Patent Application
20170365895
Energy storage systems are used in a variety of contexts. For example, an electric vehicle can have a number of individual energy storage units (e.g., lithium-ion cells) stored inside a compartment, and this system is often referred to as a battery pack. Cells and other storage units generate heat during operation, such as during the charging process and when the cells are used to deliver energy, for example to the propulsion/traction system of the vehicle.
One cooling approach currently being used involves lithium-ion cells that are electrically connected by an anode terminal at the bottom of the cell, and a cathode terminal on top of the cell. These cells are arranged to all have the same orientation (e.g., “standing up”) with some spacing provided between all adjacent cells. The spacing facilitates a cooling conduit to run between the cells and be in contact with at least a portion of the outer surface of each cell. The cooling conduit has a coolant flowing through it, which removes thermal energy from inside the battery pack to some location on the outside, where heat can be safely dissipated. In order to provide a safe coolant flow, one must provide fluid connections into and out of the battery package, and the coolant path inside the battery pack must be reliable and have enough capacity.
This document describes examples of systems and techniques that provide face cooling of cells or other energy storage units by way of heat pipes. This can provide useful advantages, such as: The need for internal fluid connections in a battery pack can be eliminated, thereby avoiding leakage; a closed loop cooling system can be provided that reduces pressure drop losses with regard to an overall cooling system (e.g., in a vehicle); external cooling tube assemblies can be eliminated; rapid fluid migration can be provided that keeps cells at even temperatures; cooling tube sections between rows of cells can be eliminated, thereby allowing more cells to be packed into a given space; and even if a rupture occurs in one of the heat pipe lumens, significant cooling/heating can nevertheless be provided by way of other undamaged lumens within the heat pipe.
Here, a flexible printed circuit 108 overlies and connects electrical terminals of the cells 102. In this implementation, the flexible printed circuit includes three layers: a flexible conductive layer 110 sandwiched between a flexible bottom insulating layer 112 and a flexible top insulating layer 114. The conducting layer can be a uniform layer of metal, such as copper, and the insulating layers can be uniform layers of polyimide (e.g., a Kapton® material). In other implementations, one or more other materials can be used in lieu of or in combination with the mentioned materials.
Here, the cells 102 are a type of rechargeable battery cell having a flat top with terminals at one end. Particularly, each cell has a center positive terminal 116 and a surrounding annular negative terminal 118. For example, the annular negative terminal can be part of, or mounted on, a main housing of the cell (e.g., the cell can) that extends along the length of the cell and forms the other end of the cell (i.e., the bottom end in this example).
The patterning of flexible printed circuit 108 produces die cut areas 120 in the bottom insulating layer 112 to allow exposed portions of conductive layer 110 to make electrical contact, for example to selectively connect to the terminals of the cell(s). Here, die cut areas 122 in top insulating layer 114 allow exposed portions of conductive layer 110 to receive a device that produces an electromechanical connection between the portion of conductive layer interacting with the device and the underlying surface to be joined (e.g., a terminal of one of the cells 102). Any of several different types of devices and techniques can be used in making the electromechanical joints. For example, spot welds 124 here join portions of the conductive layer 110 to respective terminals of the individual cells.
The energy storage system can be implemented as a source of propulsion energy in an electric vehicle, to name just one example. That is, a number of cells can be interconnected in the energy storage system to form an array (e.g., a battery pack) that powers the vehicle. In other implementations, the illustrated assembly can also or instead power another aspect of a vehicle, or can be used in a non-vehicle context, such as in a stationary storage.
In the illustrated embodiment, the cells 102 are oriented vertically, and are shown standing on a heat pipe 126. The heat pipe can be connected to a thermal management system (not shown) to provide for thermal management of the energy storage system. Cooling of the cells 102 can be performed using an evaporation end 126A that faces the cells, and at least one condensation end 126B. The evaporation end can extend for at least the entire length required by the array of cells, or part thereof. Here, the heat pipe 126 has an L-shape when viewed from the side, with the condensation end elevated above the evaporation end. In other implementations, the heat pipe can have a different shape. For example, and without limitation, more than one condensation end can be provided. In some implementations, the heat pipe can instead provide heating of the cells and the rest of the energy storage system.
