Segmented Inter-Battery Spacer for Cooling and Swelling Constraint
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing inter-battery spacers fail to effectively manage the heating of batteries during rapid charging, as they either prioritize mechanical support or fluid flow, neglecting the need for optimal cooling and cost-effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A one-piece inter-battery spacer with a base and longitudinal segments that supports and spaces batteries, allowing for efficient heat exchange and mechanical constraint, while using a dielectric fluid for cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a solid frame or panel spacer is used to maintain battery spacing and prevent swelling, then mechanical support and spacing functions are improved, but fluid flow for cooling is blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer is segmented into a base portion and multiple longitudinal segments, creating gaps between segments that allow fluid flow while maintaining mechanical support. The longitudinal segments are spaced apart to form channels for dielectric fluid circulation, resolving the contradiction between structural integrity and thermal management.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the spacer have different properties: the base provides solid support, while the longitudinal segments create localized flow channels. This local differentiation allows the spacer to simultaneously provide mechanical constraint and facilitate cooling fluid circulation through strategically positioned gaps.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a panel or wall spacer is used to contain mechanical loads during heating, then battery constraint and spacing are improved, but fluid flow for cooling is prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous panel is segmented into discrete longitudinal segments separated by gaps. These segments maintain battery constraint and prevent swelling while the gaps between segments enable dielectric fluid to flow freely around the batteries, achieving both mechanical stability and thermal regulation.
Solution Approach 2:
The gaps between longitudinal segments act as intermediaries that allow fluid passage while the segments themselves provide mechanical constraint. This intermediary structure mediates between the conflicting requirements of battery containment and fluid circulation.
3Loss of energy
If an inter-battery spacer is inserted at upper parts only to facilitate fluid flow, then cooling efficiency is improved, but mechanical protection against swelling is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer extends from the base upward along the vertical dimension, with longitudinal segments providing both fluid flow pathways and mechanical constraint. This vertical extension adds dimensional coverage, enabling the spacer to simultaneously address thermal management and mechanical protection throughout the battery height.
4Reliability
If complex multi-component spacers are used to achieve multiple functions, then thermal regulation and mechanical support are improved, but manufacturing cost and design complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functions (spacing, mechanical support, fluid flow channeling) are merged into a single integrated spacer component. The base and longitudinal segments work together as one piece to simultaneously provide structural support and facilitate cooling, eliminating the need for separate components and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer is designed as a multi-functional element that performs spacing, mechanical constraint, and fluid flow guidance simultaneously. This universal design approach allows one component to fulfill multiple roles, reducing the total number of parts needed in the battery assembly.
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 spacer maintains battery spacing and mechanical integrity, enhances cooling efficiency, and reduces costs by optimizing heat exchange and fluid flow, ensuring reliable thermal regulation.
Implementation Method 1
improve the heat exchanges between the dielectric fluid and the battery
Implementation Method 2
optimize the flow of this dielectric fluid all the way around the battery
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an inter-battery spacer intended to space apart two contiguous battery cells in a housing for battery cells of a vehicle, the spacer consisting of a one-piece element positioned in contact around the first battery cell, the spacer including a base on which the lower face of the first battery cell at least partially rests, and a plurality of longitudinal segments extending from the base in the direction of the upper face of the first battery cell, at least one of the longitudinal segments extending along the large lateral face contiguous with the second battery cell such that the segment is configured to come into contact with the contiguous second battery cell.