Battery Storage Module Structure With Vent Plenum and Skip Connections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery energy storage systems face challenges in optimizing safety, module access, and site energy density, particularly during peak demand and power interruptions, and require improvements in venting and structural integrity.
Innovation Solution
A battery energy storage system is designed with a honeycomb structure formed by vertically stacked modules connected via a top flange and a bottom flange, featuring a plenum and escape duct for efficient venting, and a skip-module electrical architecture to minimize resistance and enhance structural stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If modules are arranged vertically in a honeycomb structure, then structural integrity during lifting is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The battery energy storage system is divided into multiple modular units that can be vertically stacked to form a honeycomb structure. Each module contains standardized components (cells, busbars, cooling plates) that can be independently manufactured and assembled, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining structural integrity through the segmented modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The honeycomb structure utilizes composite material construction combining rigid frame elements with energy-absorbing materials. The modular design incorporates both structural components for strength and specialized materials for energy dissipation during lifting operations, achieving enhanced structural integrity without excessive complexity.
2Reliability
If a plenum with minimized volume is used in the bottom flange, then safety is improved by reducing hydrogen accumulation, but volume of the system decreases which may affect energy density
Solution Approach 1:
The plenum is extracted as a separate, minimized-volume component within the bottom flange structure. By isolating the venting function into a dedicated minimized plenum space rather than integrating it throughout the housing, the system achieves improved safety through reduced hydrogen accumulation volume while maintaining optimal overall energy density.
Solution Approach 2:
The bottom flange structure implements local quality differentiation with a minimized plenum volume specifically positioned to capture vented gases, while the rest of the housing maintains maximum volume for energy storage. This localized optimization ensures safety without compromising overall system energy density.
3Stability of the object's composition
If connecting plates join adjacent modules at the top portion to form a top flange, then structural stability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connection system is segmented into standardized connecting plates that join adjacent modules at the top portion to form a top flange. These modular connecting elements can be manufactured independently using standardized processes, reducing manufacturing complexity while providing robust structural stability for the vertically stacked configuration.
4Loss of energy
If skip-module electrical architecture is used with odd and even designated modules, then electrical resistance is minimized, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical architecture is segmented into skip-module patterns where odd and even designated modules are interconnected through the structural framework. This segmentation creates multiple parallel current paths that minimize electrical resistance while utilizing the existing modular structure, avoiding additional complexity beyond the modular design itself.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery energy storage system including a housing, a top flange disposed at a top portion of the battery energy storage system, a bottom flange including a plenum, disposed at a bottom portion of the battery energy storage system, a middle web disposed between the top flange and the bottom flange, the middle web is defined by several modules arranged vertically in the housing, each of the modules including a module housing and a collection of cells. The top flange, the bottom flange, and the middle web define an I-beam structure of the battery energy storage system. A vent gas management system and a skip-module connection strategy are also disclosed.