JP7248808B2 - LiC module - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to lithium ion capacitor (LiC) modules.

A LiC module is a module formed by connecting a plurality of LiC cells. LiC is an electricity storage device in which the negative electrode of a lithium ion secondary battery and the positive electrode of an electric double layer capacitor are combined, and is characterized by extremely high power density.

JP 2017-147048 A

The LiC module has excellent power density, and in order to maximize this characteristic, if it is sufficiently cooled, the temperature of the LiC cell can be prevented from rising excessively, and high-rate discharge (discharge with a large current value) can be performed under constant temperature conditions. It has been found by the inventors of the present invention that it is possible. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a LiC module capable of effectively cooling a LiC cell.

A LiC module according to an aspect of the present invention includes a plurality of carriers holding LiC cells and stacked in a predetermined direction, and a plurality of cold plates inserted between adjacent carriers, each cold plate It has a coolant flow path in which liquid coolant flows.

According to this configuration, each LiC cell arranged inside the LiC module can be cooled by the cold plate located in the vicinity thereof. Therefore, the LiC cell can be effectively cooled.

In the above LiC module, a cylindrical supply-side partial pipe fixed to each cold plate and communicating with the inlet of the refrigerant channel, and a cylindrical supply-side connecting pipe connecting the supply-side partial pipes of adjacent cold plates. and , wherein the supply side partial pipe and the supply side connection pipe are connected to form a supply pipe for supplying the liquid refrigerant to the refrigerant channel.

According to this configuration, it is possible to easily form the supply pipe for supplying the liquid coolant to the coolant channel.

In the above LiC module, each carrier has a supply-side through-hole through which the supply pipe passes, and the supply-side through-holes are connected to form a supply-side outer pipe that accommodates the supply pipe inside, and the LiC The module may include a supply-side leakage detection device that detects the presence or absence of liquid refrigerant leaking from the supply pipe to the supply-side outer pipe.

With this configuration, for example, even if the liquid refrigerant leaks from the connecting portion between the supply-side partial pipe and the supply-side connecting pipe, the leak can be reliably detected.

In the above LiC module, a cylindrical discharge side partial pipe fixed to each cold plate and communicating with the outlet of the refrigerant channel, and a cylindrical discharge side connecting pipe connecting the discharge side partial pipes of the adjacent cold plates. and , wherein the discharge side partial pipe and the discharge side connection pipe are connected to form a discharge pipe for discharging the liquid refrigerant that has passed through the refrigerant flow path.

According to this configuration, it is possible to easily form a discharge pipe for discharging the liquid coolant that has passed through the coolant channel.

In the above LiC module, each carrier has a discharge-side through-hole through which the discharge pipe penetrates, and the discharge-side through-holes are connected to form a discharge-side outer pipe that accommodates the discharge pipe inside, and the LiC The module may include a discharge-side leakage detection device that detects the presence or absence of liquid refrigerant leaking from the discharge pipe to the discharge-side outer pipe.

With this configuration, for example, even if the liquid refrigerant leaks from the connecting portion between the discharge-side partial pipe and the discharge-side connecting pipe, the leak can be reliably detected.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to provide a LiC module that can effectively cool the LiC cell.

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a LiC module. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the supply-side partial pipe of the LiC module. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the vicinity of the discharge side partial pipe of the LiC module.

<Overall composition>
The LiC module 100 according to one aspect of the present invention will be described below. First, the overall configuration of the LiC module 100 will be described. FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the LiC module 100 showing a portion of the LiC module 100. FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the LiC module 100 includes multiple carriers 10 and multiple cold plates 30 .

