Counter-Flow Cold Plate Layout for Uniform Battery Cell Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery thermal management systems face challenges in maintaining temperature uniformity across heat exchangers, leading to inconsistent cooling and potential temperature differentials between battery cells, which can affect the performance and longevity of rechargeable batteries in applications like electric vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A counter-flow heat exchanger design featuring alternating first and second fluid flow passages with opposite flow directions, integrated into a modular structure that allows for flexible sizing and improved temperature uniformity by ensuring consistent coolant temperature across the heat exchange surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a cold plate heat exchanger is used with coolant flowing through fluid channels, then heat dissipation from battery cells is achieved, but temperature uniformity across the heat exchanger surface deteriorates due to inherent temperature differential between inlet and outlet ends
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies counter-flow arrangement where coolant flows in opposite directions through adjacent fluid channels. This inversion of the conventional parallel-flow approach allows the coldest coolant to contact the hottest battery cell regions (near outlet) and progressively warmer coolant to contact cooler regions (near inlet), thereby equalizing temperature distribution across the heat exchanger surface and eliminating the inherent temperature differential problem.
2Temperature
If inter-cell elements are arranged between adjacent battery cells, then cooling coverage is improved, but device complexity increases due to multiple interconnected heat exchangers requiring common inlet and outlet manifolds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple inter-cell heat exchanger elements into a single integrated cold plate structure that contacts multiple battery cells simultaneously. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate inlet and outlet manifolds for each individual heat exchanger, reducing system complexity while maintaining comprehensive cooling coverage across all battery cells through the unified counter-flow channel arrangement.
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 counter-flow heat exchanger design enhances temperature uniformity, leading to more consistent cooling and improved thermal management of battery units, reducing the risk of temperature differentials and extending battery performance and lifespan.
Implementation Method 1
surface-to-surface contact with a corresponding surface of at least one of the battery cell containers
Implementation Method 2
the coolant travelling through the heat exchangers removes thermal energy from the battery cells
Data Source
AI summary
A heat exchanger for thermal management of battery units made-up of a plurality of battery cells or battery cell containers housing one or more battery cells. The heat exchanger has a main body portion defining at least one primary heat transfer surface for surface-to-surface contact with a corresponding surface of at least one of the battery cells or containers. A plurality of alternating first and second fluid flow passages are formed within the main body portion each defining a flow direction, the flow direction through the first fluid flow passages being generally opposite to the flow direction through the second fluid flow passages. In some embodiments the heat exchanger has two pairs of inlet and outlet manifolds, providing a single-pass, counter-flow arrangement. In other embodiments the first and second fluid flow passages are interconnected by turn portions forming a U-flow, counter-flow heat exchanger.