Battery Rack Layout to Contain Extinguishing Liquid Spread
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery racks face challenges in preventing the spread of fires and heat during thermal runaway events, leading to potential explosions and contamination of undamaged battery packs, which renders them unusable.
Innovation Solution
A battery rack design featuring vertically arranged battery packs with a sloping mounting surface and extension portions that direct fire extinguishing liquid away from lower packs, incorporating a fire extinguishing liquid tank and a system to control the flow of extinguishing liquid, preventing contamination and allowing for re-use of undamaged packs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fire extinguishing liquid is fed to the battery pack where fire occurred, then the fire is suppressed, but the fire extinguishing liquid flows to adjacent battery packs causing contamination and preventing re-use
Solution Approach 1:
The rack plate is segmented into multiple regions including a sloping mounting surface for battery packs and an extension portion that acts as a barrier. This segmentation creates distinct zones that control liquid flow paths, confining fire extinguishing liquid to the affected battery pack area while preventing spread to adjacent packs through the geometric separation provided by the extension portion.
Solution Approach 2:
The rack plate transitions from a simple horizontal support to a three-dimensional structure with a sloping mounting surface and an extension portion protruding toward the lower battery pack. This dimensional change creates a physical barrier that intercepts and redirects liquid flow, using spatial geometry to control the path of fire extinguishing liquid and prevent it from reaching undamaged battery packs.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If fire extinguishing liquid is fed to suppress thermal runaway, then the fire is extinguished, but adjacent battery packs are contaminated with the liquid and cannot be re-used
Solution Approach 1:
The rack plate is pre-configured with a sloping mounting surface and an extension portion before any fire event occurs. This preliminary structural arrangement ensures that when fire extinguishing liquid is applied, it automatically follows the predetermined flow path down the slope and is blocked by the extension portion, confining it to the affected area without requiring real-time intervention to prevent contamination of adjacent battery packs.
Solution Approach 2:
The extension portion of the rack plate serves as an intermediary barrier between the affected battery pack and undamaged adjacent packs. It intercepts the fire extinguishing liquid, allowing it to perform its fire suppression function while preventing harmful contact with undamaged battery packs, thus mediating between the need for effective fire suppression and the need to preserve adjacent components.
3Strength
If a metal rack case is used to protect battery packs, then mechanical protection is provided, but heat transfer between adjacent packs may occur during thermal runaway
Solution Approach 1:
The rack structure combines metal materials for mechanical strength and protection with geometric design features (sloping surfaces and extension portions) that control thermal and liquid pathways. The metal rack case provides structural integrity and mechanical protection, while the engineered geometry of rack plates creates thermal breaks and liquid flow control, achieving both mechanical protection and heat isolation through composite structural design.
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
Effectively prevents the spread of fire and heat, ensuring that only the affected battery pack is contaminated with fire extinguishing liquid, thereby allowing the re-use of undamaged packs.
Implementation Method 1
a sloping mounting surface on which the battery pack is mounted, the mounting surface sloping at a predetermined angle with declining height as it goes in the sloping direction
Data Source
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AI summary
The battery rack according to the present disclosure includes a plurality of battery packs vertically arranged, each battery pack including a plurality of secondary batteries stacked in a direction, and a pack housing having an internal space to receive the plurality of secondary batteries and configured to be supplied with a fire extinguishing liquid when an internal temperature equals or rises above a predetermined temperature, and a rack case having a receiving space to receive the plurality of battery packs, and including a plurality of rack plates, each having a mounting surface on which the battery pack is mounted, the mounting surface sloping at a predetermined angle with declining height as it goes in any one direction, and an extension portion having an end of any one direction extending further outward than the lower battery pack.