Disclosure of Invention
The invention aims to solve the technical problem of overcoming the defects of the prior art and provides a cooling device and a battery module.
The invention provides a cooling device which comprises at least one cooling plate, wherein the cooling plate comprises a plurality of first cooling flow channels, each first cooling flow channel comprises a first liquid inlet and a first liquid outlet, each first cooling flow channel is used for circulating a refrigerant, the refrigerant flows from the first liquid inlet to the first liquid outlet, the refrigerant flows in the flowing direction from the first liquid inlet to the first liquid outlet, and the flowing area of each first cooling flow channel is enlarged.
In some embodiments, a plurality of the first cooling flow channels are arranged at intervals from each other;
the cooling device further comprises a first communication pipe, a plurality of first liquid inlets are communicated with the first communication pipe, the first communication pipe is used for circulating refrigerants, the flowing direction of the refrigerants from the first liquid inlets to the first liquid outlets is changed, and the flowing area of each first cooling flow channel is increased.
In some embodiments, the cooling plate further comprises second cooling flow channels, each second cooling flow channel comprising a second liquid inlet and a second liquid outlet, each second cooling flow channel being configured to circulate a refrigerant flowing from the second liquid inlet to the second liquid outlet, wherein a flow area of each second cooling flow channel being closer to the second liquid outlet is larger in a flow direction from the second liquid inlet to the second liquid outlet;
The second liquid inlet is on the same side as the first liquid outlet, and the second liquid outlet is on the same side as the first liquid inlet, so that the flowing direction of the refrigerant in the first cooling flow passage is opposite to the flowing direction of the refrigerant in the second cooling flow passage.
In some embodiments, a plurality of the second cooling flow channels are arranged spaced apart from each other;
The cooling device further comprises a second communicating pipe, a plurality of second liquid inlets are communicated with the second communicating pipe, the second communicating pipe is used for circulating a refrigerant, and the refrigerant is in the circulating direction in the second communicating pipe, and the liquid inlet area of the second liquid inlets, which is closer to the upstream, is larger.
In some embodiments, the flow area of the first cooling flow channel gradually increases from the first liquid inlet to the first liquid outlet to form a gradual flow channel;
And/or the number of the groups of groups,
The flow area of the second cooling flow channel gradually increases from the second liquid inlet to the second liquid outlet to form a gradual change flow channel.
In some embodiments, the first cooling flow channel comprises a first transition section and/or a first abrupt section;
And/or the number of the groups of groups,
The second cooling flow passage comprises a second gradual change section and/or a second abrupt change section.
In some embodiments, a plurality of first ribs extending along the length direction of the cooling plate are formed in the cooling plate, the first cooling flow channel is formed in a gap between every two adjacent first ribs, or a plurality of first flow holes extending along the length direction of the cooling plate are formed in the cooling plate, and each flow hole forms the first cooling flow channel.
In some embodiments, a plurality of second ribs extending along the length direction of the cooling plate are formed in the cooling plate, the second cooling flow channel is formed by a gap between every two adjacent second ribs, or a plurality of second flow holes extending along the length direction of the cooling plate are formed in the cooling plate, and each flow hole forms the second cooling flow channel.
In some embodiments, the cooling plates are provided in two, including a first cooling plate and a second cooling plate, the first cooling plate being disposed opposite the second cooling plate,
Wherein the first liquid inlet of the first cooling flow channel of the first cooling plate is communicated with the first liquid inlet of the first cooling flow channel of the second cooling plate through a first liquid inlet pipe, the first liquid outlet of the first cooling flow channel of the first cooling plate is communicated with the first liquid outlet of the first cooling flow channel of the second cooling plate through a first liquid outlet pipe,
The second liquid inlet of the second cooling flow channel of the second cooling plate is communicated with the second liquid inlet of the second cooling flow channel of the second cooling plate through a second liquid inlet pipe, and the second liquid outlet of the second cooling flow channel of the second cooling plate is communicated with the second liquid outlet of the second cooling flow channel of the second cooling plate through a second liquid outlet pipe.
The invention also provides a battery module, which is characterized by comprising:
A battery pack;
The cooling device of any of the above embodiments, wherein the cooling plate of the cooling device is located on at least one side and/or bottom surface of the battery pack.
In some embodiments, the battery pack cooling device further comprises a fixing structure, wherein the fixing structure comprises a positioning plate and a fixing belt, the positioning plate is respectively arranged at two ends of the battery pack, the fixing belt is connected with the positioning plate and is bound around the battery pack, and the positioning plate is supported on the cooling plate.
