The present application claims priority to and incorporates by reference the entire contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2020-098864 filed in Japan on Jun. 5, 2020.
The present disclosure relates to a cooler.
International Publication No. WO2018/070115 discloses a cooler for cooling a battery stack in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked. The cooler includes a first plate member and a second plate member, and the first plate member is placed in surface contact with a side surface of the battery cell. Further, in the cooler, a refrigerant flow path through which a refrigerant for cooling the battery cell flows is formed between the first plate member and the second plate member.
By the way, since a plurality of battery cells are stacked in the battery stack, it is known that the battery stack is restrained by a restraining member so as to restrict movement of the battery cells in a stacking direction. In a configuration described in International Publication No. WO2018/070115, it is necessary to provide the restraining member separately from the cooler. Therefore, the number of parts increases.
Therefore, it is conceivable to restrain the battery stack by the cooler. In this case, the cooler receives a force for the battery cells to expand in the stacking direction (hereinafter referred to as a restraining force). Therefore, it is conceivable that a plate member constituting the cooler has rigidity against the restraining force. In the configuration described in International Publication No. WO2018/070115, since the first plate member is placed at a position closer to the battery cell than the second plate member, it is conceivable that the battery stack is restrained by the first plate member. However, if a plate thickness of the first plate member is increased in order to increase the rigidity, thermal resistance of the first plate member increases in a transmission path between the refrigerant and the battery cell, and cooling efficiency may decrease.
There is a need for providing a cooler capable of restraining the battery stack while ensuring cooling performance of the battery cell.
According to an embodiment, a cooler that cools a battery stack in which a plurality of battery cells are stacked, includes: a first plate members that is in surface contact with a side surface of the battery cells, the side surface facing a width direction orthogonal to a stacking direction of the battery cells, among surfaces of the battery cells; a second plate members that is integrated with the first plate member and restrains the battery stack so as to prevent the battery cells from being moved in the stacking direction; and a refrigerant flow path formed between the first plate member and the second plate member and through which a refrigerant for cooling the battery cells flows. Further, the second plate member has a flat plate-shaped side surface portion extending in the stacking direction and extending in a vertical direction orthogonal to the stacking direction, and the battery cells arranged at both ends in the stacking direction among the plurality of battery cells or end plates arranged at both ends in the stacking direction of the battery stack are fixed to the second plate member.
Hereinafter, a cooler according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. The present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described below.
As illustrated in
When explaining an arrangement of constituent members of the battery unit 1, the stacking direction, the width direction, and a vertical direction are used. The stacking direction is the stacking direction of the battery cells 5 and coincides with a thickness direction of the battery cells 5. The width direction is a direction orthogonal to the stacking direction and coincides with the width direction of the battery cells 5. The vertical direction is a direction orthogonal to the stacking direction and the width direction, and coincides with a height direction of the battery cells 5. When the vehicle equipped with the battery unit 1 is kept horizontal, the stacking direction and the width direction are horizontal, and the vertical direction is vertical.
The battery stack 2 is formed by stacking the plurality of battery cells 5 and forming a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole. In an example illustrated in
For example, the battery stack 2 is an in-vehicle battery that stores electric power for supplying a running motor. Heat is generated in the battery cell 5 with energization during discharging to supply the electric power to the running motor, such as when the vehicle is running, or during charging from an external power source such as a charging stand. This heated battery cell 5 is cooled by the cooler 4.
The battery cell 5 is a secondary battery and includes a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal. In the battery stack 2, the terminals of the battery cell 5 are electrically connected to each other. Further, as illustrated in
As illustrated in
The end plates 3 are arranged at both ends of the battery stack 2 in the stacking direction to restrict the battery cells 5 from moving in the stacking direction. As illustrated in
The end plate 3 is fixed to a flange portion (an upper flange portion 22 and a lower flange portion 23 to be described below) of the cooler 4. The end plate 3 restrains the battery stack 2 while being held by the cooler 4. That is, in the present embodiment, the cooler 4 in addition to the end plate 3 functions as a member that restrains the battery stack 2 so as to restrict the plurality of battery cells 5 from moving in the stacking direction.
The cooler 4 cools the battery cells 5 with a refrigerant flowing in a refrigerant flow path. As illustrated in
The first cooler 4A is placed on the left side in the width direction of the battery stack 2, and is in surface contact with the side surface 5a of the battery cell 5 as illustrated in
As illustrated in
For example, the cooler 4 includes an evaporator included in a loop type thermosiphon. In the loop type thermosiphon, the heat to be cooled is transported by using a working fluid that changes phase between a liquid phase and a gas phase. The working fluid absorbs or dissipates the heat by utilizing latent heat when it is vaporized or liquefied. In the case of a boiling cooling type cooler 4, the refrigerant includes the working fluid that is vaporized or liquefied.
The loop type thermosiphon includes the evaporator, a condenser, a vapor passage through which the working fluid in the gas phase flows, and a liquid passage through which the working fluid in the liquid phase flows. In the loop type thermosiphon, the working fluid is enclosed in a closed loop circuit, and the working fluid circulates between the evaporator and the condenser. A steam passage is laid to connect a steam outlet of the evaporator and a steam inlet of the condenser. A liquid passage is laid to connect a liquid outlet of the condenser and a liquid inlet of the evaporator.