Carrier 10 is a member that holds LiC cell 11 . The carrier 10 of this embodiment has a plate-like shape. Hereinafter, the width direction of the carrier 10 (lower right-upper left direction of the paper surface of FIG. 1) is simply referred to as the "width direction", and the thickness direction of the carrier 10 (lower left-upper right direction of the paper surface of FIG. 1) is referred to as the "thickness direction" or " The direction of height of the carrier 10 (vertical direction on the paper surface of FIG. 1) is referred to as the “vertical direction”. 1 is referred to as the "front side" in the width direction, and the upper left side (rear side) in the width direction is referred to as the "rear side". Furthermore, in the stacking direction, the lower left side of FIG. 1 is called the "distal end side", and the upper right side of FIG. 1 is called the "base end side".

The carrier 10 of this embodiment holds three LiC cells 11 arranged in the width direction. Each carrier 10 is laminated in a predetermined direction (thickness direction). Although the number of layers of carriers 10 is not particularly limited, as an example, 40 sheets of carriers 10 are stacked in one LiC module 100 . In this case, one LiC module 100 has 120 LiC cells 11 . At both ends of the LiC module 100 in the stacking direction, end plates 12 (see FIG. 2) are stacked following the carrier 10 .

The carrier 10 has recesses 13 for accommodating the cold plates 30 on both end faces in the thickness direction. The recess 13 is recessed inward in the thickness direction of the carrier 10 and has a shape corresponding to the shape of the cold plate 30 . The carrier 10 also has a supply-side through hole 14 positioned on the front side and a discharge-side through hole 15 positioned on the back side.

The supply-side through-hole 14 is positioned within the recess 13 and has an axial center extending in the stacking direction. A supply-side communication groove 16 extending in the stacking direction is formed in the lower end portion of the supply-side through-hole 14 . Similarly, the discharge-side through-hole 15 is positioned within the recess 13 and has an axial center extending in the stacking direction. A discharge side communication groove 17 extending in the stacking direction is formed in the lower end portion of the discharge side through hole 15 .

A supply-side gasket 18 and a discharge-side gasket 19 made of an elastic material are provided in the recess 13 of the carrier 10 and around the supply-side through hole 14 and the discharge-side through hole 15, respectively. The supply-side gasket 18 has a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of the supply-side through hole 14 , and the discharge-side gasket 19 has a shape corresponding to the inheritance of the cross-section of the discharge-side through hole 15 .

Cold plate 30 is a member for cooling LiC cell 11 . Each cold plate 30 is inserted between adjacent carriers 10 perpendicularly to the stacking direction and fitted into the concave portion 13 of the carrier 10 . In this embodiment, the cold plates 30 are arranged between all the carriers 10 adjacent to each other, that is, on both sides of all the carriers 10 in the stacking direction. However, the arrangement of the cold plate 30 is not limited to this. For example, the cold plate 30 may be arranged only on one side of each carrier 10 in the stacking direction. In other words, the cold plate 30 does not have to be inserted between all the adjacent carriers 10 .

The cold plate 30 has a plate-like shape and has therein a labyrinth-like coolant channel 31 through which the liquid coolant flows. Clear water, ethylene glycol, or the like can be used as the liquid refrigerant. The cold plate 30 can be formed by stacking two plate materials. In this case, if grooves are formed in both plate members in plane symmetry, the grooves are joined together to form the coolant flow path 31 . The cold plate 30 may be configured to directly contact the LiC cells 11 to exchange heat with the LiC cells 11, or may be configured to exchange heat with the LiC cells 11 via a heat transfer sheet (not shown). may be

As described above, the LiC module 100 according to this embodiment includes a plurality of cold plates 30 inserted between adjacent carriers 10 . Each cold plate 30 has therein a coolant channel 31 through which liquid coolant flows. Thereby, each LiC cell 11 arranged inside the LiC module 100 can be cooled by the cold plate 30 located in the vicinity thereof. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the LiC cell 11 can be effectively cooled, and high-rate discharge by the LiC module 100 can be achieved.

<Supply piping>
Next, the supply pipe 46 for supplying the liquid coolant to the cold plate 30 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1 , the LiC module 100 includes a plurality of supply side partial pipes 40 and a plurality of supply side connection pipes 41 . A supply pipe 46 is formed by connecting the supply-side partial pipe 40 and the supply-side connection pipe 41 together.

