Pouch Cell Battery Pack Layout for Thermal Balance Under High Load
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Solution Overview
Problem
Battery packs experience thermal imbalance under heavy electrical load, leading to premature safety shutdowns due to excessive internal temperature increases, despite available battery capacity.
Innovation Solution
A thermally balanced battery pack design featuring pouch cells with flat sides abutting inner housing walls to form heat sinks, edge sides contacting heat-conducting side walls, and volume compensation elements made of heat-conducting material to enhance heat dissipation, along with a cable channel and longitudinal ribs for improved cooling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If several battery cells are arranged close together in the housing's receiving space to provide a powerful, small-sized battery pack, then the power density and compactness are improved, but the internal temperature increases excessively due to poor heat dissipation from inner battery cells
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pack is segmented into outer battery cells and inner battery cells with distinct thermal management roles. Outer battery cells are positioned to contact heat-conducting housing surfaces, while inner battery cells are thermally coupled to outer cells, creating a segmented thermal conduction path that enables effective heat dissipation from all cells.
Solution Approach 2:
Outer battery cells serve as thermal intermediaries, conducting heat away from inner battery cells to the heat-conducting housing. This intermediary thermal conduction path allows inner battery cells to dissipate heat indirectly through outer cells, preventing excessive temperature rise while maintaining compact arrangement.
2Quantity of substance
If battery cells are tightly arranged to maximize space utilization, then the compactness and energy density are improved, but thermal balance is compromised due to restricted heat dissipation paths
Solution Approach 1:
The heat-conducting housing serves multiple functions: it provides structural containment for battery cells and simultaneously acts as a thermal management system. The housing's heat-conducting material property enables it to function both as a mechanical structure and as a heat dissipation pathway, maintaining thermal balance while maximizing battery capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The structural housing and thermal management system are merged into a single integrated component. The housing is constructed from heat-conducting material that directly contacts battery cells, combining mechanical support and heat dissipation functions into one element, thereby maintaining thermal balance without sacrificing battery capacity.
3Temperature
If outer battery cells are used as heat sinks to transfer heat to the housing, then the thermal management is improved, but the housing material requirements become more stringent
Solution Approach 1:
The housing material is selected with specific thermal conductivity parameters exceeding conventional standards. By changing the material parameter (thermal conductivity) to be greater than that of typical plastics, the housing becomes capable of functioning as an effective heat sink, enabling outer battery cells to efficiently transfer heat to the housing structure.
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 design effectively maintains temperature balance between inner and outer battery cells, preventing thermal overload and ensuring efficient heat dissipation, even under heavy load conditions.
Implementation Method 1
At least the side walls of the housing are made of a heat-conducting material. A material is considered to be heat-conducting if its thermal conductivity exceeds 10 W/mK.
Implementation Method 2
The outer battery cells of the cell assembly rest with their flat sides against the inner surfaces of the first side walls of the housing to transfer heat.
Implementation Method 3
The inner battery cells lie on the facing flat sides of the outer battery cells of the cell assembly to transfer heat.
Implementation Method 4
The volume compensation element includes, in particular, heat-conducting material.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack has a closed housing with an inner receiving space for several battery cells. The housing has a general basic shape with first and second side walls. The side walls of the housing are made of a heat-conducting material. The inner surfaces of the side walls limit the receiving space. In order to create a thermally balanced battery pack, a cell assembly including several battery cells is accommodated in the receiving space. A battery cell has flat sides and edge sides. The battery cells lie with their flat sides stacked next to each other such that there are outer battery cells and inner battery cells. The outer battery cells rest with their flat sides in a flat and heat-transferring manner against the inner surfaces of the first side walls of the housing, and the inner battery cells are heat-transferring to the outer battery cells of the cell assembly.