Electric Device Housing Rack Flow Divider for Uniform Cooling

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional electric device housing racks face issues with uneven cooling, leading to variations in service life and functionality of electric devices, particularly in systems like disk array and electricity storage systems, where temperature distribution and fan placement contribute to inadequate cooling.

Innovation Solution

The electric device housing rack incorporates a configuration with a first and second housing for secondary battery modules, an air inlet positioned between them, and a flow divider that directs air flow vertically to both housings, ensuring balanced cooling by dividing the air into upward and downward directions, and includes an air outlet for expelling heated air, thereby improving cooling performance and reducing temperature disparities.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If cooling fans are provided per pack of three modules in series to cool each secondary battery module by air, then cooling coverage is improved, but uneven cooling occurs leading to temperature disparities among modules

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooling coverageVSAvoidtemperature uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The rack is divided into multiple cooling zones with air inlets positioned between housings, and a flow divider segments the air flow to distribute cooling air uniformly to adjacent housings, preventing temperature disparities among modules

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A flow divider is introduced as an intermediary component between the air inlet and the housings to regulate and distribute air flow, ensuring uniform cooling across all modules by controlling the air distribution pattern

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Device complexity

If air cooling is used for electric devices in the rack, then cooling simplicity is maintained, but uneven cooling leads to reduced service life and function deterioration

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooling system simplicityVSAvoiddevice service life
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

A flow divider is introduced as a simple intermediary component that passively distributes air flow to adjacent housings, achieving uniform cooling without adding complex active control systems, thereby maintaining cooling system simplicity while improving reliability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

Air inlets are positioned locally between specific housings, and the flow divider directs air flow to specific adjacent housings, creating localized cooling zones that address the cooling needs of each device location uniformly

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

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

This configuration effectively reduces uneven cooling, minimizing variations in service life and functionality of electric devices, enhancing the reliability of the overall system by maintaining consistent temperature ranges across housed modules.

Implementation Method 1

a flow divider that divides air drawn in by the air inlet into air flowing toward the first housing and air flowing toward the second housing

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAir flow division:

Implementation Method 2

a cooling passage that allows cooling air drawn from the outside to flow toward the rear side of the rack while passing through the secondary battery modules housed in the first and second housings

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectConvection cooling: Convection

Data Source

PatentEP2975670B1Electric device housing rack and battery housing system
Publication Date: 2019.09.04 PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO LTD
  • EP2975670B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2975670B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2C
  • EP2975670B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

In an electric device housing rack (1), cooling air drawn in by an air inlet (102) from outside of a casing (100) is guided to a first housing (101 a) and a second housing (101b) by a flow divider (103), and then the cooling air passes through a ventilation opening (106) and inside of a secondary battery module (201) via a heat vent (202), whereby the secondary battery module (201) is cooled.