Patent Application
20180166621
This disclosure relates to a module used to cool a vehicle component, such as a battery. In particular, the disclosure relates to an integrated thermoelectric device and cold plate assembly that provides the module.
Lithium ion batteries are used in passenger and other types of vehicles to provide power to electric motors that provide propulsion to the vehicle. Such batteries can generate a significant amount of heat such that the battery must be cooled to prevent performance degradation.
One type of vehicle battery cooling arrangement that has been proposed that includes a thermoelectric module arranged beneath the battery and adjacent to a cold plate assembly. The thermoelectric module includes thermoelectric devices that operate based upon the Peltier effect to provide cooling adjacent to the battery. Heat transferred through the thermoelectric device is rejected to the cold plate assembly, which may have a cooling fluid circulated therethrough and sent to a heat exchanger.
It is desirable to design the cooling arrangement so as to efficiently transfer heat through some components within the cooling arrangement while insulating other components within the cooling arrangement.
In one exemplary embodiment, a cooling system for thermally conditioning a component which includes a heat spreader and a thermoelectric device that operatively thermally engages the heat spreader. A cold plate assembly operatively thermally engages the thermoelectric device. A fastening element secures the cold plate assembly to the heat spreader to provide a clamp load on the thermoelectric device and the cold plate assembly, wherein the thermoelectric device and the cold plate assembly are integrated with one another as a module.
In a further embodiment of the above, the fastening element is provided by multiple threaded fasteners.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the fasteners are secured through holes in an interior of the cold plate assembly.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the fasteners are secured through holes in a flange at a perimeter of the cold plate assembly.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the cold plate assembly includes a central portion and first and second manifolds that are arranged to provide fluid passages. The central portion supports the thermoelectric device.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the central portion is extruded to provide multiple passages.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the central portion is constructed from an aluminum.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the first and second manifolds include an inner perimeter that is arranged about an outer perimeter of the central portion in a sleeved arrangement.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the central portion includes bends to accommodate the first and second manifolds such that the first and second manifolds are flush with a heat transfer surface of the central portion.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the heat spreader includes a perimeter that has a lip that extends to circumscribe a perimeter of the cold plate assembly.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the heat spreader is constructed from an aluminum.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, multiple thermoelectric devices are mounted to the cold plate assembly.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, the thermoelectric devices are Peltier devices.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, thermal foils are provided between the Peltier devices and the cold plate assembly.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, an insulator plate is supported by the heat spreader and surrounds the thermoelectric devices.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, a cooling loop that includes a heat exchanger is in fluid communication with the cold plate assembly.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, a battery is supported on the heat spreader.
In a further embodiment of any of the above, a DC/DC converter is arranged in operative thermal engagement with the cold plate assembly.
The disclosure can be further understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:
The embodiments, examples and alternatives of the preceding paragraphs, the claims, or the following description and drawings, including any of their various aspects or respective individual features, may be taken independently or in any combination. Features described in connection with one embodiment are applicable to all embodiments, unless such features are incompatible.
A vehicle 10 is schematically illustrated in
A cooling system 18 is arranged between the battery 14 and a DC/DC converter 16 in a stack to remove heat from the battery 14 thus cooling the vehicle system 12. The DC/DC converter 16 provides an electrical interface between the battery 14 and the vehicle electrics. A cooling system 18 includes an integrated thermoelectric device and cold plate assembly module 20 that is in communication with a cooling loop 24. A cooling fluid, such as glycol, is circulated by a pump 31 within the cooling loop 24. Heat is rejected to the coolant via a cold plate assembly 56 (
A controller 34 communicates with various components of the vehicle 10, vehicle system 12 and cooling system 18 to coordinate battery cooling. Sensors and outputs (not shown) may be connected to the controller 34.
An example module 20 is shown in more detail in
In the example module 20, a heat spreader 46 provides the cold side 38 and is constructed of an aluminum or other material with a relatively high heat transfer coefficient. Multiple thermoelectric devices 54, such as Peltier devices, are in thermal engagement with the heat spreader 46. In the example, four Peltier devices are wired in series with one another. A cold plate assembly 56 has a surface 58 that is in thermal engagement with the thermoelectric devices 54 on a side opposite the heat spreader 46 to provide the hot side 40 at surface 60.
The cold plate assembly 56 includes a central portion 69 and first and second manifolds 68, 70 arranged to provide fluid passages 62, as shown in
The central portion 69 includes bends 81 to accommodate the first and second manifolds 68, 70 such that the first and second manifolds are flush with a heat transfer surface 60 of the central portion 69, as best shown in
Returning to
An insulator plate 50 is supported by the heat spreader 46 and surrounds the thermoelectric devices 54, which are arranged within an aperture 52 in the insulator plate 50. The heat spreader 46 includes a perimeter having a lip 48 that extends to circumscribe and protect a perimeter of the cold plate assembly 56. A seal (not shown) may be arranged between the lip 48 and the DC/DC converter 16 to enclose the cavity containing the thermoelectric devices 54 and thermally isolate the heat spreader 46 from the DC/DC converter 16.
The heat spreader 46 and the cold plate assembly 56 are secured to one another to provide an integrated module that provides the clamp load to the thermoelectric devices 54. The insulator plate 50 can be secured to the heat spreader 46 or other structure independently of the thermoelectric devices 54. Without a metallic bottom heat spreader arranged opposite the heat spreader 46, heat can be transferred more efficiently and directly to structures such as the DC/DC converter 16. The module 20 also simplifies assembly of the stack and reduces cost.
In operation, an undesired battery temperature is detected by the controller 34. The thermoelectric devices 50 are powered to produce a cold side of the thermoelectric device 54 that is transferred to the first heat spreader 46 adjacent to the battery 14 increasing the temperature differential between these components and increasing the heat transfer therebetween. Heat from the battery is transferred from the heat spreader 46 through the thermoelectric device 54 directly to the cold plate assembly 56 in the case of the example thermoelectric module assembly 20 shown in
It should be understood that although a particular component arrangement is disclosed in the illustrated embodiment, other arrangements will benefit herefrom. Although particular step sequences are shown, described, and claimed, it also should be understood that steps may be performed in any order, separated or combined unless otherwise indicated and will still benefit from the present invention.
Although the different examples have specific components shown in the illustrations, embodiments of this invention are not limited to those particular combinations. It is possible to use some of the components or features from one of the examples in combination with features or components from another one of the examples.
Although an example embodiment has been disclosed, a worker of ordinary skill in this art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of the claims. For that reason, the following claims should be studied to determine their true scope and content.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/173,500, which was filed on Jun. 10, 2015 and is incorporated herein by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2016/036444 | 6/8/2016 | WO | 00 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62173500 | Jun 2015 | US |
