A novel structure for power battery pack with better thermal management

特許 権利維持 The specific characteristics of Li-ion cells requires well-adapted and well-designed battery temperature control systems： < 0 °C: difficult or totally impossible for charging; >60 °C: difficult for discharging and risk of degradation, shortened service life; >70 °C ~ 90°C: will trigger a self-heating reaction with internal cell faults with risk of thermal runaway, presenting safety hazards. They can achieve their rated capacity at 20~25°C and their capacity will drop ~10% for every increase of 10°C. Regulating the battery temperature during continuous charge and discharge is thus a major challenge. Existing battery cooling solutions normally consist of the battery modules sitting on or attached to a heat sink (a flat metal plate) that is cooled by a coolant loop. The drawbacks are that the cooling efficiency is low, and the effectiveness is poor, since only a small part of each module receives the cooling effect. Also, the heat sinks are generally thick and heavy due to the coolant loop. The result is that temperatures will differ from module to module, cell to cell. Even within the same cell, different regions may have different temperatures. If heat sinks were to be used to cool each cell, it would result in a battery pack with impractical weight and volume. Battery packs used in EVs are constrained by space and weight, so cooling systems for the battery packs must be compact and lightweight, yet meeting the power and energy capacity requirements. Our patent granted technology is able to carry coolant to each individual cell evenly, effectively and efficiently in a novel compact structure. This ensures consistency and uniformity of each cell in a battery pack, extending their lifespan and safety by allowing them to operate in their optimum temperature range (10 ~ 35°C), Charging and discharging can also take place in all seasons. Due to the well-distributed and compact cooling pathway existing within the battery pack, the resultant battery pack possesses unique characteristics that will bring benefits to power battery manufacturers, EV manufacturers. The swappable Li-ion battery packs can be used in a wide variety of settings, replacing current lead acid battery technologies in areas such as: • Electric vehicles • In-door vehicles (Forklifts, cleaning vehicles…) • Yachts/ small boats • Military applications (Submarines, tanks…) • Bulk energy storage systems (Wind and solar power generators, UPS…) Also, the principle of this technology can be applied to the heat exchange industry, especially for viscous fluid heat exchange.