Battery Structure with Selective Cooling Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery modules using lithium-ion secondary batteries face issues with non-uniform cooling, leading to excessive cooling of some cells and potential lithium deposition on electrodes, which degrades charge-discharge efficiency and safety.
Innovation Solution
A battery structure is designed where batteries with higher lithium deposition tolerance are arranged in areas with higher heat transfer, and those with lower tolerance are in areas with lower heat transfer, avoiding lithium deposition without the need for additional heating apparatus.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If uniform cooling is applied to all battery cells, then cooling efficiency is improved, but lithium deposition occurs on electrodes due to excessive cooling of some cells
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating cooling strategies for different battery cell groups. High-temperature batteries are actively cooled while low-temperature batteries are not cooled, preventing excessive cooling of cells that are already at acceptable temperatures and thus avoiding lithium deposition on their electrodes.
2Reliability
If additional heating apparatus is added to prevent lithium deposition, then lithium deposition is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using heating apparatus to prevent lithium deposition, the patent inverts the approach by using selective cooling - actively cooling only the high-temperature batteries that are at risk of lithium deposition, thereby preventing the condition that leads to deposition without requiring heating mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery management system automatically identifies which batteries require cooling based on their temperature and lithium deposition risk, and applies cooling selectively. This self-service approach eliminates the need for external heating apparatus while preventing lithium deposition.
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 configuration prevents lithium deposition across the battery structure, enhancing charge-discharge efficiency and safety while eliminating the requirement for heating apparatus, resulting in a simpler and more effective cooling solution.
Implementation Method 1
batteries with higher lithium deposition tolerance are arranged in areas with higher heat transfer
Data Source
AI summary
A battery structure includes a plurality of batteries each made of lithium-ion secondary battery; and a plurality of arrangement portions in which the plurality of batteries are arranged. The plurality of arrangement portions are divided into two groups of: a upper heat transfer group having heat transfer orders higher than a center value of the heat transfer orders, where the heat transfer orders are respective amount of heat transfer from the batteries being ranked in descending order; and a lower heat transfer group having the heat transfer orders lower than the center value. A battery among the plurality of batteries showing the highest value of a lithium deposition tolerance which represents a degree of lithium being unlikely to deposit during charge/discharge operation, is disposed in a high tolerance arrangement portion in the plurality of arrangement portions, the high tolerance arrangement portion belonging to the upper heat transfer group.