In some embodiments, the fixing structure further comprises a locking assembly, a locking assembly supporting plate and a locking plate, wherein the supporting plate is arranged on the positioning plate and supported on the upper surface and the lower surface of the cooling plate, and the locking plate is detachably connected with the supporting plate and positioned on the side surface of the cooling plate respectively.
After the technical scheme is adopted, compared with the prior art, the invention has the following beneficial effects:
According to the invention, the cooling plate is provided with the plurality of first cooling flow channels for the refrigerant to flow, the cross sectional area (flow area) of the plurality of first cooling flow channels in the direction from the liquid inlet to the liquid outlet is increased, on one hand, the pressure drop of the refrigerant in the flow channel in the process of converting liquid into gas is changed, the heat exchange efficiency is improved, and on the other hand, the resistance of the refrigerant in the flow process of the flow channel is reduced.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention as claimed.
Detailed Description
In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the azimuth or positional relationship indicated by the terms "inner", "outer", etc. are based on the azimuth or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are merely for convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and are not indicative or implying that the apparatus or element in question must have a specific azimuth, be constructed and operated in a specific azimuth, and thus should not be construed as limiting the present invention.
In the description of the present invention, unless explicitly stated or limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," "contacting," and "communicating" are to be construed broadly, and may be, for example, fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected, mechanically connected, electrically connected, or indirectly connected via an intermediate medium. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present invention will be understood in specific cases by those of ordinary skill in the art.
The invention provides a cooling device for cooling a battery. Through forming the circulation channel with the change of the circulation area on the cooling plate for the circulation of the refrigerant, the temperature of the battery in the fast charge and high-rate discharge process can be reduced, the flow resistance of the refrigerant in the flow channel is reduced, the flow distribution uniformity of the refrigerant is improved, and the temperature uniformity of the battery is improved.
As shown in fig. 1 to 5, the cooling device of the present invention comprises at least one cooling plate 1, wherein the cooling plate 1 comprises a plurality of first cooling flow channels 10, each first cooling flow channel 10 comprises a first liquid inlet 11 and a first liquid outlet 12, each first cooling flow channel is used for circulating a refrigerant to absorb heat of a battery, the refrigerant flows from the first liquid inlet 11 to the first liquid outlet 12, and the flow area of each first cooling flow channel 10 is enlarged in the flow direction of the refrigerant from the first liquid inlet 11 to the first liquid outlet 12.
According to the invention, the plurality of first cooling flow channels 10 for the refrigerant to flow are arranged on the cooling plate 1, so that the cross-sectional area (flow area) of the plurality of first cooling flow channels 10 in the direction from the liquid inlet 11 to the liquid outlet 12 is increased, on one hand, the pressure drop of the refrigerant in the flow channel in the process of converting liquid into gas is changed, the heat exchange efficiency is improved, and on the other hand, the resistance of the refrigerant in the flow process of the flow channel is reduced.
The cooling plate 1 may be provided at the side and/or bottom of the battery pack. The cooling plate 1 may be provided at the tab position of the battery pack.
In some examples, the flow area of the first cooling flow channel 10 gradually increases from the first liquid inlet 11 to the first liquid outlet 12 to form a gradual flow channel.
In other examples, the first cooling flow path 10 includes a first transition and/or a first abrupt transition.
According to the invention, the first cooling flow channel 10 adopts the form of gradual change of the cross sectional area along the flow direction of the refrigerant, or adopts the forms of abrupt change, gradual change, abrupt change combination and the like of the cross sectional area, so that the pressure drop of the refrigerant in the flow channel in the process of converting liquid into gas can be changed, the heat exchange efficiency is improved, and on the other hand, the resistance of the refrigerant in the flow process of the flow channel is reduced.
In some embodiments, a plurality of first ribs extending along the length direction of the cooling plate 1 are formed in the cooling plate, the first cooling flow channels 10 are formed in the gaps between every two adjacent first ribs, or a plurality of first flow holes extending along the length direction of the cooling plate are formed in the cooling plate, and each of the flow holes forms the first cooling flow channels 10. The cross-sectional shape of the first cooling flow passage 10 may be a variety of shapes such as flat, circular, oval, polygonal, triangular, and irregular.
In some embodiments, the plurality of first cooling channels 10 are spaced apart from each other, and the cooling device further comprises a first communication pipe 13, wherein the plurality of first liquid inlets 11 are all communicated with the first communication pipe 13, and the first communication pipe 13 is used for circulating and converging the refrigerant and distributing the refrigerant to the plurality of first liquid inlets 11. In the flow direction of the refrigerant in the first communication pipe 13, the liquid inlet area of the first liquid inlet 11, which is closer to the upstream side among the plurality of first liquid inlets 11, is larger.
