Traction Battery Pack Cooling for Cells, Busbars, and Terminals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current thermal management systems for electrified vehicle traction battery packs are inadequate in efficiently cooling both battery cells and external components like busbars and terminals, leading to potential thermal issues and reduced performance.
Innovation Solution
A dual cooling system is implemented, comprising a primary cooling system that directs a coolant through the battery modules to manage battery cell temperatures and a secondary cooling system that uses airflow or dielectric fluid to cool busbars and terminals within the enclosure assembly, establishing separate cooling paths for effective thermal management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single cooling system is used for the battery pack, then the device complexity is reduced, but the thermal management effectiveness for both battery cells and external components deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is divided into two independent subsystems: a primary cooling system with coolant flow paths for battery cell cooling, and a secondary cooling system with separate airflow paths for external component cooling. This segmentation allows each subsystem to be optimized for its specific cooling requirements without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
Different cooling methods are applied to different regions of the battery pack: liquid coolant is used in the primary cooling system for high-heat battery cells, while airflow is used in the secondary cooling system for external components like busbars and terminals. This local differentiation of cooling quality matches the thermal characteristics of each component.
2Temperature
If coolant is directed through battery modules only, then battery cell cooling is improved, but external component cooling becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into two independent paths: the primary cooling system directs coolant through battery modules for cell cooling, while the secondary cooling system provides separate airflow paths that reach external components like busbars and terminals, ensuring both are adequately cooled.
Solution Approach 2:
The enclosure assembly acts as an intermediary structure that houses both cooling systems and facilitates heat transfer. It provides mounting surfaces for cooling components and creates flow paths that enable the secondary cooling system to effectively cool external components while the primary system cools battery cells.
3Area of stationary object
If airflow is used for cooling, then the cooling coverage area is increased, but the heat transfer efficiency compared to liquid coolant decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Liquid coolant with high heat transfer efficiency is applied locally to battery cells through the primary cooling system, while airflow with lower heat transfer efficiency but broader coverage is applied to external components through the secondary cooling system. This matches the cooling medium properties to the thermal characteristics of each component.
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 dual cooling system enhances heat transfer efficiency, stabilizes battery cell temperatures, and effectively manages thermal events, improving the overall performance and reliability of the traction battery pack.
Implementation Method 1
a primary cooling system configured for directing a first cooling fluid through a first interior volume of each of the plurality of battery modules
Implementation Method 2
a secondary cooling system configured for directing a second cooling fluid through a second interior volume of the enclosure assembly
Data Source
AI summary
Thermal management systems are provided for traction battery packs. An exemplary thermal management system may include a primary cooling system configured for directing a first cooling fluid through a first interior volume of one or more battery modules, and a secondary cooling system configured for directing a second cooling fluid through a second interior volume of an enclosure assembly that houses the one or more battery modules. The primary cooling system may establish a primary cooling path for thermally managing battery cells of the one or more battery modules, and the secondary cooling system may establish a secondary cooling path for thermally managing a terminal and/or a busbar of the one or more battery modules.