Direct-Cooled EV Battery Terminal Venting for Overpressure Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional directly cooled battery devices face challenges in securely sealing degassing openings against coolant and pressure, requiring significant constructive effort to ensure reliable and pressure-tight closure during normal operation and safe degassing in case of malfunctions.
Innovation Solution
The battery device incorporates a terminal device with an integrated degassing opening that opens via a breaking device at defined overpressure, allowing simultaneous discharge of gases and coolant, eliminating the need for additional valves or openings and ensuring safe and reliable degassing while reducing construction complexity and weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If degassing openings are provided in the battery housing for direct cooling systems, then gases can be discharged in case of malfunction, but the openings cannot be reliably sealed against coolant and pressure without significant constructive effort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the cooling terminal and the breaking device into a single integrated terminal structure. The terminal serves dual functions: providing coolant access during normal operation and serving as the breaking device that opens at defined overpressure to enable degassing. This merging eliminates the need for separate sealing structures and additional components, resolving the contradiction between reliable degassing and construction complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The terminal device is designed with multi-functionality, serving as both a coolant connection point and a pressure-responsive breaking device. The same terminal structure that provides coolant flow during normal operation also functions as the degassing pathway when overpressure occurs, eliminating the need for dedicated separate components for each function
2Reliability
If additional valves or openings are added to the battery housing for reliable degassing, then degassing reliability improves, but construction effort and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the breaking device functionality into the existing terminal structure, eliminating the need for additional separate valves or openings in the battery housing. The terminal itself becomes the breaking device that responds to overpressure conditions, simplifying the overall construction while maintaining reliable degassing capability
Solution Approach 2:
The terminal device performs multiple functions: it provides coolant access during normal operation and serves as the pressure-responsive degassing pathway during malfunction. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for additional dedicated components, reducing construction effort and weight while ensuring reliable degassing
3Ease of operation
If the terminal device is designed to open at defined overpressure via breaking device, then safe pressure relief is achieved, but the sealing requirements during normal operation become more stringent
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the sealing function and the breaking function into a single terminal structure. The terminal provides sealing during normal operation through its standard connection design, and the same structure incorporates the breaking mechanism that activates at defined overpressure. This merging ensures that the sealing integrity requirements are met during normal operation while enabling safe pressure relief when needed
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 solution enables efficient and reliable degassing during malfunctions, such as thermal runaway, by using a terminal device with a breaking mechanism that opens at specific overpressure, reducing the risk of component damage and simplifying the design, while ensuring safe pressure relief without additional structural components.
Implementation Method 1
The terminal device is suitable and configured so as to open the degassing opening by means of at least one breaking device at a (defined) overpressure in the housing space
Implementation Method 2
at least one cooling device with a coolant circuit for direct cooling of battery cells... such that a coolant can directly flow around at least sections of the battery cells
Data Source
AI summary
A battery device for a motor vehicle powered at least semi-electrically, with a cooling device having a coolant circuit for direct cooling of battery cells and with a battery housing having a housing space for receiving the battery cells. The housing space provides a portion of the coolant circuit, such that a coolant can directly flow around the battery cells. The cooling device includes a terminal device arranged on the battery housing, via which the coolant can be introduced into the battery housing or discharged out of the battery housing. The terminal device provides a degassing opening for the battery housing. In case of a overpressure in the housing space, the degassing opening opens via at least one breaking device.