Pulsating Heat Pipe Battery Cooling for Low Temperature Gradient
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery cooling methods, such as those using cooling plates and metal heat radiation fins, struggle to efficiently manage thermal stress and temperature gradients in high-performance lithium-ion batteries, leading to inefficiencies and potential thermal runaway due to high heat generation.
Innovation Solution
A pulsating heat pipe-based cooling module is employed, utilizing sealed tubes filled with a working fluid to form channels that act as both condensers and evaporators, connected to heating plates and cooling plates to efficiently transfer heat and minimize temperature differences within battery cells.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a cooling plate with flow path is used for battery cooling, then cooling performance is improved, but pressure drop increases and heat capacity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical pumping system with a pulsating heat pipe that uses phase change of working fluid to transfer heat. The heat pipe eliminates the need for external pumps by utilizing vaporization and condensation cycles, where vapor generated at the evaporator section naturally flows to the condenser section, driving the heat transfer process without mechanical intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs phase transitions of the working fluid within the heat pipe to achieve heat transfer. The working fluid vaporizes at the evaporator section (absorbing heat from batteries) and condenses at the condenser section (releasing heat to the cooling plate), utilizing latent heat of vaporization and condensation to efficiently transfer thermal energy without requiring high-pressure pumping.
2Temperature
If a cooling plate with flow path is used for battery cooling, then cooling performance is improved, but heat capacity decreases due to small flow amount
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes phase transitions of the working fluid to dramatically increase heat capacity. The working fluid absorbs large amounts of heat during vaporization at the evaporator and releases heat during condensation at the condenser. This phase change mechanism allows the system to handle much larger heat loads compared to liquid-only cooling systems, effectively increasing the heat capacity without requiring large volumes of coolant.
Solution Approach 2:
By replacing the pump-driven liquid flow system with a passive phase-change heat pipe system, the patent eliminates flow rate limitations imposed by pumping power constraints. The heat pipe can naturally circulate larger amounts of working fluid through phase change, thereby increasing the total heat capacity of the cooling system without requiring additional mechanical power.
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 pulsating heat pipe system reduces the maximum temperature by about 10 degrees and internal temperature differences by more than five times compared to conventional methods, enhancing thermal management and reducing the need for coolant pumping power.
Implementation Method 1
A portion of each of the plurality of channels functions as a condenser, and another portion functions as an evaporator
Implementation Method 2
A portion of each of the plurality of channels functions as a condenser, and another portion functions as an evaporator
Implementation Method 3
pulsating heat pipe-based cooling module
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a pulsating heat pipe-based battery cooling module and a battery unit including the same. The cooling module using the pulsating heat pipe may include: a plurality of heating plates which are arranged in parallel such that both sides or one side of the heating plates contact a plurality of battery cells, while forming a space in which the plurality of battery cells are accommodatable; at least one cooling plate which allows a coolant to flow; and a plurality of channels which are in contact with the plurality of heating plates and the at least one cooling plate, have a sealed tube shape and a working fluid filled in a portion of the sealed tube shape in such a way as to function as the pulsating heat pipe. The proposed cooling module minimizes the temperature difference within the battery cell and efficiently absorbs the heat, thereby reducing the overall temperature of the battery cell.