Coolant Knit Thermal Fabric for EV Battery Cell Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current insulation materials for electric vehicle battery packs, such as fiberglass fabric, fail to effectively prevent thermal runaway and flame propagation, leading to potential overheating and safety issues, and do not provide adequate protection against temperature extremes and mechanical stress.
Innovation Solution
A thermal fabric with a multilayer knit structure and integrated coolant conduit is designed to isolate individual battery cells, maintain temperature within safe limits, and prevent thermal runaway by being disposed between or around cells, providing resilient cushioning and flame resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If fiberglass fabric insulation is used to provide thermal insulation between battery cells, then thermal insulation is provided, but flame propagation resistance is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a multilayer composite fabric structure combining different materials (fiberglass layer for thermal insulation, PTFE layer for flame resistance, and spacer layer for mechanical properties) to simultaneously achieve thermal insulation and flame propagation resistance that single materials cannot provide
Solution Approach 2:
Different layers of the fabric are designed with specific local properties: the fiberglass layer provides thermal insulation where needed, the PTFE layer provides flame resistance at critical interfaces, and the spacer layer provides mechanical cushioning between cells
2Temperature
If fiberglass fabric insulation is used to insulate battery cells, then thermal insulation is provided, but protection against mechanical stress is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The composite fabric structure incorporates a spacer layer with inherent mechanical strength and elasticity to provide cushioning and protection against mechanical stress, while maintaining the thermal insulation properties of the fiberglass layer
Solution Approach 2:
The fabric uses flexible spacer layers and thin film structures that can deform to absorb mechanical stress while maintaining the insulating barrier between battery cells
3Adaptability or versatility
If a single component thermal insulation is designed to provide multiple functions (cushioning, insulation, flame resistance), then multiple functions are integrated, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functional layers (insulation, flame resistance, cushioning) are merged into a single integrated fabric assembly that acts as one component between battery cells, reducing the number of separate parts while providing comprehensive protection
Solution Approach 2:
The multilayer fabric is designed to simultaneously perform multiple functions: thermal insulation, flame propagation resistance, mechanical cushioning, and thermal management, making it a universal solution for battery cell protection
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 thermal fabric effectively maintains cell temperatures within optimal ranges, prevents thermal runaway from spreading, and offers enhanced protection against mechanical stress and thermal hazards, ensuring safer and more reliable battery performance.
Implementation Method 1
a coolant conduit 14 is captured between a pair of the plurality of knit layers 12a, 12b
Implementation Method 2
The thermal fabric 10 is highly flexible and configured to be disposed about cells 16 of an electric vehicle EV battery pack B to maintain the battery pack B in an optimal working temperature range
Data Source
AI summary
A thermal fabric for a battery pack of an electric vehicle has a knit wall including at least one generally planar portion having a plurality of knit layers overlying one another. A coolant conduit is captured between a pair of the knit layers. The thermal fabric is wrappable about the battery pack and/or configured to be disposed between and about adjacent cells of the battery pack to thermally insulate and isolate the cells and protect against thermal runaway and flame propagation both from the battery pack and between adjacent cells.