FR3054308A1 - COOLING ASSEMBLY OF A DEVICE FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY. - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an assembly (1) for cooling an electrical energy storage device (2), in particular a battery, this assembly comprising: - a cooling unit (3) comprising at least one channel (30) ) in which a heat transfer fluid can circulate so as to evacuate the heat released by the storage device (2); - a support (4), at least partially made of foam, on which is placed the cooling unit (3).

Description

© Publication number: 3,054,308 (to be used only for reproduction orders) © National registration number: 16 57115 ® FRENCH REPUBLIC

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY

COURBEVOIE © Int Cl ⁸ : F28 F13 / 18 (2017.01), F28 F21 / 00

A1 PATENT APPLICATION

©) Date of filing: 07.25.16. © Applicant (s): VALEO THERMAL SYSTEMS (© Priority: Simplified joint stock company - FR. @ Inventor (s): PREVOST JEAN CHRISTOPHE, BARRE BORIS, ROBILLON LIONEL, MULLER JEAN (43) Date of public availability of the DAMIEN and DA SILVA PHILIPPE. request: 26.01.18 Bulletin 18/04. ©) List of documents cited in the report preliminary research: Refer to end of present booklet (© References to other national documents ® Holder (s): VALEO THERMAL SYSTEMS related: Joint stock company. ©) Extension request (s): © Agent (s): VALEO THERMAL SYSTEMS.

COOLING ASSEMBLY OF AN ELECTRICAL ENERGY STORAGE DEVICE.

FR 3 054 308 - A1 (£ /) The invention relates to an assembly (1) for cooling an electrical energy storage device (2), in particular a battery, this assembly comprising:

- a cooling unit (3) comprising at least one channel (30) in which a heat transfer fluid can circulate so as to evacuate the heat released by the storage device (2);

- A support (4), at least partially made of foam, on which the cooling unit (3) is placed.

Cooling assembly for an electrical energy storage device.

The present invention relates to a cooling assembly of an electrical energy storage device.

Known from patent application US2013309545 a device for pressing a heat exchanger against electric batteries.

Also known from US Pat. No. 8,845,762 is a method of assembling electric batteries, a cooling device, and a system for pressing the batteries against the cooling device.

However, a drawback of these two implementations is that these different embodiments are dimensioned with a predefined height so as to have a "spring" effect or a "reaction" effect, which prevents a certain modularity.

Furthermore, another disadvantage of some of the embodiments presented is that the pressure system must be supported on a flat surface so as to provide a uniform reaction force.

The invention aims in particular to improve at least some of the drawbacks of the prior art.

To do this, the invention relates to a cooling assembly for an electrical energy storage device, in particular a battery, this assembly comprising:

- A cooling unit comprising at least one channel in which a heat transfer fluid can circulate so as to evacuate the heat released by the storage device;

- a support, at least partially made of foam, on which the cooling unit is placed.

Therefore, the invention makes it possible to at least partially resolve some of the drawbacks of the prior art.

More particularly, the invention makes it possible to implement an assembly which does not need to be in abutment against a flat surface to provide a substantially uniform plating of the cooling unit against the electrical energy storage device.

Indeed, the implementation of a support at least partially made of foam allows to be supported against a surface which would not be flat, the profile presented by the support being in fact adaptable.

In addition, another advantage of such an embodiment is the reduction in the mass of the assembly compared to a known cooling assembly.

Furthermore, such a support allows a certain modularity because it is at least partially made of foam. Indeed, such foam can undergo a relative crushing, depending on its compressibility coefficient.

Such a compressibility coefficient can for example be between 0.2 and 0.8.

In a particular embodiment, the support is arranged to deform when the cooling unit is placed on it.

Therefore, the support has an advantage of mechanical damper.

In a variant, the support at least partially envelops the circulation channel of the heat transfer fluid.

In one embodiment of the invention, the support is deformed so as to provide a concavity receiving the channel.

In one embodiment of the invention, the support has an area at least equal to 70% of the area of the cooling unit.

In one embodiment of the invention, the support has a thickness of between 2 mm and 50 mm.

In one embodiment, the support has a shape whose periphery substantially matches the periphery of the cooling unit.

In a variant of the invention, the foam being a viscoelastic foam.

According to a particular aspect of the invention, the foam is a heat-insulating foam.

According to a particular aspect of the invention, the foam is a memory foam.

It may be provided, according to a particular characteristic of the invention, that the foam, which at least partially makes up the support, has an elastic limit of between 10 MPa and 100 MPa.

In a particular embodiment of the invention, the support exerts a surface pressure uniformly distributed over the cooling unit.

In a variant of the invention, the support exerts a surface pressure of between 1 N / cm2 and 15 kN / cm2.

Provision may be made, for example, for the foam to belong to the group comprising polymers, polyurethanes, polypropylenes, or even rubbers.

The invention will be better understood and other details, characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear more clearly in the light of the following description, provided by way of illustrative and nonlimiting example and with reference to the appended drawings among which:

- Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of an assembly according to an embodiment of the invention; and

- Figure 2 is a schematic side view of the assembly according to the embodiment of Figure 1.

We now present, in relation to FIGS. 1 and 2, an embodiment of the invention.

In the example illustrated in the figures, the invention relates to an assembly 1 for cooling an electrical energy storage device 2. This electrical energy storage device can in particular be an electric battery composed for example of 'a plurality of electrical energy storage cells. This electric battery can also be composed of a plurality of "pouch cells".