The supply-side partial pipe 40 is fixed near one end in the width direction (front side) of the cold plate 30 . The supply side partial pipe 40 has a tubular shape, and the axis extends in the stacking direction. In other words, the supply side partial pipe 40 is fixed so that its axis is perpendicular to the cold plate 30 . Also, the supply-side partial pipe 40 communicates with the inlet of the coolant channel 31 formed in the cold plate 30 .

In this embodiment, supply side partial pipes 40 are fixed on both sides of the cold plate 30 in the stacking direction. That is, two supply side partial pipes 40 are fixed to one cold plate 30 . However, these two supply side partial pipes 40 may be integrally formed. That is, the supply side partial pipe 40 may be fixed to the cold plate 30 so as to pass through the cold plate 30 . In this case, the central portion in the stacking direction of the supply side partial pipe 40 communicates with the inlet of the coolant channel 31 .

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the supply side partial pipe 40 of the LiC module 100 viewed from the front side. The vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. Further, the left side and right side of the paper surface of FIG. 2 are the "distal end side" and the "base end side", respectively. As shown in FIG. 2, the supply side partial pipe 40 has a stopper portion 44 inside. The stopper portion 44 of the present embodiment is positioned closer to the cold plate 30 and has a smaller inner diameter than the portion farther from the cold plate 30 .

The supply-side connecting pipe 41 is positioned radially inside the supply-side through hole 14 formed in the carrier 10 and connects the supply-side partial pipes 40 of the cold plates 30 adjacent to each other with the carrier 10 interposed therebetween. As shown in FIG. 1, the supply-side connecting pipe 41 has a tubular shape, and the axis extends in the stacking direction. 2, the outer diameter of the supply-side connecting pipe 41 is smaller than the inner diameter of the supply-side partial pipe 40 (excluding the stopper portion 44), and the supply-side connecting pipe 41 is located inside the supply-side partial pipe 40. inserted.

An O-ring 45 is arranged between the outer peripheral surface of the supply-side connecting pipe 41 and the inner peripheral surface of the supply-side partial pipe 40 to seal the gap between the supply-side connecting pipe 41 and the supply-side partial pipe 40. It is Further, the movement of the supply-side connecting pipe 41 in the stacking direction is restricted by the stopper portion 44 of the supply-side partial pipe 40 described above.

In this way, the supply pipe 46 is formed by connecting the supply-side partial pipe 40 and the supply-side connection pipe 41 together. A liquid coolant is supplied to the supply pipe 46 from the outside of the LiC module 100 on the base end side (see the black arrow in FIG. 2). As a result, the liquid coolant flows from the base end side to the tip end side, and is supplied to the inlet of the coolant channel 31 of the cold plate 30 via each of the supply side partial pipes 40 . In addition, as shown in FIG. 2 , a supply side end pipe 47 is provided on the tip side of the supply pipe 46 . The supply-side end pipe 47 has a cylindrical shape with a closed end face, and is arranged radially inside the supply-side partial pipe 40 via an O-ring 45 .

Since the supply pipe 46 of the present embodiment is configured as described above, when the carriers 10 are stacked while the cold plate 30 is inserted between the carriers 10, the liquid coolant is supplied to the coolant channels 31 of the cold plate 30. A supply pipe 46 can be formed to Moreover, since the supply-side connection pipe 41 has the stopper portion 44, the supply-side connection pipe 41 can be arranged at an appropriate position in the stacking direction during assembly. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the supply pipe 46 can be easily formed.

<Leak detection structure for supply piping>
The LiC module 100 according to the present embodiment has a structure for detecting leakage when liquid refrigerant leaks from the supply pipe 46 to the outside due to deterioration of the O-ring 45 or the like. The leak detection structure of the supply pipe 46 will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 2 , in a state in which the carriers 10 are stacked, the supply-side through holes 14 of the carriers 10 are connected to form the supply-side outer pipe 50 . A supply pipe 46 is positioned radially inside the supply-side outer pipe 50 . That is, the supply-side outer pipe 50 accommodates the supply pipe 46 inside. Thus, a double pipe is formed by the supply pipe 46 and the supply-side outer pipe 50 .

