Segmented EV Battery Cooling With Individual Coolant Flow Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current cooling systems for electric vehicle battery cells fail to address individual cooling needs of segmented battery modules, leading to inefficient heat management and potential damage due to improper temperature control during high-current charging sessions.
Innovation Solution
A segmented cooling architecture that utilizes sensor information from each battery module to calculate and control the optimal coolant flow rate through heat exchangers, ensuring individualized cooling for each energy storage device, either with an internal or external cooling unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single cooling system is used for all battery modules, then the device complexity is reduced, but the temperature control precision for individual modules deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is divided into multiple independent cooling circuits, each serving a specific battery module. Each cooling circuit includes its own pump, heat exchanger, and temperature sensors, allowing individualized temperature control for each battery module based on its specific thermal conditions and state of charge.
2Productivity
If high current charging is performed to reduce downtime, then the productivity is improved, but the heat generation increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Temperature sensors in each battery module provide real-time feedback to the battery management system. Based on this feedback and the state of charge information, the system dynamically adjusts the cooling pump speeds and heat exchanger operations to maintain optimal charging temperatures even during high-current charging operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters (pump speed, heat exchanger flow rate) based on real-time temperature and state of charge conditions, allowing the battery to accept higher charging currents when cooling capacity is sufficient and reducing currents when thermal limits are approached.
3Ease of operation
If uniform coolant flow is provided to all battery modules, then the ease of operation is improved, but the cooling efficiency for individual modules deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system transitions from static uniform flow distribution to dynamic flow distribution. Each cooling circuit's pump speed and heat exchanger flow rate are dynamically adjusted based on real-time temperature measurements and state of charge information, optimizing cooling efficiency for each battery module's specific conditions.
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 approach effectively maintains optimal temperature ranges for battery cells, prolongs battery lifespan, reduces cooling unit power requirements, and allows for more efficient heat management during charging and motorized operation, enabling the use of less expensive cooling methods during discharge.
Implementation Method 1
Each energy storage device includes a heat exchanger in thermal conductivity with a segmented battery module
Implementation Method 2
The segmented cooling architecture utilizes sensor information from each battery module to calculate and control the optimal coolant flow rate through heat exchangers
Data Source
AI summary
A system or method for individualized coolant flow to each of a plurality of energy storage devices 10 housed in an electric vehicle. Each energy storage device 10 includes a heat exchanger 11 coupled in thermal conductivity with a segmented battery module 13. The segmented battery module 13 includes battery cells 13B and sensors (13C, 13D, and 13E). The heat exchanger 11 includes an HE flow controller 11C. Individual sensor information for each energy storage device 10 is collected via the BMU 13A of each segmented battery module 13. The charging SCC 22 uses this individual sensor information to calculate the HE flow rate of coolant pumped through each energy storage device's 10 heat exchanger 11 to cool the battery cells 13B of the energy storage device 10. Coolant delivered to the heat exchangers 11 is cooled by an external cooling unit 21 of a power source 20 during each charging session.