Battery Ventilation Enclosure With Dimpled Cooling and Low Pressure Drop

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Solution Overview

Problem

Industrial Li-ion batteries face challenges in cooling due to the lack of a thermo-management system, leading to inefficient heat transfer, temperature imbalance, and increased aging, as well as vibration and acoustic issues with external fan placement.

Innovation Solution

A ventilation enclosure with dimpled sidewalls and a top ventilation element that induces turbulent airflow, enhancing heat transfer and reducing pressure drop while maintaining ingress protection by integrating directly with the battery housing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If fans are positioned outside the battery, then ingress protection (IP) rating is guaranteed, but complex design adaptations are needed and homogeneous flow over battery surfaces is difficult to achieve

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveingress protectionVSAvoiddesign complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The ventilation enclosure merges the fan housing with the battery enclosure structure, integrating the ventilation function directly into the battery housing rather than using separate external components. This reduces design complexity while maintaining IP protection through the integrated sealed design.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Reliability

If fans are positioned outside the battery, then ingress protection (IP) rating is guaranteed, but homogeneous flow over battery surfaces is difficult to achieve

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveingress protectionVSAvoidflow uniformity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The enclosure incorporates turbulence-enhancing features such as dimples and protrusions at specific locations on the surface, creating locally varied flow characteristics that collectively achieve homogeneous cooling across the entire battery surface. Different regions of the enclosure have different surface features optimized for their specific cooling requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Temperature

If higher volume flow rates are used to increase thermal performance, then heat transfer coefficient improves, but pressure drop increases and fan power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvethermal performanceVSAvoidfan power consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The enclosure employs curved surfaces, domes, and rounded features instead of flat planar surfaces. These curved geometries naturally guide airflow along the surface, reducing flow separation and turbulence losses, thereby decreasing pressure drop for the same volumetric flow rate and reducing fan power requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

The enclosure modifies airflow parameters through surface features that induce controlled turbulence and alter flow velocity distributions. By changing the flow regime and distribution characteristics rather than simply increasing volume flow rate, the system achieves improved heat transfer with minimal increase in power consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Temperature

If external air flow baffles/plates are used for cooling, then ventilation is achieved, but vibration and acoustic problems occur due to lack of integration

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooling effectivenessVSAvoidvibration and noise

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The ventilation enclosure merges the air flow guidance function with the structural housing, eliminating separate external baffles and plates that cause vibration. The integrated design ensures all ventilation surfaces are structurally supported by the battery housing, reducing vibration and noise while maintaining effective airflow management.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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 solution provides improved thermal performance, reduced vibration, and consistent temperature distribution across the battery assembly, extending battery life and reducing noise, without increasing fan power consumption.

Implementation Method 1

operating the one or more ventilation elements, thereby inducing airflow in the space between the sidewalls and an exterior housing of the battery assembly

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectForced Convection: Forced Convection

Implementation Method 2

Each of the sidewalls comprises a plurality of dimples formed therein and configured to contact an exterior housing of the battery assembly

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Data Source

PatentUS20240356104A1Adaptable battery ventilation enclosure with integrated turbulence enhancing cover

Publication Date: 2024.10.24 BLUE ORIGIN MANUFACTURING LLC

AI summary

Ventilation enclosures (10) for use with battery assemblies (11) and methods of cooling battery assemblies using the same are provided. The ventilation enclosures (10) comprise one or more sidewalls (14, 16) having a plurality of inwardly projecting dimples (26) formed therein. The dimples (26) physically contact a battery assembly housing (13) to provide for conductive heat transfer between the housing and the enclosure (10). The dimples (26) also improve convective heat transfer away from the battery assembly housing (13) by inducing more turbulent air flow within the space (20) located between the housing and the ventilation enclosure (10).