Also, the supply-side communication grooves 16 of the supply-side through holes 14 are connected in the stacking direction to form a supply-side guide groove 51 . A downwardly extending supply-side trap hole 52 is formed in a portion (the end plate 12) of the supply-side guide groove 51 that continues to the leading end side in the stacking direction. If the liquid refrigerant leaks from the supply pipe 46 , the leaked liquid refrigerant is guided to the supply side trap hole 52 by the supply side guide groove 51 of the supply side outer pipe 50 .

Further, the LiC module 100 includes a supply side leak detection device 53 provided near the bottom of the supply side trap hole 52 . The supply-side leakage detection device 53 is a device that can detect the presence or absence of liquid refrigerant, and a known device that can detect the presence or absence of liquid can be used. The installation position of the supply-side leakage detection device 53 is not limited to the positions described above. The supply-side leakage detection device 53 may be arranged at a position where it can detect the liquid refrigerant leaking from the supply pipe 46 to the supply-side external pipe 50 .

Since the LiC module 100 according to the present embodiment has the leak detection structure of the supply pipe 46 as described above, for example, the liquid refrigerant leaks from the connection portion between the supply side partial pipe 40 and the supply side connection pipe 41. However, the leakage can be reliably detected. When the supply-side leakage detection device 53 detects leakage of liquid refrigerant from the supply pipe 46, it transmits a detection signal to a control device (not shown). Upon receiving the detection signal, the control device performs necessary control such as stopping the supply of the liquid refrigerant to the LiC module 100 .

<Exhaust piping>
Next, the discharge pipe 48 for discharging the liquid refrigerant that has passed through the cold plate 30 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1 , the LiC module 100 includes a plurality of discharge side partial pipes 42 and a plurality of discharge side connection pipes 43 . A discharge pipe 48 is formed by connecting the discharge side partial pipe 42 and the discharge side connection pipe 43 together.

The discharge-side partial pipe 42 is fixed near the end of the cold plate 30 on the other side in the width direction (back side). The discharge side partial pipe 42 has a cylindrical shape, and the axis extends in the stacking direction. In other words, the discharge side partial pipe 42 is fixed so that its axis is perpendicular to the cold plate 30 . Also, the discharge side partial pipe 42 communicates with the outlet of the refrigerant flow path 31 formed in the cold plate 30 .

In this embodiment, discharge side partial pipes 42 are fixed on both sides of the cold plate 30 in the stacking direction. That is, two discharge side partial pipes 42 are fixed to one cold plate 30 . However, these two discharge side partial pipes 42 may be integrally formed. That is, the discharge side partial pipe 42 may be fixed to the cold plate 30 so as to pass through the cold plate 30 . In this case, the central portion in the stacking direction of the discharge side partial pipe 42 communicates with the outlet of the refrigerant channel 31 .

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the supply side partial pipe 40 of the LiC module 100 as seen from the rear side. The vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. Also, the left side and the right side of the paper surface of FIG. 3 are the “base end side” and the “distal end side”, respectively. As shown in FIG. 3, the discharge side partial pipe 42 has a stopper portion 44 inside. The stopper portion 44 of the present embodiment is positioned closer to the cold plate 30 and has a smaller inner diameter than the portion farther from the cold plate 30 .

The discharge-side connecting pipe 43 is located radially inside the discharge-side through hole 15 formed in the carrier 10 and connects the discharge-side partial pipes 42 of the cold plates 30 adjacent to each other with the carrier 10 interposed therebetween. As shown in FIG. 1, the discharge side connecting pipe 43 has a cylindrical shape, and the axis extends in the stacking direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the outer diameter of the discharge side connecting pipe 43 is smaller than the inner diameter of the discharge side partial pipe 42 (excluding the stopper portion 44), and the discharge side connecting pipe 43 is located inside the discharge side partial pipe 42. inserted.

