Wick-Based Thermal Management for Li-Ion Battery Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Li-ion battery arrays face reduced lifetime and reliability due to excessive heat buildup during charge and discharge operations, necessitating improved thermal management and safety features.
Innovation Solution
A multiscale wick-based thermal management system that encompasses the outer surface of heat sources, utilizing a vapor-tight enclosure with a working fluid and ceramic, glass, or polymer fibers, providing both thermal dissipation and structural containment, acting as a firewall in fault conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If active cooling systems are used to reduce cell case temperature, then thermal management is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The phase change material automatically absorbs excess heat from the battery cells through phase transition without requiring external control systems, pumps, or complex thermal management infrastructure. The system self-regulates temperature by utilizing the latent heat of fusion of the phase change material, which melts at temperatures relevant to battery operation, thereby cooling the cells passively and eliminating the need for active cooling mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes the phase transition (melting) of a phase change material to absorb excess heat from the battery cells. The material is positioned in thermal communication with the cells and transitions from solid to liquid phase during charging or discharging operations, capturing heat that would otherwise raise cell temperature, thus providing passive thermal management through a phase change mechanism.
2Reliability
If excess battery capacity is provided to reduce charge/discharge rate, then reliability is improved, but volume of stationary object increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention converts the harmful effect of excess heat generation during high-rate charge/discharge operations into a beneficial thermal management mechanism. By introducing phase change material that actively absorbs the excess heat generated during high-current operations, the system enables reliable high-power battery operation without requiring oversizing the battery array for thermal management purposes, thus maintaining compact volume while improving reliability through effective heat capture.
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
Effectively manages heat through liquid-to-vapor phase change, enhances structural reinforcement, and prevents cascading failures by isolating overheated cells, achieving cooling capabilities exceeding 100 W/cm2 and maintaining isothermal conditions among cells.
Implementation Method 1
the wick may receive excess heat from the heat source and transport the excess heat away from the heat source
Implementation Method 2
Under fault conditions, the porous layer acts as a firewall shielding the neighboring cells
Implementation Method 3
The wick structure can be designed to provide physical containment of the cell in case of failures
Implementation Method 4
The enclosure may be substantially vapor tight
Data Source
Figure 1~2B
Figure 2C~4
Figure 5~6B
AI summary
A system for thermal management and structural containment includes an enclosure (120), a heat source (100) disposed within the enclosure (120); and a wick (105) encompassing at least a portion of an outer surface of the heat source (100).