Here, the structure of the cooler 4 will be described in more detail.
The cooler 4 includes two press-molded plate members. As illustrated in
The first plate member 10 is made of a press-molded plate member, and constitutes a heat receiving portion that is in surface contact with the side surface 5a of the battery cell 5 and receives the heat of the battery cell 5. As illustrated in
The flat plate portion 11 is a portion to be joined to the second plate member 20. The flat plate portion 11 is formed in a flat plate shape in the stacking direction and the vertical direction. In the cooler 4, as illustrated in
The flow path forming portion 12 is a portion that forms a refrigerant flow path 30 through which the refrigerant flows. As illustrated in
As illustrated in
The flow path forming portion 12 forms a heat receiving surface 4a that is in surface contact with the side surface 5a of the battery cell 5. The heat receiving surface 4a is a surface formed by the convex portion 12a.
The second plate member 20 is made of a press-molded plate member, and constitutes a fixing portion to which the end plate 3 is fixed and a restraining portion for restraining the battery stack 2. As illustrated in
The side surface portion 21 is a portion forming a side surface of the cooler 4. The side surface portion 21 is formed in a flat plate shape in the stacking direction and the vertical direction. Then, the flat plate portion 11 is joined to the side surface portion 21 in a surface contact state. For example, an edge portion of the flat plate portion 11 and an edge portion of the side surface portion 21 are welded together. That is, in the cooler 4, the first plate member 10 and the second plate member 20 are integrated by laminating and joining the flat plate portion 11 on the side surface portion 21. A welded portion between the flat plate portion 11 and the side surface portion 21 is not illustrated.
The upper flange portion 22 is a portion where an upper surface 3a of the end plate 3 is fixed. As illustrated in
The end plate 3 is fixed to the upper flange portion 22. As illustrated in
In the present embodiment, the battery cell 5 is not joined to the upper flange portion 22. That is, the upper flange portion 22 restricts the battery cell 5 from moving upward in the vertical direction in a state where it is not joined to the battery cell 5.
The lower flange portion 23 is a portion where a lower surface 3b of the end plate 3 is fixed. As illustrated in
The end plate 3 is fixed to the lower flange portion 23. As illustrated in
In the present embodiment, the battery cell 5 is not joined to the lower flange portion 23. That is, the lower flange portion 23 restricts the battery cell 5 from moving downward in the vertical direction in a state where it is not joined to the battery cell 5.
Here, the detailed configuration of the refrigerant flow path 30 will be described. The refrigerant flow path 30 includes an internal space formed between the first plate member 10 and the second plate member 20.
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
Further, the first forming portion 121 is provided with an inflow port 34 of the refrigerant. An upstream side of the supply flow path 31 communicates with the inflow port 34. The refrigerant supplied to an inside of the cooler 4 flows into the inflow port 34. In the loop type thermosiphon, the working fluid in the liquid phase condensed in the condenser flows to the inflow port 34 by gravity. Then, the working fluid in the liquid phase flowing in from the inflow port 34 is supplied to the supply flow path 31. A downstream side of the supply flow path 31 communicates with the evaporation flow path 32.
As illustrated in
A surface of the second forming portion 122 (A surface on the battery cell 5 side in the width direction) forms a heat receiving surface 4a. As illustrated in
For example, in the case of the boiling cooling type, the working fluid in the liquid phase is supplied to an inside of the evaporation flow path 32 up to a predetermined height in the vertical direction. That is, inside the evaporation flow path 32, the working fluid in the liquid phase is present on the lower side in the vertical direction, and the working fluid in the gas phase is present on the upper side in the vertical direction. Then, when the working fluid in the liquid phase present inside the evaporation flow path 32 receives the heat from the battery cell 5 via the heat receiving surface 4a, it is vaporized by the heat. When the working fluid in the liquid phase is vaporized, the working fluid in the gas phase flows upward in the evaporation flow path 32 and flows into the outflow flow path 33.
As illustrated in
The third forming portion 123 is provided with an outflow port 35 of the refrigerant. The downstream side of the outflow flow path 33 communicates with the outflow port 35. The refrigerant heat-exchanged by the cooler 4 flows out from the outflow port 35. In the loop type thermosiphon, the working fluid in the gas phase vaporized by the cooler 4 which is the evaporator flows out from the outflow port 35. In a circulation circuit of the refrigerant, the working fluid in the gas phase flowing out from the outflow port 35 is supplied to the condenser. The condenser is placed above the cooler 4 in the vertical direction.
As described above, according to the embodiment, the cooler 4 can restrain the battery stack 2 and cool the battery cell 5. Thus, the number of parts of the battery unit 1 can be reduced.