In this example, the assembly 100 has an electric insulator layer 128 between the evaporation end 126A of the heat pipe 126 and the bottom of the cells 102. This layer prevents electric contact between the heat pipe (which can be a metal component) and the cell housing. For example, a thermal interface material (TIM) can be used to electrically insulate an anode terminal at the bottom of the cell while allowing cooling/heating of the cells through the same surface. In some implementations, the assembly is manufactured by applying the electric insulator layer on the heat pipe, applying adhesive onto the top of the layer (e.g., at each cell position), and then positioning the cell or cells on the layer.
The heat pipe can be manufactured from any suitable material. In some implementations, the heat pipe can be extruded from metal and have at least one interior channel for the phase-change fluid. The interior channel(s) can have one or more features that aid the flow of fluid in the liquid phase and/or gas phase. For example, a groove, powder and/or sponge can be provided inside the heat pipe.
The energy storage system 200 has at least one heat transfer channel 206 that is in thermal exchange with the heat pipes 202. In some implementations, an auxiliary system can circulate fluid, such as coolant, in one or more channels inside the heat transfer channel. For example, the energy storage system described here can be incorporated as a battery pack in an electric (or hybrid) vehicle, and a cooling system external to the battery pack can then cool the fluid from the heat transfer channel, thereby removing heat from the cells.
Here, the heat transfer channel 206 is provided in the middle of the energy storage system 200, and the module 204 and other modules can then be positioned in rows on each side of the channel, for example in a location 208. The condensation ends/surfaces of the respective heat pipes are here positioned so that they about the sides of the heat transfer channel. Accordingly, the heat pipes extend from the channel in opposite directions. Here, the heat pipe 202 on which the module 204 is positioned is shown to consist of six parallel heat pipe sections. Solely as an example, each of such sections can contain 14 separate internal channels, each of which individually operates according to the principle of a heat pipe.
The energy storage system has a central heat transfer channel 406 and one or more side heat transfer channels 408, each of which is in thermal exchange with the heat pipes 402. Here, the side heat transfer channels are provided at the ends of the heat pipes opposite the central heat transfer channel. In this implementation, the heat pipes are oriented along the length of the modules 404. For example, this energy storage system can provide an advantageously small ratio of condensation area relative to evaporation area, which allows the cooling tube to occupy a relatively small volume of the battery pack.
This energy storage system also has the coolant tubes 604 that are in thermal exchange with the heat pipes 602. In this example, each of the coolant tubes has an essentially L-shaped profile. For example, the profile of the L-shape can at least partially correspond to the outer surface of the U-shaped heat pipe. This provides an advantageously large surface area of contact between the coolant tube and the heat pipe, which facilitates thermal exchange between them. The coolant tubes 604 can provide reversibility (i.e., the ability to do both heating and cooling) of the heat pipe. For example, the L-shaped profile of the coolant tubes facilitates removal of heat from the evaporation surface 602A during cooling of the module, and also delivery of heat from the condensation surfaces 602B to the module during heating. As another example, the shape and configuration of the system in this example can help reduce gravitational issues that might otherwise occur, such as if the grooves of the heat pipe are not manufactured to give effective capillary force. This configuration can also improve the way that the U-shaped heat pipe is packaged inside a housing or other structure that holds the energy storage system.
The coolant tube has one or more interior channels in which coolant can be circulated within the system (i.e., the coolant can flow in directions into, and out of, the plane of the figure). The two coolant tubes in this example can have coolant flowing in the opposite, or the same, direction as each other. In some implementations, the coolant tube can be used for providing reversible thermal transfer, such that the energy storage system can be cooled or heated depending on what is needed. For example, the condenser contact here extends onto the flat portion of the heat pipe and can therefore also be used for delivering heat (e.g., from an external heating system) into the heat pipe, from where the heat then flows into the individual cells.