An O-ring 45 is arranged between the outer peripheral surface of the discharge-side connecting pipe 43 and the inner peripheral surface of the discharge-side partial pipe 42 to seal the gap between the discharge-side connecting pipe 43 and the discharge-side partial pipe 42. It is Further, movement of the discharge-side connecting pipe 43 in the stacking direction is restricted by the stopper portion 44 of the discharge-side partial pipe 42 described above.

Thus, the discharge pipe 48 is formed by connecting the discharge side partial pipe 42 and the discharge side connection pipe 43 together. The liquid coolant that has flowed out from the outlet of the coolant channel 31 of the cold plate 30 flows from the distal end side of the discharge pipe 48 toward the proximal end side (see the black arrow in FIG. 3), and then reaches the outside of the LiC module 100 on the proximal end side. discharged to In addition, as shown in FIG. 3 , a discharge side end pipe 49 is provided on the tip side of the discharge pipe 48 . The discharge side end pipe 49 has a cylindrical shape with a closed end face, and is arranged radially inside the discharge side partial pipe 42 via an O-ring 45 .

Since the discharge pipe 48 of the present embodiment is configured as described above, if the carriers 10 are stacked while the cold plate 30 is inserted between the carriers 10, the liquid coolant that has passed through the coolant channels 31 of the cold plate 30 can be discharged. A discharge line 48 may be formed to discharge the . Further, since the discharge side connecting pipe 43 has the stopper portion 44, the discharge side connecting pipe 43 can be arranged at an appropriate position in the stacking direction during assembly. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the discharge pipe 48 can be easily formed.

<Leakage detection structure for discharge piping>
The LiC module 100 according to the present embodiment has a structure for detecting leakage when the liquid refrigerant leaks from the discharge pipe 48 to the outside due to deterioration of the O-ring 45 or the like. The leak detection structure of the discharge pipe 48 will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 2 , when the carriers 10 are stacked, the discharge-side through holes 15 of the carriers 10 are connected to form the discharge-side outer pipe 54 . A discharge pipe 48 is positioned radially inside the discharge-side outer pipe 54 . That is, the discharge-side outer pipe 54 accommodates the discharge pipe 48 inside. Thus, a double pipe is formed by the discharge pipe 48 and the discharge-side outer pipe 54 .

Further, the discharge-side communication grooves 17 of the respective discharge-side through holes 15 are connected in the stacking direction to form the discharge-side guide grooves 55 . A discharge-side trap hole 56 extending downward is formed in a portion (the end plate 12 ) continuing from the discharge-side guide groove 55 to the leading end side in the stacking direction. If liquid refrigerant leaks from the discharge pipe 48 , the leaked liquid refrigerant is guided to the discharge side trap hole 56 by the discharge side guide groove 55 of the discharge side outer pipe 54 .

Furthermore, the LiC module 100 includes a discharge side leak detection device 57 provided near the bottom of the discharge side trap hole 56 . The discharge-side leak detection device 57 is a device that can detect the presence or absence of liquid refrigerant, and a known device that can detect the presence or absence of liquid can be used. Note that the installation position of the discharge-side leak detection device 57 is not limited to the position described above. The discharge-side leakage detection device 57 may be arranged at a position where it can detect the liquid refrigerant leaking from the discharge pipe 48 to the discharge-side outer pipe 54 .

Since the LiC module 100 according to the present embodiment has the leakage detection structure of the discharge pipe 48 as described above, for example, the liquid refrigerant leaks from the connection portion between the discharge side partial pipe 42 and the discharge side connection pipe 43. However, the leakage can be reliably detected. When the discharge-side leak detection device 57 detects leakage of liquid refrigerant from the discharge pipe 48, it transmits a detection signal to a control device (not shown). Upon receiving the detection signal, the control device performs necessary control such as stopping the supply of the liquid refrigerant to the LiC module 100 .

