Open-Ended Battery Rack Structure for Heat Dissipation and Rigidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery rack structures are heavy, obstruct heat dissipation, and lack optimal rigidity and seismic performance, limiting the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of energy storage systems.
Innovation Solution
A battery rack design featuring open-ended sub-racks with integrated columns and horizontal frames, coupled by connection blocks, eliminating plate-shaped members to enhance rigidity and seismic performance while promoting heat dissipation and reducing weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the rack frame durability is strengthened by changing physical properties or increasing frame thickness, then the rigidity and seismic performance are improved, but the overall weight of the ESS increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rack frame is divided into multiple modular components including vertical columns, horizontal beams, and connection nodes. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently for strength-to-weight ratio, eliminating the need for excessive thickness while maintaining overall rigidity through the coordinated assembly of optimized parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The rack frame employs composite material construction combining high-strength steel components with lighter alloy elements or engineered wood products. This composite approach achieves the required rigidity and seismic performance through material property optimization rather than simply increasing the thickness of single-material components, thereby reducing overall weight.
2Quantity of substance
If batteries are densely packed in a narrow space, then the energy density is improved, but heat dissipation becomes difficult and fire risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rack frame incorporates three-dimensional heat dissipation pathways including vertical ventilation channels, horizontal airflow passages, and diagonal support structures that create multidirectional heat convection currents. This dimensional approach allows efficient heat removal from densely packed batteries without requiring excessive spacing, maintaining high energy density while preventing thermal accumulation.
3Stability of the object's composition
If plate-shaped members are added to the rack frame to improve rigidity, then the structural stability is improved, but the heat dissipation performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of solid plate-shaped members, the rack frame utilizes thin-walled tubular structures and lattice frameworks that provide comparable structural stability through geometric reinforcement rather than material volume. These thin-walled components maintain structural integrity while allowing heat to pass through and around them, preserving heat dissipation performance.
4Reliability
If a complex rack frame structure is used to improve rigidity and seismic performance, then the structural durability is improved, but the manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rack frame employs standardized universal connection nodes and modular beam-column assemblies that serve multiple functions: structural support, seismic bracing, heat dissipation channeling, and ease of assembly. This multi-functionality reduces the number of specialized components needed, simplifying manufacturing while maintaining high rigidity and seismic performance through optimized geometric configurations.
Data Source
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AI summary
A battery rack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is for housing a battery, the battery rack comprising: a first sub-rack that includes a first column that is vertically erected, and includes a plurality of battery housing spaces formed along the first column, and a second sub-rack that includes a second column that is vertically erected, and includes a plurality of battery housing spaces formed along the second column, wherein the first sub-rack and the second sub-rack are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the battery rack, and wherein the first sub-rack and the second sub-rack have a structure with an opened upper end.