Here, the energy storage system 1000 is arranged so that the larger surface of the heat pipes—i.e., the one abutting the non-terminal ends of the cells—is generally vertical. The two opposing heat pipe surfaces—which abut the side surfaces of the outermost rows of cells—are generally horizontal.
Thermal tubes 1006 and 1008 are placed on the top and bottom of the heat pipes, respectively. Each thermal tube is manufactured of a material with sufficient thermal conductivity to absorb heat from, or deliver heat into, the heat pipes through the facing surface. For example, the thermal tube can have a number of internal channels configured for having a fluid (e.g., coolant) flowing therein. As such, the thermal tubes can be connected to an external cooling/heating system (not shown), which can be located outside the housing of the energy storage system.
As a first example, both the thermal tubes 1006 and 1008 can be used for cooling the cells of the energy storage system by way of a flowing coolant. In some implementations, coolant flows in opposite directions in the two respective thermal tubes.
As a second example, the thermal tube 1006 (i.e., on top) can be used for cooling the cells, and the thermal tube 1008 (i.e., on the bottom) can be used for heating the cells. This configuration is advantageous in that the heat pipe operates aided by gravity, rather than against gravity, and is more efficient as a result. In a normally vertical heat pipe section the vapor will always move upward unless the vehicle orientation is rotated by at least 90 degrees. The above advantage can therefore be relatively unaffected by vehicle orientation. Both when the batteries are being cooled and when they are being heated, the less dense vapor will move upward (opposite to gravity) and the fluid will move downward (with gravity). That is, during operation, when the cells (and/or other electrical devices in the system) are generating heat, the upper thermal tube can serve to cool the system by way of removing thermal energy from the heat pipes. In contrast, when the cells (and/or the rest of the energy storage system) need to be warmed up, such as before operating the system in a cold environment, the lower thermal tube can serve to warm the system by way of introducing thermal energy into the heat pipes. For example, the flow of cooling/heating fluid can be directed to either the upper or lower thermal tube, as applicable, by way of a valve, such as a solenoid valve.
The manifolds 1106-08 and the thermal tubes 1104 have one or more channels inside them to facilitate flow of a fluid (e.g., coolant) to various parts of the system. For example, the manifold 1108 can be the inlet manifold, receiving fluid from at least one inlet 1114, and the manifold 1106 can be the outlet manifold, with fluid exiting through at least one outlet 1116. Between the two manifolds, the fluid passes in the interior channels of the thermal tubes 1104, and in so doing provides thermal exchange (e.g., cooling) of the cells by way of the heat pipes.
The manifolds 1206-08 and the thermal tubes 1204 have one or more channels inside them to facilitate flow of a fluid (e.g., coolant) to various parts of the system. For example, the manifold 1208 can be the inlet manifold, receiving fluid from at least one inlet 1214, and the manifold 1206 can be the outlet manifold, with fluid exiting through at least one outlet 1216. Between the two manifolds, the fluid passes in the interior channels of the thermal tubes 1204, and in so doing provides thermal exchange (e.g., cooling) of the cells by way of the heat pipes.
As used herein, the term “heat pipe” is used in a broad sense to include a number of techniques, such as phase change thermal systems that use highly conductive materials and have a substantially flat form factor. The term heat pipe includes, but is not limited to, grooved style heat pipes, heat pins, vapor chambers, pyrolytic graphite sheets, and other technologies where heat is transferred between interfaces by way of thermal conduction and phase transition.
A number of implementations have been described as examples. Nevertheless, other implementations are covered by the following claims.
The present U.S. Utility patent application claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §120 as a continuation of U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 14/189,219 entitled “ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM WITH HEAT PIPE THERMAL MANAGEMENT”, filed 25 Feb. 2014, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and made part of the present U.S. Utility patent application for all purposes.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 14189219 | Feb 2014 | US |
| Child | 15693023 | US |
