of assembly and ventilation are improved, but fire fighting water can easily leak into adjacent areas

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveassembly easeVSAvoidwater containment

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The rack case structure applies different properties to different regions: the overall frame structure maintains openness for ease of assembly and ventilation, while specific local regions (receiving portions) are made waterproof to contain fire fighting water. This localized waterproofing resolves the contradiction between open structure and water containment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The rack case is segmented into multiple receiving portions with waterproof partitions. This segmentation allows the structure to maintain the simplicity and ease of assembly of a frame structure while adding water containment capability through modular waterproof sections.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Volume of stationary object

If battery modules are arranged in multistep stacking, then space utilization is improved, but water from upper modules can flow to lower modules

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespace utilizationVSAvoidwater flow to lower modules

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of stationary objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Each receiving portion in the multistep stacked arrangement is equipped with waterproof partitions that create independent containment spaces. This segmentation prevents water from flowing from upper receiving portions to lower ones, while maintaining the space-efficient multistep stacking configuration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Waterproof partitions serve as intermediary barriers between upper and lower receiving portions in the stacked arrangement. These partitions block the path of water flow while allowing the multistep stacking configuration to maintain optimal space utilization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS20250023216A1Battery rack having drainage structure and energy storage system including the same

Publication Date: 2025.01.16 LG ENERGY SOLUTION LTD

AI summary

A battery rack according to the present disclosure includes a plurality of battery modules; a rack case having receiving portions, each receiving portion configured to and receive one of the plurality of battery modules at each predetermined height, and each receiving portion having a structure in which upper and lower sides and left and right sides are closed and front and rear sides are open; a fire fighting water supply pipe connected to each of the battery modules disposed in the receiving portions which supplies a fire fighting water when a fire occurs; and a drain guide disposed on an outer surface of the rack case including at least one surface of a front outer surface or a rear outer surface of the rack case, the drain guide being configured to guide drainage of the fire fighting water.