In the cooler 4, the second plate member 20 can receive a force (restraining force) that the battery cell 5 tries to expand. As illustrated in
Since the first plate member 10 does not receive the restraining force, the plate thickness can be reduced. If the plate thickness of the first plate member 10 can be reduced, not only the weight can be reduced, but also thermal resistance between the first plate member 10 and the battery cell 5 can be reduced. That is, the thermal resistance of the first plate member 10 can be reduced in a heat transfer path between the refrigerant and the battery cell 5. Thus, cooling performance of the battery cell 5 of the cooler 4 can be improved. Further, since heat capacity of the first plate member 10 can also be reduced, cooling of the battery cell 5 can be started earlier when circulation of the working fluid in the loop type thermosiphon is started.
Further, since the plate thickness of the first plate member 10 can be reduced, a bending radius (also referred to as a bending R) of the convex portion 12a in the flow path forming portion 12 can be reduced. The bending radius of the convex portion 12a is a bending radius with respect to the stacking direction, and is roundness inside a bending portion in the second forming portion 122. If the bending radius of the convex portion 12a can be reduced, an R portion 122a outside the bending portion in the second forming portion 122 can be reduced. Therefore, an area (a heat exchange area) of the heat receiving surface 4a that comes into surface contact with the side surface 5a of the battery cell 5 can be increased. Thus, cooling efficiency of the battery cell 5 is further improved. As illustrated in
The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately modified without departing from the object of the present disclosure.
For example, the cooler 4 is not limited to the boiling cooling type, and may be a cooler provided in the circulation circuit in which the coolant circulates in the flow path.
Further, a method of fixing the upper flange portion 22 to the end plate 3 and a method of fixing the lower flange portion 23 to the end plate 3 are not limited to welding, and may be mechanical fastening such as rivets or bolts.
The battery unit 1 may have a structure that does not include the end plate 3. That is, it may be configured such that a pair of battery cells arranged at both ends in the stacking direction out of the plurality of battery cells 5 are fixed to the second plate member 20 of the cooler 4. In this case, the upper surfaces of the pair of battery cells are joined to the upper flange portion 22. Similarly, the lower surfaces of the pair of battery cells are joined to the lower flange portion 23. That is, the pair of battery cells fixed to the upper flange portion 22 and the lower flange portion 23 are arranged at both ends of the battery stack 2 in the stacking direction, and restrict the battery cells 5 from moving in the stacking direction. The pair of battery cells restrain the battery stack 2 while being held by the cooler 4. The battery cells other than the pair of battery cells out of the battery cells 5 constituting the battery stack 2 are not fixed to the second plate member 20. A method of fixing the pair of battery cells to the upper flange portion 22 and a method of fixing the pair of battery cells to the lower flange portion 23 are not limited to welding, but may be mechanical fastening such as rivets or bolts.
Further, the upper flange portion 22 and the lower flange portion 23 are not limited to a shape extending in a series in the stacking direction, and may have a shape in which a cutout portion is partially provided. For example, the upper flange portion 22 and the lower flange portion 23 may be provided with the cutout portion at a boundary portion between the battery cell 5 and the battery cell 5 in the stacking direction.
In the present disclosure, the battery stack can be restrained by the cooler by fixing the battery cell or the end plate to the second plate member constituting the cooler. Further, since the second plate member has a side surface portion extending in a stacking direction thereof, stress concentration is unlikely to occur on the side surface portion when the battery cell receives a force to move in the stacking direction. Therefore, the first plate member integrated with the second plate member can be configured to have a structure capable of exhibiting the cooling performance of the battery cell, and the cooling performance of the battery cell by the cooler can be ensured.
According to an embodiment, the battery stack can be restrained by the cooler by fixing the battery cell or the end plate to the second plate member constituting the cooler. Further, since the second plate member has a side surface portion extending in a stacking direction thereof, stress concentration is unlikely to occur on the side surface portion when the battery cell receives a force to move in the stacking direction. Therefore, the first plate member integrated with the second plate member can be configured to have a structure capable of exhibiting the cooling performance of the battery cell, and the cooling performance of the battery cell by the cooler can be ensured.
According to an embodiment, the battery cell or the end plate can be fixed to the upper flange portion and the lower flange portion provided on the second plate member.
According to an embodiment, since the plate thickness of the first plate member forming the refrigerant flow path is thinner than that of the second plate member, the thermal resistance when the refrigerant receives heat of the battery cell can be reduced. Thus, the cooling performance of the battery cell is improved.
According to an embodiment, since the side surface portion of the second plate member is unlikely to cause the stress concentration when receiving the force in the stacking direction from the battery cell, the degree of freedom in shape of the first plate member integrated with the side surface portion is increased. Therefore, it is possible to form the first plate member in which the convex portions and the concave portions are alternately provided in the stacking direction.
According to an embodiment, since the plate thickness of the first plate member is thin, a bending radius of the flow path forming portion can be reduced, and an area of the surface in contact with the side surface of the battery cell can be increased. Thus, the cooling performance of the battery cell is improved.
According to an embodiment, the cooler can be configured as a boiling cooling type.
Although the disclosure has been described with respect to specific embodiments for a complete and clear disclosure, the appended claims are not to be thus limited but are to be construed as embodying all modifications and alternative constructions that may occur to one skilled in the art that fairly fall within the basic teaching herein set forth.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2020-098864 | Jun 2020 | JP | national |