According to the invention, this set includes:

- A cooling unit 3 comprising at least one channel in which a heat transfer fluid can circulate so as to evacuate the heat released by the storage device 2;

- a support 4, at least partially made of foam, on which the cooling unit 3 is placed.

This cooling unit can be a unit composed of a plurality of heat transfer fluid circulation tubes, connected to each other by at least one manifold, so as to form a circulation circuit of a heat transfer fluid.

These circulation tubes can be tubes comprising microtubes for circulating fluid.

This cooling unit is, in this example, composed at least in part of aluminum.

This cooling unit may further comprise one or more pairs of fluid circulation plates.

As explained above, this cooling unit 3 is pressed against the energy storage device 2 by a support 4.

In other words, the cooling unit is placed on the support so as to allow contact between the cooling unit and the electrical energy storage device.

The support 4 is, in the invention as claimed, at least partially made of foam.

Such a support 4 exerts a surface pressure uniformly distributed over the cooling unit 3. As a result, the plating of the cooling unit 3 against the electrical energy storage device 2 is optimized and uniform.

According to different embodiments, the support can comprise between 50% and 100% of foam.

More particularly, the support can comprise between 50% and 75% of foam.

In the example illustrated, the support is entirely made of foam. In this way, the compression is maximum and the placement of this support is facilitated in the vehicle, without requiring modifications, or at least modifications that are too costly, due to the small space taken up.

In addition, another advantage of such an embodiment is the reduction in the mass of the assembly compared to a conventional cooling assembly.

The choice of foam can be guided by use in a desired working range. Some foams allow a restitution of compressive force close to a compression spring while other foams can be more "flexible". The choice of foam must therefore be guided by at least one of the following parameters:

- free space to place the support;

- the compression force to be applied to the cooling unit in order to guarantee sufficient mechanical strength allowing the thermal transfer from the zones to be cooled to the cooling unit;

- the level of thermal insulation required in order to limit the heat transfer from the cooling unit to areas which are not to be cooled;

- the vibration profile (s) of the environment in which the assembly is placed;

- the humidity level of the environment in which the set is placed.

Depending on the desire to be guided by one of the parameters mentioned above, we can therefore choose to use a support, the foam of which it is at least partially composed is a visco-elastic foam.

Preferably, a foam with a density between 300 Kg / m3 and 600 Kg / m3 and with a hardness between 10 and 90 shore A will be chosen.

We can also choose a thermal insulation foam so as to isolate the areas that would not be cooled.

The thermal insulating foam can be chosen from the families of polymers, polyurethanes, polypropylenes, and even rubbers.

According to a particular aspect of the invention, the foam is a memory foam.

An advantage of such a characteristic is that the deformation of the support is minimized by the nature of the foam.

Another advantage of using a support composed at least partially of foam is that, even in the event of mechanical failure, the support ensures that the cooling unit 3 is held against the battery 2.

In the example illustrated in the various figures, the support has a thickness substantially equal to 50mm.

Obviously, one could imagine other embodiments in which the support would have a thickness of between 2mm and 50mm.

This support 4, on which the cooling unit 3 is placed, at least partially envelops the circulation channel of the heat transfer fluid. In this way, the cooling of the battery 2 by the heat transfer fluid is optimized by the plating made of the cooling unit 3 against the battery 2.

According to the examples, the support 4 can have an area at least equal to 70% of the area of the cooling unit 3.

In the example illustrated in the figures, the support 4 has an area substantially equal to 90% of the cooling unit 3.

In addition, the support 4 has a shape whose periphery substantially matches the periphery of the cooling unit 3. This is in particular made possible by the fact that the support 4 is at least partially made of foam.

Claims (13)

1. Assembly (1) for cooling an electrical energy storage device (2), in particular a battery, this assembly comprising: - a cooling unit (3) comprising at least one channel (30) in which a heat transfer fluid can circulate so as to evacuate the heat released by the storage device (2); - a support (4), at least partially made of foam, on which is placed the cooling unit (3). 2. Assembly according to claim 1, the support (4) being arranged to deform when the cooling unit (3) is placed on it. 3. Assembly according to one of the preceding claims, the support (4) at least partially enveloping the channel. 4. Assembly according to one of the preceding claims, the support (4) being deformed so as to provide a concavity receiving the channel. 5. Assembly according to one of the preceding claims, the support (4) having an area at least equal to 80% of the area of the cooling unit (3). 6. Assembly according to one of the preceding claims, the support (4) having a thickness of between 2 mm and 100 mm. 7. Assembly according to one of the preceding claims, the support (4) having a shape whose periphery substantially matches the periphery of the cooling unit (3). 8. Assembly according to one of the preceding claims, said foam being a viscoelastic foam. 9. Assembly according to one of the preceding claims, said foam 5 being a heat-insulating foam. 10. Assembly according to one of the preceding claims, said foam being a memory foam. 10 11. Assembly according to one of the preceding claims, the foam having an elastic limit between 10MPa and 100MPa. 12. Assembly according to one of the preceding claims, the support (4) exerting a surface pressure uniformly distributed over the unit. 15 cooling (3). 13. Assembly according to the preceding claim, the support (4) exerting a surface pressure between 1 N / cm2 and 15 kN / cm2. 3/3