Cold Plate Orifice Layout for Uniform Battery Cooling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional cold plate systems for battery cooling suffer from temperature variance and high pressure drops, leading to inefficient heat transfer and increased costs due to the need for high coolant flow rates and heavy, power-intensive pumps.

Innovation Solution

A high efficiency cold plate system is designed with parallel fluid jets and optimized fluid paths to reduce pressure drops and maintain consistent temperatures across the active surface, using input and output plenums with orifice plates to ensure uniform coolant flow and convective heat transfer, and potentially made from carbon composite materials.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If traditional loop style cold plate systems are used, then cooling coverage is provided, but fluid temperature variations occur causing decreased heat transfer efficiency at hot spots

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheat transfer efficiencyVSAvoidfluid temperature variation

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The cold plate is segmented into multiple independent fluid channels with individual inlet ports, allowing each channel to receive coolant at approximately the same temperature from a manifold, thereby eliminating temperature variations along the fluid path and maintaining consistent heat transfer efficiency across all hot spots

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A manifold system is implemented to create equipotential distribution of coolant temperature across all channel inlets, ensuring that each fluid channel receives coolant at the same temperature potential, which eliminates the temperature gradient problem in traditional loop systems and maintains uniform heat transfer efficiency

Inventive Principle:

Principle #12Equipotentiality

2Temperature

If higher coolant flow rates are used to cool hot spots, then temperature control improves, but system pressure drops increase requiring heavier and more power-intensive pumps

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebattery cell temperature controlVSAvoidpump power consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the coolant flow into multiple parallel channels, allowing lower flow rates in each channel to achieve the same cooling effect, thereby reducing overall pressure drop and pump power requirements while maintaining effective temperature control across all battery cells

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Multiple fluid channels are merged through a common manifold system that distributes coolant uniformly to all channels and collects return flow, enabling the system to achieve superior temperature control with lower individual channel flow rates and reduced total pressure drop compared to single-loop systems

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Device complexity

If traditional cold plate designs are used, then simple structure is maintained, but multiple hot spots require significant cooling capacity increasing system weight and cost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecold plate structure simplicityVSAvoidcooling system weight and cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The cold plate is divided into multiple independent fluid channels with individual inlet ports distributed across the surface, allowing each channel to target specific hot spot regions independently, thereby reducing the total cooling capacity required compared to traditional designs that must over-cool entire surfaces to address multiple hot spots

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

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

This configuration achieves stable pressure and temperature across the system, reducing the power required for pumping and enhancing cooling efficiency, ensuring consistent battery cell temperatures and improved performance.

Implementation Method 1

The flat surface may cool the device by transferring heat from a device, such as a battery, to fluid

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Implementation Method 2

using input and output plenums with orifice plates to ensure uniform coolant flow and convective heat transfer

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFluid flow through orifices:

Implementation Method 3

External items needing cooling may be thermally coupled to the flat surface

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentUS12159988B2High efficiency cold plate

Publication Date: 2024.12.03 AMPAIRE INC

AI summary

Systems and methods are provided for a high efficiency cold plate system. A high efficiency cold plate system may include an interior surface. A heat source may be configured adjacent to a lower portion of the interior surface. The interior surface may enclose an interior region. The interior surface may also include members extending across the interior surface. The members may be separated by an orifice. The members and interior surface may defined an inlet region and an outlet region. The inlet and outlet regions may be fluidly joined by an orifice separating the members extending across the interior surface. The members may be angled relative to a lower portion of the interior surface. Angling the members may allow the system to constrain and direct fluid flowing through the system to achieve efficient cooling.