<Modification>
In the above embodiment, the supply-side connecting pipe 41 is positioned radially inside the supply-side partial pipe 40 , but may be positioned radially outside the supply-side partial pipe 40 . Similarly, the discharge-side connecting pipe 43 may be positioned radially outside the discharge-side partial pipe 42 . Further, in the above-described embodiment, the supply side connecting pipe 41 and the discharge side connecting pipe 43 are provided with the stopper portions 44, but the supply side partial pipe 40 and the discharge side partial pipe 42 are provided with the stopper portions 44. good too.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the supply pipe 46 was arranged on the front side of the LiC module 100 and the discharge pipe 48 was arranged on the rear side of the LiC module 100. However, both the supply pipe 46 and the discharge pipe 48 It may be arranged on the front side or the back side of the module 100 . That is, the supply pipe 46 may be arranged near the discharge pipe 48 . For example, when both the supply pipe 46 and the discharge pipe 48 are arranged on the front side of the LiC module 100 , the supply-side external pipe 50 may accommodate both the supply pipe 46 and the discharge pipe 48 . In this case, the discharge side outer pipe 54 and the like can be omitted.

10 carrier 11 LiC cell 14 supply side through hole 15 discharge side through hole 30 cold plate 31 refrigerant channel 40 supply side partial pipe 41 supply side connection pipe 42 discharge side partial pipe 43 discharge side connection pipe 46 supply pipe 48 discharge pipe 50 supply Outer piping 53 Supply side leak detection device 54 Outer discharge side piping 57 Discharge side leak detection device 100 LiC module

Claims (2)

a plurality of carriers holding LiC cells and stacked in a predetermined direction;
a plurality of cold plates that are inserted between adjacent carriers and have therein coolant channels through which liquid coolant flows;
a cylindrical supply side partial pipe fixed to each cold plate and communicating with the inlet of the refrigerant channel;
a cylindrical supply-side connection pipe that connects the supply-side partial pipes of adjacent cold plates,
The supply side partial pipe and the supply side connection pipe are connected to form a supply pipe for supplying liquid refrigerant to the refrigerant channel,
Each carrier has a supply-side through-hole through which the supply pipe passes,
A supply-side communication groove extending in the stacking direction is formed in a lower end portion of the supply-side through hole,
The supply-side through-holes are connected to form a supply-side outer pipe that accommodates the supply pipe inside,
The supply-side communication grooves are connected to form a supply-side guide groove,
A supply-side trap hole extending downward is formed in the supply-side guide groove,
The LiC module includes a supply-side leakage detection device provided in the supply-side trap hole for detecting presence/absence of liquid refrigerant leaking from the supply pipe to the supply-side external pipe. a plurality of carriers holding LiC cells and stacked in a predetermined direction;
a plurality of cold plates that are inserted between adjacent carriers and have therein coolant channels through which liquid coolant flows;
a tubular discharge side partial pipe fixed to each cold plate and communicating with the outlet of the refrigerant channel;
a cylindrical discharge-side connecting pipe that connects the discharge-side partial pipes of adjacent cold plates,
The discharge side partial pipe and the discharge side connection pipe are connected to form a discharge pipe for discharging the liquid refrigerant that has passed through the refrigerant flow path,
Each carrier has a discharge-side through hole through which the discharge pipe passes,
A discharge side communication groove extending in the stacking direction is formed in the lower end portion of the discharge side through hole,
The discharge side through-holes are connected to form a discharge side outer pipe that accommodates the discharge pipe inside,
The discharge-side communication grooves are connected to form a discharge-side guide groove,
a discharge-side trap hole extending downward is formed in the discharge-side guide groove,
The LiC module comprises a discharge-side leakage detection device provided in the discharge-side trap hole for detecting presence/absence of liquid refrigerant leaking from the discharge pipe to the discharge-side outer pipe.

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