Battery Module Venting Layout for Thermal Runaway Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cylindrical battery modules face safety hazards due to thermal runaway, where an explosion-proof valve of one battery cell affects others through a shared pressure relief cavity, leading to potential safety accidents.
Innovation Solution
A battery module design with individual pressure relief cavities and exhaust ports for each battery cell, separated by longitudinal and cross beams, allowing gases to be directed away from unaffected cells, enhancing safety through independent pressure relief and rapid discharge.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a battery module contains a large number of battery cells (e.g., 96 cells), then the battery module can achieve high voltage and capacity, but the battery module becomes heavy and difficult to cool effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The battery module is divided into multiple battery assemblies, with each assembly containing a subset of battery cells (e.g., 8 cells per assembly × 12 assemblies = 96 cells). This segmentation reduces the weight and thermal management burden on each individual assembly while maintaining the overall high voltage and capacity of the complete module.
2Quantity of substance
If a battery module contains a large number of battery cells, then the battery module can achieve high voltage and capacity, but heat dissipation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the battery module into multiple assemblies with individual cooling channels, heat generated by each assembly can be dissipated locally and efficiently. This segmented thermal management approach prevents heat accumulation and improves overall heat dissipation efficiency compared to a single large-scale cooling system.
Solution Approach 2:
A cooling plate is introduced as an intermediary component between the battery assemblies and the cooling channels. The cooling plate facilitates efficient heat transfer from the battery cells to the cooling fluid, improving heat dissipation effectiveness.
3Device complexity
If battery assemblies are arranged in a conventional manner, then the battery module structure is simple, but the center of gravity becomes unstable and heat dissipation is inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The battery assemblies are arranged in an asymmetric configuration within the module, with specific positioning designed to balance the center of gravity. This asymmetric layout, combined with the strategic placement of cooling channels and structural supports, achieves stable center of gravity while maintaining reasonable structural complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present application provides a battery module and an electric vehicle. The battery module includes a case, a longitudinal beam, and a tray. The case is provided with exhaust ports. The longitudinal beam is disposed in the case and abuts against a bottom surface of the case to partition accommodating areas in the case on both sides of the longitudinal beam along a width direction. The tray is disposed in one of the accommodating areas and is configured to install a battery cell. A through hole opposite to an end of the battery cell is defined on the tray, the tray is spaced from the bottom surface of the case to define a pressure relief cavity, the through hole and the exhaust ports are respectively communicated with the pressure relief cavity. The accommodating areas located on both sides of the longitudinal beam in the case are partitioned by the longitudinal beams, so that gas and ejections discharged from the thermal runaway battery cell will not contact the battery cell in the accommodating area on another side, so as to avoid that the accommodating area on the other side is affected to cause thermal runaway of the battery cells in the whole case.