Cooler-to-Housing Interface With Mechanical Decoupling and Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional liquid cooling interfaces for battery cells and modules are prone to damage from external mechanical forces and lack mechanical decoupling and positive substance jointing within the electrical space, leading to potential coolant leakage and increased risk of damage to the cooling system.
Innovation Solution
A cooling interface system that mechanically decouples the coolant interface from the cooling system, featuring a housing with an inset and interface body configuration that allows for slidable insertion of cooling pipes, provides a fluid-tight seal, and includes a drain channel for coolant drainage, enabling tolerance compensation and positive substance jointing, thus preventing external force transmission and facilitating easy replacement of damaged seals without opening the electrical space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional liquid cooling interfaces are used to connect coolant supply to cooling system, then cooling function is provided, but the interface is prone to damage from external mechanical forces and lacks mechanical decoupling
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling interface is divided into separate components: an inset embedded in the housing wall and an interface body that connects to the cooling system. This segmentation allows the interface body to be mechanically decoupled from the housing, preventing external mechanical forces from being transmitted to the internal cooling pipes while maintaining the cooling function.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface body acts as an intermediary element between the housing and the cooling system. It provides mechanical decoupling by absorbing external forces before they can reach the vulnerable cooling pipes, while still maintaining fluid-tight connection for coolant flow.
2Reliability
If conventional cooling interfaces are used, then coolant flow is enabled, but there is increased risk of coolant leakage due to lack of fluid-tight sealing and positive substance jointing
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function and mechanical connection are merged into a single integrated interface body design. The interface body provides both structural support and fluid-tight sealing through its integrated geometry, eliminating gaps and potential leakage paths between the housing and cooling system components.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface body is designed as a replaceable component that can be easily removed and replaced if damaged or degraded. This disposable approach ensures that sealing performance is maintained by replacing worn components rather than attempting complex repairs, preventing coolant leakage.
3Ease of repair
If conventional cooling interfaces are used, then cooling connection is provided, but maintenance and replacement of seals requires opening the electrical space
Solution Approach 1:
The interface body is designed as a separate, externally accessible component that can be removed independently from the housing and cooling system. This segmentation allows seals and gaskets to be replaced by simply removing the interface body from the outside, without needing to open the electrical space or disassemble internal components.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface body is designed for easy self-service maintenance, with features such as external access, simple removal mechanisms, and replaceable seal components. This allows maintenance personnel to service the cooling interface without requiring complex disassembly procedures or access to the electrical space.
Data Source
AI summary
An interface system for mechanically decoupling a cooling system includes: a housing having an opening; an inset having opposite first and second sides; an interface body having first and second ends and a bore-hole open to the first and second ends thereof. The inset has a recess in the second side to accommodate the interface body. The interface body is at least partially inserted into the inset, and the inset is at least partially inserted into the opening in the housing such that the first side of the inset is inside the housing. The first side of the inset has an opening open to the bore-hole of the interface body. One end of the bore-hole is configured to slidably receive an inlet of a cooling pipe, and the other end of the bore-hole is configured to be connected, in a fluid-tight manner, with an external coolant supply or coolant discharge.