Further, the cooling device further includes a third communicating tube 14, and the plurality of first liquid outlets 12 are all communicated with the third communicating tube 14, and the cooling medium flowing out from the plurality of first liquid outlets 12 is converged into the third communicating tube 14 as a collecting tube and flows out.
For example, as shown in fig. 2 and fig. 4, a plurality of the first cooling flow passages 10 may extend transversely and be longitudinally spaced, and it is understood that a plurality of the first liquid inlets 11 are longitudinally spaced, and the liquid inlet areas of the plurality of liquid inlets 1 are gradually increased from bottom to top, the first connecting pipes 13 may be longitudinally placed, the refrigerant is split by flowing through the plurality of first liquid inlets 11 in the first connecting pipes 13, the fluid pressure of the first liquid inlet 11 below (downstream) is high, the fluid pressure of the fluid above (upstream) is low, so that the liquid inlet area of the first liquid inlet 11 below (downstream) is smaller, and the liquid inlet area of the first liquid inlet 11 above (upstream) is larger, so that the refrigerant flow rate can be adjusted, and the flow distribution uniformity is obtained. So that the battery is cooled more uniformly.
In some embodiments, the cooling plate 1 further includes second cooling flow channels 20, each second cooling flow channel 20 includes a second liquid inlet 21 and a second liquid outlet 22, each second cooling flow channel 20 is used for circulating a refrigerant, the refrigerant flows from the second liquid inlet 21 to the second liquid outlet 22, a flowing direction from the second liquid inlet 21 to the second liquid outlet 22 is the flowing direction of each second cooling flow channel 20 is the closer to the second liquid outlet 22, the larger the flowing area is, wherein the second liquid inlet 21 is on the same side as the first liquid outlet 12, and the second liquid outlet 22 is on the same side as the first liquid inlet 11, so that the flowing direction of the refrigerant in the first cooling flow channel 10 is opposite to the flowing direction of the refrigerant in the second cooling flow channel 12. The cooling device of the embodiment of the invention can form double cooling flow channels, and the cooling on two sides of the battery is more balanced and the cooling efficiency is improved because the cooling medium flowing direction in the first cooling flow channel 10 is opposite to the cooling medium flowing direction of the second cooling flow channel 12.
In some examples, the flow area of the second cooling flow channel 20 gradually increases from the second liquid inlet 21 to the first liquid outlet 22 to form a gradual flow channel.
In other examples, the second cooling flow path 20 includes a first transition and/or a first abrupt transition.
In some embodiments, a plurality of second ribs extending along the length direction of the cooling plate 1 are formed in the cooling plate, and a gap between every two adjacent second ribs forms the second cooling flow channel 20, or a plurality of second flow holes extending along the length direction of the cooling plate are formed in the cooling plate, and each flow hole forms the second cooling flow channel 20.
In some embodiments, the plurality of second cooling flow passages 20 are arranged at intervals, the cooling device further comprises a second communicating pipe 24, the plurality of second liquid inlets 21 are all communicated with the second communicating pipe 24, the second communicating pipe 24 is used for circulating a refrigerant, and the liquid inlet area of the second liquid inlet 21, which is closer to the upstream in the flowing direction of the refrigerant in the second communicating pipe 24, is larger.
Further, the cooling device further includes a fourth communicating tube 23, and the plurality of second liquid outlets 22 are all communicated with the fourth communicating tube 23, and the refrigerant flowing out from the plurality of second liquid outlets 22 is collected as a collecting tube to flow out into the fourth communicating tube 23.
For example, as shown in fig. 2 and 4, the plurality of second cooling flow passages 20 may extend transversely and be longitudinally spaced, and it is understood that the plurality of second liquid inlets 21 are longitudinally spaced, and the plurality of second liquid inlets 21 are gradually increased in liquid inlet area from top to bottom, the second communicating pipe 24 may be longitudinally disposed, the refrigerant may flow into the second communicating pipe 24 from the lower side to the upper side, the refrigerant may flow through the plurality of second liquid inlets 21, the pressure of the fluid in the lower (downstream) second liquid inlet 21 is small, the pressure of the fluid in the upper (upstream) second liquid inlet 21 is large, and the liquid inlet area in the lower (downstream) first liquid inlet 21 is smaller, so that the flow rate of the refrigerant may be adjusted, and the uniformity of the flow distribution may be achieved. So that the battery is cooled more uniformly.
