Solid-State Battery Coolant Venting for Thermal Propagation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical energy stores for motor vehicles face challenges in ensuring secure operation, particularly in preventing thermal propagation and managing thermal events such as electrical short-circuits, which can lead to overheating and release of hazardous gases.
Innovation Solution
The electrical energy store incorporates a solid-body battery configuration with a cooling system that includes a line element with a closure element and outflow opening, where the closure element melts at a lower temperature than the line element to release coolant fluid for immersion cooling of the storage cells, thereby preventing thermal propagation and managing thermal events effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a cooling system with line elements is used to cool storage cells, then thermal management is improved, but the risk of thermal propagation and hazardous gas release increases during thermal events
Solution Approach 1:
The closure element is pre-positioned to seal the outflow opening during normal operation, preventing coolant leakage. When thermal runaway occurs and temperature exceeds the closure element's melting point, it automatically melts and opens the outflow path, enabling emergency coolant discharge to suppress thermal propagation without requiring active control systems
Solution Approach 2:
The system exploits the phase change parameter of the closure element material, which transitions from solid to liquid at a specific temperature threshold. This parameter change automatically triggers the safety mechanism: below the melting point, the closure element seals the opening; above it, the melted material opens the outflow path for emergency cooling
2Reliability
If the closure element melts to release coolant fluid, then emergency cooling is activated, but the structural integrity of the line element may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The line element exhibits spatially differentiated material properties: the closure element portion has a low melting point material composition designed to melt at thermal event temperatures, while the main longitudinal region maintains high-temperature structural integrity. This local quality differentiation enables the closure element to sacrifice itself for safety while preserving the overall line element structure
Solution Approach 2:
The line element is functionally segmented into distinct regions with different thermal responses: the closure element segment is designed to undergo phase change at lower temperatures to activate safety mechanisms, whereas the longitudinal region segment maintains structural stability at higher temperatures to preserve system integrity
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 solution achieves secure operation by effectively cooling the storage cells through immersion cooling, preventing thermal propagation, and capturing hazardous gases, thus ensuring the safe and efficient operation of the electrical energy store.
Implementation Method 1
the closure element melts at a lower temperature than the line element to release coolant fluid for immersion cooling
Implementation Method 2
release coolant fluid for immersion cooling of the storage cells
Implementation Method 3
heat can be transferred from the respective storage cell to the line element, particularly along at least one thermal conduction path
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical energy store for the storage of electrical energy for a motor vehicle, includes a housing which delimits a receptacle space, storage cells which are arranged in the receptacle space for the storage of the electrical energy, and a line element, which accommodates a through-flow of a coolant fluid for cooling the energy store. The line element has at least one longitudinal region which is routed in the receptacle space and is constituted of a first material having a first melting temperature, and at least one outflow opening that terminates in the receptacle space. A closure element closes the outflow opening and is constituted of a second material, which differs from the first material and has a second melting temperature which is lower than the first melting temperature. The closure element is to be melted for the release of the outflow opening. The storage cells are constituted as solid-body accumulators.