Battery Pack Cold Plate and Potting Layout for Uniform Cell Cooling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Cylindrical battery systems face issues with low volume utilization efficiency due to serpentine tubes occupying significant space, high component count leading to high costs, and poor heat dissipation uniformity among cells.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack design that omits serpentine plates by arranging cells in a horizontal plane with equal spacing, using a cold plate on either side of the cell assembly, and incorporating a potting adhesive for consistent heat conduction and improved heat dissipation, along with a foaming adhesive layer for support and pressure relief.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If serpentine tubes are used as cooling pipelines between multiple columnar cells, then cooling function is provided, but volume utilization efficiency decreases due to large space occupied by serpentine tubes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cooling function with the structural support function by integrating the cold plate into the battery pack framework. The cold plate serves dual purposes: providing cooling pathways for thermal management and acting as a structural support element, thereby eliminating the need for separate serpentine cooling tubes and improving volume utilization efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from using serpentine tubes that occupy horizontal space between cells to using a cold plate positioned above or below the cell assembly. This dimensional shift from in-plane cooling to out-of-plane cooling releases horizontal space for tighter cell packing while maintaining effective thermal management.
2Temperature
If serpentine tubes are used for cooling between cells, then cooling is achieved, but the number of components increases leading to higher cost
Solution Approach 1:
The cold plate integrates multiple functions into a single component: thermal management (cooling), structural support, and potential electrical insulation. This consolidation reduces the total component count compared to using separate serpentine cooling tubes, cell holders, and insulation elements, thereby lowering manufacturing costs and assembly complexity.
3Temperature
If serpentine tubes are used for cooling, then cooling function is provided, but heat dissipation uniformity among multiple cells is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The cold plate provides universal cooling coverage to all cells through its extended surface area that contacts or closely approaches multiple cells simultaneously. This multi-cell contact design ensures uniform heat dissipation across the cell assembly, addressing the non-uniform cooling issue associated with serpentine tubes that may have varying distances from different cells.
4Manufacturing precision
If cells are arranged in horizontal plane with equal spacing and potting adhesive is used, then heat dissipation uniformity improves, but assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the potting adhesive application with the cold plate installation process. The adhesive serves dual purposes: securing the cold plate in position and providing thermal interface material between the cold plate and cells. This integration simplifies assembly by combining mounting and thermal coupling steps into a single operation.
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
Enhances energy density, simplifies structure, improves heat dissipation uniformity, reduces parts, and facilitates faster assembly, resulting in longer endurance and reduced risk of thermal runaway.
Implementation Method 1
the consistency of heat conduction from each cell to the potting adhesive is good
Implementation Method 2
the contact between the cold plate and a colloid of the potting adhesive improves the heat dissipation uniformity of the cell assembly
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack includes a box, a cold plate and a cell assembly. The box is provided with an accommodation space. The cell assembly is located in the accommodation space and includes multiple cells. The multiple cells are arranged in a horizontal plane and are disposed at equal spacing. A potting adhesive is filled in the cell assembly. The cold plate fits an upper side and/or a lower side of the cell assembly and the potting adhesive.