Battery Thermal Storage Cooling for EV Range Preservation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing temperature adjustment mechanisms for vehicle batteries, such as those using air-cooled heat exchangers, fail to maintain the battery temperature within an appropriate range in extreme ambient conditions, leading to reduced battery life and increased electric power consumption, which shortens the cruising distance of electric vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A temperature adjustment mechanism that includes a battery-applied pump and a vacuum insulation tank to store cold or hot water, allowing the battery temperature to be adjusted within a predetermined range by circulating the stored water through the circulation path, reducing electric power consumption during input and output operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If air cooling is used for battery temperature adjustment, then the device complexity is reduced, but the battery temperature cannot be maintained within the appropriate range in extreme ambient conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-cools or pre-heats the coolant during off-peak periods when battery temperature adjustment is not critical, storing the cooled or heated coolant in a thermal energy storage device. This preliminary action allows the battery to be maintained at appropriate temperatures during peak operation without requiring continuous high-power cooling/heating, thus maintaining reliability while managing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a liquid coolant circulation system with pump, heat exchanger, and thermal energy storage device to replace or supplement air cooling. The hydraulic system enables precise temperature control of the battery by circulating coolant through battery cooling plates, maintaining reliability in extreme conditions while the system design manages overall complexity.
2Temperature
If coolant circulation with air-cooled heat exchanger is used, then the battery temperature can be adjusted, but the temperature rises above appropriate range in summer and falls below appropriate range in winter
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary cooling or heating of the coolant and stores it in a thermal energy storage device during periods when battery temperature adjustment is not the priority. This advance preparation enables the system to maintain appropriate battery temperatures in extreme summer and winter conditions without requiring continuous operation of high-power cooling or heating systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the thermal parameters of the coolant by pre-cooling or pre-heating it before it reaches the battery. The thermal energy storage device stores coolant at optimized temperatures, and the system adjusts coolant flow temperature and flow rate parameters to adapt to different ambient conditions, enabling the battery to operate within appropriate temperature ranges in both summer and winter.
3Reliability
If cold energy source or hot energy source is driven by battery electric power, then the battery temperature can be maintained within appropriate range, but the charge amount decreases and cruising distance is shortened
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs cooling or heating operations in advance and stores the thermally processed coolant in a thermal energy storage device. This preliminary action allows the battery temperature to be maintained at appropriate levels without requiring continuous operation of energy-consuming cold or hot energy sources, thereby reducing electric power consumption and extending cruising distance while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system recovers and stores thermal energy in the form of pre-cooled or pre-heated coolant in the thermal energy storage device. Instead of continuously consuming electric power to run cold or hot energy sources, the system recovers the thermal effect in advance and reuses it, significantly reducing ongoing energy consumption while maintaining battery temperature reliability.
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 effectively maintains the battery temperature within a suitable range, reducing electric power consumption and extending the battery life, thereby increasing the cruising distance of electric vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum insulation tank in which either cold water generated by a cold energy source due to consumption of energy or hot water heated by a hot energy source due to consumption of energy is stored
Implementation Method 2
the cold water or the hot water stored in the vacuum insulation tank is supplied to the circulation path by driving the battery-applied pump
Data Source
AI summary
A temperature adjustment mechanism for a vehicle includes a battery-applied pump and circulation paths, and adjusts a temperature of a battery chargeable from an external power supply outside the vehicle to be within a predetermined temperature range. The temperature adjustment mechanism further includes a vacuum insulation tank in which either cold water generated by a cold energy source or hot water heated by a hot energy source is stored according to an ambient temperature during charging of the battery from the external power supply. At a time of input and output of electric power in the battery excluding a charge from the external power supply, the vacuum insulation tank is connected to the circulation paths, the cold water or the hot water stored in the vacuum insulation tank is supplied to the battery by driving the battery-applied pump, and a battery temperature is kept within the temperature range.