In some embodiments, the cooling plates 1 are provided with two cooling plates, including a first cooling plate and a second cooling plate, the first cooling plate is opposite to the second cooling plate, wherein a first liquid inlet of a first cooling flow channel of the first cooling plate is communicated with a first liquid inlet of a first cooling flow channel of the second cooling plate through a first liquid inlet pipe 15, a first liquid outlet of the first cooling flow channel of the first cooling plate is communicated with a first liquid outlet of a first cooling flow channel of the second cooling plate through a first liquid outlet pipe 16,
The second liquid inlet of the second cooling flow channel of the second cooling plate is communicated with the second liquid inlet of the second cooling flow channel of the second cooling plate through a second liquid inlet pipe 25, and the second liquid outlet of the second cooling flow channel of the second cooling plate is communicated with the second liquid outlet of the second cooling flow channel of the second cooling plate through a second liquid outlet pipe 26.
The invention also provides a battery module, which comprises a battery pack 2 and the cooling device according to any embodiment, wherein the cooling plate 1 of the cooling device is arranged on at least one side surface and/or the bottom surface of the battery pack 2.
In some embodiments, the battery module further comprises a fixing structure, the fixing structure comprises a positioning plate 31 and a fixing belt 32, the positioning plate 31 is respectively arranged at two ends of the battery pack 2, the fixing belt 32 is connected with the positioning plate 31 and is bound around the battery pack 2, and the positioning plate 31 is supported on the cooling plate. According to the battery module, the cooling plate 1 is used for cooling the battery pack 2 and simultaneously providing a supporting and fixing function, so that the battery pack is protected while the battery pack is efficiently cooled.
In some embodiments, the fixing structure further includes a locking assembly 33, where the locking assembly 33 includes a support plate 331 and a locking plate 332, the support plate 331 is disposed on the positioning plate 31 and supported on the upper and lower surfaces of the cooling plate 1, and the locking plate 332 is detachably connected to the support plate 331 and located on a side surface of the cooling plate 1.
In some embodiments, referring to fig. 6, a temperature sensor may be further disposed inside the battery module, where the temperature sensor transmits a detected battery temperature signal to the battery thermal management system, and the battery thermal management system starts the refrigeration system to perform direct cooling if the measured temperature value is greater than the set value, and does not need to cool the battery if the measured temperature value is less than the set value, and keeps the refrigeration system closed according to a comparison result between the measured temperature value T0 and the set value T1.
The specific direct cooling system is operated under the following conditions that a temperature sensor arranged in the battery module receives a temperature signal of the battery in real time and transmits the temperature signal to a battery thermal management system, and when the measured value of the battery temperature at a certain moment is larger than a set value of the temperature, the direct cooling refrigeration system of the battery is started. The refrigerant flows into the first cooling flow channel 10 and the second cooling flow channel 20 through the first liquid inlet 11 and the second liquid inlet 221 respectively, flows in the flow channels to take away heat of the battery pack and cool the battery pack, wherein the flowing directions of the refrigerant in the first cooling flow channel 10 and the second cooling flow channel 20 are shown by arrows in fig. 1, and the refrigerant flows simultaneously along two opposite directions, and flows into the first cooling flow channel 10 and the second cooling flow channel 20 bidirectionally. Then the refrigerants in the two flow channels flow out of the flat tube 4 through the refrigerant outlet holes 12 at the two sides of the flat tube, enter the refrigerant outlet collecting section 20, flow out through the first liquid outlet tube 16 and the second liquid outlet tube 25 at the two sides, exchange the heat of the battery carried by the refrigerants in the refrigerating system, and then re-enter the refrigerant inlet to cool the battery module. When the battery thermal management system receives a temperature signal from a temperature sensor in the battery module at a certain moment, the measured value of the battery temperature is found to be smaller than the set value of the temperature, the temperature of the battery module is recovered to be normal, the battery is not required to be cooled, the direct-cooling refrigerating system of the battery stops running, and the cooling is finished.
It is further understood that the term "plurality" in this disclosure means two or more, and other adjectives are similar thereto. "and/or" describes an association relationship of an association object, and indicates that there may be three relationships, for example, a and/or B, and may indicate that there are three cases of a alone, a and B together, and B alone. The character "/" generally indicates that the context-dependent object is an "or" relationship. The singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
It is further understood that the terms "first," "second," and the like are used to describe various information, but such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one type of information from another and do not denote a particular order or importance. Indeed, the expressions "first", "second", etc. may be used entirely interchangeably. For example, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.
It will be further understood that although operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.
Other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any adaptations, uses, or adaptations of the disclosure following, in general, the principles of the disclosure and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the disclosure pertains. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.
It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be effected without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the scope of the appended claims.