Battery Module Vent Channels for Thermal Runaway Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Secondary batteries face challenges with explosive reactions generating gas and heat, leading to potential ignition of adjacent cells, necessitating effective gas discharge and heat propagation minimization.
Innovation Solution
A battery module and pack design featuring stacked battery cells with integrated vents and thermal barriers, where vents comprise separate flow channels and partitions to efficiently discharge gases externally, while thermal barriers reduce heat transfer between cells, enhancing stability and space efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If battery cells are stacked closely to improve space utilization, then space efficiency is improved, but heat propagation between adjacent cells increases leading to potential ignition
Solution Approach 1:
The vent is divided into multiple partitions that create separate flow channels, with each partition and its corresponding flow channel dedicated to a specific battery cell. This segmentation prevents gas and heat from one cell from propagating to adjacent cells, while still maintaining close stacking of cells for space efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Thermal barriers are introduced as intermediary components positioned between adjacent battery cells. These thermal barriers act as mediators that block heat transfer between cells while allowing the cells to remain in close proximity for optimized space utilization.
2Device complexity
If a single vent structure is used for multiple battery cells, then device complexity is reduced, but heat and gas from one cell can ignite adjacent cells
Solution Approach 1:
The vent structure is segmented into multiple partitions, with each partition creating a dedicated flow channel for a specific battery cell. This segmentation maintains cell stability by isolating each cell's thermal and gas discharge path, while the entire vent structure remains a single integrated component that does not significantly increase device complexity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If thermal barriers are added between adjacent battery cells, then heat propagation is reduced, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal barriers are merged with the vent structure to form an integrated assembly. The vent and thermal barriers are configured to work together as a unified component system, which simplifies the manufacturing process by reducing the number of separate parts that need to be assembled, while still providing effective heat propagation reduction.
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 design effectively discharges gases and reduces secondary ignitions by heat propagation, improving battery cell stability and space utilization in battery modules and packs.
Implementation Method 1
A vent may comprise a plurality of partitions forming a plurality of flow channels distinguished from each other
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of thermal barriers respectively disposed between adjacent battery cells among a plurality of battery cells
Data Source
AI summary
The battery module according to the present disclosure comprises a plurality of battery cells stacked in one direction; a module case accommodating the plurality of battery cells; and a vent positioned on top of the plurality of battery cells, wherein the vent comprises a plurality of partitions forming a plurality of flow channels distinguished from each other.