Flexible Cooling Bladder for Electrical Contact Body
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling solutions for electrically conductive contact bodies, particularly in battery modules, fail to provide consistent and efficient cooling, leading to overheating and reduced lifespan due to thermal loads and mechanical stress.
Innovation Solution
A flexible cooling lance with a fluid-filled bladder that adapts to the contact body's recess, providing a large contact area and efficient heat transfer, while being protected from mechanical loads and optimized for space efficiency, using a thermally insulated fluid line and a chemically resistant membrane to maintain coolant integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a rigid cooling structure is used, then structural strength is improved, but adaptability to different contact body geometries deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling structure employs a flexible bladder that can dynamically change its shape and conform to different geometries of the contact body. The bladder's flexibility allows it to adapt to various recess shapes while maintaining structural integrity through the fluid pressure system and external housing protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a flexible bladder made of thin-walled material that can deform and conform to the contours of the contact body recess. This flexible shell approach enables the cooling structure to adapt to different geometries while the fluid-filled interior maintains structural stability.
2Temperature
If a large cooling structure is used, then cooling performance is improved, but space requirement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling bladder is nested within a recess of the contact body, utilizing the existing space efficiently. The bladder conforms to the recess geometry, maximizing cooling surface area within the available space without requiring additional external volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible bladder transforms the cooling approach by utilizing the internal volume and surface area of the recess in three-dimensional space. By conforming to the recess walls and distributing coolant across multiple surfaces, the system achieves enhanced cooling performance within a compact footprint.
3Temperature
If the cooling bladder is made thin-walled, then heat transfer efficiency is improved, but mechanical strength deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The bladder is constructed with thin-walled flexible material that maximizes thermal contact with the recess walls while maintaining sufficient mechanical strength through the flexibility and conformability to the recess geometry. The thin walls reduce thermal resistance and improve heat transfer efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The bladder design copies and conforms to the exact geometry of the recess, ensuring maximum surface contact area for heat transfer. This geometric replication optimizes thermal coupling between the coolant and contact body while the thin-walled construction maintains flexibility and strength balance.
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 solution ensures continuous and effective cooling of the contact body, preventing overheating and mechanical damage, with a compact design suitable for vehicles, maintaining performance and extending the lifespan of the contact arrangement.
Implementation Method 1
The flexible cooling bladder can be filled with a fluid and inserted into a recess of an electrically conductive contact body... efficient heat transfer... continuous and effective cooling of the contact body
Implementation Method 2
a lance body 20 which has at least one fluid line 26 for connection to a pump 31
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a cooling lance (2) for cooling an electrically conductive contact body (4). The cooling lance (2) has a lance body (20) with at least one fluid line (26) for connection to a pump (31). In order to achieve cooling which is as efficient as possible with low weight and a large contact area, the at least one fluid line (26) opens into a flexible cooling bladder (36) which can be filled with a fluid and inserted into a recess (54) of the electrically conductive contact body (4). Furthermore, the invention relates to an electrical contact arrangement (1) for the connection of electrical conductors (51, 53), having an electrically conductive contact body (4) which is provided with a recess (54) and having a cooling lance (2), wherein a flexible cooling bladder (36) of the cooling lance (2) is arranged in the recess (54) at least in sections. The invention further relates to the use of a cooling lance (2) for cooling an electrically conductive contact body (4). Since the flexible cooling bladder (36) is situated in the recess (54) of the contact body (4), the cooling bladder (36) can contact a large contact area, thereby making the cooling of the contact body (4) as efficient and homogeneous as possible.