Battery Thermal Core Structure With PCM and Cooling Fluid
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Solution Overview
Problem
Batteries used in modern applications like electric cars and drones face rapid heating issues, leading to degradation and potential thermal runaway, which existing temperature control systems struggle to manage efficiently, especially when active cooling is energy-intensive and passive cooling fails to maintain desired operating temperatures.
Innovation Solution
A battery device with a housing containing a core structure that separates two interior spaces: one for cooling fluid and another for phase change material, using a triple periodic minimum surface to enhance heat transfer and thermal inertia, allowing for efficient temperature regulation and reduced active cooling needs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If active cooling is used to control battery temperature, then the operating temperature can be maintained in the desired range, but energy consumption increases and system efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The phase change material is pre-positioned around the battery cells to provide immediate thermal buffering when temperature changes occur. This preliminary thermal protection reduces the need for continuous active cooling intervention, allowing the cooling system to operate intermittently rather than continuously, thereby reducing energy consumption while maintaining temperature control.
Solution Approach 2:
The phase change material serves itself by automatically absorbing excess heat when battery temperature rises and releasing heat when temperature drops, without requiring external energy input or control mechanisms. This self-regulating thermal management reduces the burden on the active cooling system, allowing it to operate at lower energy consumption levels while maintaining optimal battery temperature.
2Use of energy by moving object
If passive cooling is used to reduce energy consumption, then energy consumption decreases, but the operating temperature cannot always be kept in the desired range
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges passive cooling (phase change material) with active cooling (fluid circulation system) into a hybrid thermal management system. The phase change material provides passive thermal buffering while the active cooling system provides supplemental cooling when needed, combining the advantages of both approaches to maintain temperature control with reduced energy consumption compared to pure active cooling.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal management system uses a composite approach combining phase change material (passive thermal regulation) with cooling fluid (active thermal regulation). This composite system leverages the high thermal energy storage capacity of the phase change material alongside the heat transfer efficiency of the cooling fluid to maintain battery temperature within the desired range while minimizing energy consumption.
3Temperature
If triple periodic minimum surface is used to increase heat transfer area, then heat transfer efficiency improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The core structure employs a triple periodic minimum surface with curved, undulating geometry that maximizes surface area within a compact volume. This curved surface design provides enhanced heat transfer area between the battery cells and cooling fluid while maintaining a relatively simple overall structural form that can be manufactured as an integrated component, balancing heat transfer efficiency with structural simplicity.
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
The battery device effectively maintains optimal operating temperatures, prolongs service life, reduces energy consumption, and minimizes the risk of thermal runaway by combining active cooling with phase change material thermal damping.
Implementation Method 1
The battery device has a phase change material. The phase change material is arranged in the second interior space
Implementation Method 2
The phase change material may have a high effective thermal mass which greatly increases a thermal inertia of the battery device
Implementation Method 3
The first interior space is configured for a cooling fluid to flow through
Implementation Method 4
The core structure has a wall which is configured substantially in the form of a triple periodic minimum surface
Data Source
AI summary
A battery device has a housing, a core structure arranged in the housing, a first interior space in the housing configured for a cooling fluid to flow through, a second interior space in the housing, a phase change material and at least one battery cell. The core structure separates the first interior space from the second interior space. The core structure has a wall which is configured substantially in the form of a triple periodic minimum surface. The phase change material is arranged in the second interior space. The at least one battery cell is arranged in the first interior space or the second interior space.