Cylindrical Battery Module Terminal Cooling Without Side Cold Plates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cylindrical power batteries face inefficiencies in heat dissipation due to poor performance of serpentine cold plates, which occupy lateral space and complicate disassembly, affecting energy density and structural reliability.
Innovation Solution
A battery module and pack design that utilizes heat conduction between cylindrical battery terminals and a casing or tray cold plate, with thermally conductive structural glue filling gaps for enhanced thermal conductivity, and a fixing bracket for stability, allowing improved heat dissipation without altering existing tray designs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If serpentine cold plates are attached to the side surface of cylindrical batteries for heat dissipation, then heat dissipation is achieved through heat conduction, but the side wall of the cylindrical battery has poor heat dissipation performance and the serpentine cold plate occupies a large amount of lateral space, affecting energy density
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions the heat dissipation interface from the lateral surface to the end surface of the cylindrical battery. By inverting the battery orientation and attaching the cold plate to the end face, the design utilizes a different spatial dimension for thermal management, avoiding lateral space occupation while maintaining effective heat dissipation through the terminal contact area.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the conventional heat dissipation approach by reversing the battery orientation and attaching the cold plate to the end surface rather than the side surface. This inversion allows the cold plate to contact the terminal directly, improving thermal conductivity and eliminating the need for lateral space occupation, thereby resolving the contradiction between heat dissipation performance and space utilization.
2Reliability
If foaming medium is filled into the battery pack to improve structural reliability, then structural reliability is enhanced, but it becomes difficult to disassemble and replace a single cylindrical battery
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a modular design with a battery module comprising a casing that contains multiple cylindrical batteries. This segmentation allows individual batteries to be accessed and replaced independently within the module structure, maintaining serviceability while achieving structural reliability through the modular architecture rather than using foaming medium throughout the entire pack.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a battery module casing as an intermediary structure between the battery pack and individual cylindrical batteries. This modular casing provides structural support and reliability while allowing easy access to individual batteries for replacement, eliminating the need to fill the entire pack with foaming medium and thus resolving the contradiction between structural reliability and ease of maintenance.
3Temperature
If thermally conductive structural glue is used to fill gaps between batteries and cold plate, then heat conduction is enhanced, but the complexity of the manufacturing process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple functions into the thermal conductive structural glue: it serves as both a thermal interface material to enhance heat conduction between the cold plate and battery terminals, and as a structural adhesive to secure the components together. This merging of thermal and mechanical functions into a single material application simplifies the manufacturing process compared to using separate materials for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal conductive structural glue performs multiple functions simultaneously: providing thermal conduction path, structural bonding, and gap filling. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate manufacturing steps and materials needed, thereby reducing overall process complexity while achieving enhanced heat dissipation.
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 design enhances heat dissipation efficiency, simplifies the glue filling process, and reduces manufacturing costs while maintaining structural reliability and energy density.
Implementation Method 1
in each of the cylindrical batteries, the terminal is configured to form heat conduction with a bottom plate of the casing
Implementation Method 2
A space between the first ends of the cylindrical batteries and the cold plate and spaces between side walls of the cylindrical batteries are filled with thermally conductive structural glue
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a battery module and a battery pack. A casing and a plurality of cylindrical batteries are included. First ends of the cylindrical batteries are provided with terminals. The cylindrical batteries are received in the casing, and in each of the cylindrical batteries, the terminal is configured to form heat conduction with the casing. In the disclosure, the heat conduction between the terminals and the casing is used to achieve the heat dissipation of the cylindrical batteries, so the heat dissipation efficiency may be effectively improved. Further, in the disclosure, by establishing heat conduction between the terminals and the cold plate on the bottom of the tray, the heat dissipation structure of the battery pack may be modified without changing the existing process of the tray, so that the design, development, and manufacturing costs of the battery pack are effectively reduced.