Thermal Busbar Bracket With Heat-Release Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thermal management systems in electric vehicles face challenges in efficiently transferring heat from high-voltage busbars to cold plates while maintaining electrical isolation, particularly during thermal runaway events or high-temperature situations.
Innovation Solution
A thermally conductive bracket with heat-actuated clasps that automatically disconnects from the busbar when a temperature threshold is exceeded, ensuring electrical isolation by expanding to create gaps and preventing arcing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a thermally conductive bracket is used to transfer heat from busbar to cold plate, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but electrical isolation reliability deteriorates during thermal runaway events
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket incorporates heat-actuated clasps that dynamically change state based on temperature. At normal operating temperatures, the clasps maintain a latched position ensuring electrical isolation while allowing thermal conduction. When temperature exceeds a threshold (thermal runaway), the clasps automatically transition to an unlatched position, creating gaps that sever the electrical pathway while maintaining thermal management capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket utilizes materials with specific thermal properties that change at critical temperatures. The heat-actuated clasps are made from materials whose mechanical properties (such as yield strength or dimensional stability) change dramatically at thermal runaway temperatures, causing automatic disengagement. This parameter change enables the bracket to switch from an electrically conductive state to an electrically isolative state in response to temperature changes.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If the bracket maintains constant contact with the busbar for heat transfer, then thermal pathway continuity is improved, but risk of short circuits increases during high temperature events
Solution Approach 1:
The heat-actuated clasps serve as intermediary components between the bracket and the busbar. These clasps provide a controlled interface that allows thermal energy to pass through while being capable of interrupting electrical current flow. When activated by temperature, the clasps create an intentional gap that acts as an electrical insulator, thereby mediating between the need for thermal contact and the need for electrical isolation during hazardous conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket is segmented into multiple components including the main body and separate heat-actuated clasps. This segmentation allows the clasps to independently respond to temperature changes by disengaging from the busbar, thereby creating discontinuous electrical pathways while maintaining the overall structural integrity and thermal management function of the bracket system.
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 bracket effectively transfers heat from the busbar to the cold plate while maintaining electrical isolation, preventing short circuits during thermal runaway events by automatically disconnecting, thus ensuring safety and efficient heat dissipation.
Implementation Method 1
The sides and bottom may include a thermally expansive material configured to produce an expansion when heated to the temperature threshold whereby the expansion actuates the clasps from the latched position to the unlatched position.
Implementation Method 2
The bracket may include a thermally conductive heat transfer material shaped to receive the busbar where at least a portion of the material may be configured to include opposed sides and a bottom such that the opposed sides transfer heat from the busbar to the bottom and the bottom transferring heat from the sides to the cold plate.
Data Source
AI summary
A thermally conductive bracket is contemplated for use in a vehicle to facilitate transfer heat from a busbar to a cold plate, such as to assist with heat transfer to a cold plate used to act as a heat sink for a plurality of battery cells connected to the busbar. The bracket may include a thermally conductive heat transfer material shaped to receive the busbar where at least a portion of the material is configured to include opposed sides and a bottom such that the opposed sides are configured to transfer heat from the busbar to the bottom and the bottom is configured to transfer heat from the sides to the cold plate.