KR20120062308A - Secondary battery cooling apparatus and heating system using heat generated from secondary battery operation - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A secondary battery chiller and a heating system using secondary battery operation heat are provided to increase heat-exchange area of cold air flow path and the secondary battery, thereby absorbing maximum amount of heat from the secondary battery and maximizing heat exchange efficiency. CONSTITUTION: A secondary battery chiller(20) comprises a cooling fin(21) which absorbs heat from the secondary battery cells and a heat radiation fin which is formed on plane perpendicularly. The heat radiation fin comprises a plurality of first heat-radiant pins(22) which is formed in parallel to a direction towards outlet of air and a plurality of heat radiation fins(23) which is connected with the first heat radiation fins and is extended towards outlet of air.

Description

Secondary battery cooling apparatus and heating system using heat generated from secondary battery operation}

The present invention relates to a cooling system for a secondary battery used as an energy supply source used in a vehicle or a house, and a heating system using the secondary battery operating heat.

In addition to the primary advantages of the secondary battery, the charging and discharging can be repeated continuously by electrochemical reactions between components including an electrode current collector, a separator, an active material, an electrolyte, and the like, thereby dramatically reducing the use of fossil fuels. It is attracting attention as a new source of energy for improving eco-friendliness and energy efficiency in that no by-products are generated. In particular, with the development of high capacity lithium secondary batteries, such secondary batteries are commonly applied to electric vehicles (EVs) or hybrid vehicles (HVs), which are driven by electric driving sources as well as portable devices.

In addition, recently, the issue of depletion of energy resources by fossil fuels, the issue of environmental pollution, the economics of energy use, etc. have been highlighted, effectively overcoming inconsistencies between power consumption and power production, In order to solve the overload phenomenon caused by waste and lack of power supply, the concept of a smart grid system that flexibly adjusts the power supply in connection with various information communication infrastructures is being actively researched.

In other words, in the smart grid system, when the power consumption is low, the power is stored, and when the power consumption is high, the infrastructure has such an electric power supply to the consumer along with the generated power.

A medium for storing power produced in such a smart grid system should be utilized. In this case, a secondary battery pack, which is a collection of a plurality of secondary batteries, functions as a main element for storing power. Such a power storage system can be used not only in a smart grid system but also in many other fields. For example, since a large amount of electric power needs to be stored in an electric vehicle charging station that supplies charging power to an electric vehicle, a power storage system can be used here, and can also be used as an energy supply source for a house.

The secondary battery pack constituting such a power storage system is a large number of secondary batteries are assembled in a variety of structures (for example, a stack of secondary battery packs stacked in a vertical structure, etc.) to form a large capacity system, In the secondary battery, the charging or discharging occurs repeatedly repeatedly by an internal electrochemical reaction, and the charging and discharging process inevitably involves heat generation. Thus, when the secondary battery becomes high in capacity, the heat generation due to the charge and discharge increases dramatically. .

Such heat generation may cause inherent damage (damage) to the secondary battery causing the electrochemical reaction, which may result in deterioration of performance, and may cause ancillary problems that cannot guarantee the life of the secondary battery and explode due to heat generation. It is known to be a fatal weakness in safety, such as a phenomenon.

Therefore, a device for cooling the heat generated by the operation of the secondary battery is required, Korean Patent Publication No. 2006-102851, Korean Patent Publication No. 2006-86123, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-159440, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2006 -108820 and the like disclose an apparatus or method for cooling such a secondary battery.

However, such a conventional cooling system is only interested in the cooling of the secondary battery, paying no attention and attention to the efficient use of the operating heat of the secondary battery. In addition, the heat dissipation plate and the heat dissipation fin arranged for cooling of the secondary battery are only suggested in terms of rapid cooling, and the arrangement and structure are suggested. This is not the case.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems or necessity in the above background, and an object thereof is to provide a secondary battery cooling apparatus having a structure capable of extracting a large amount of operating heat of a secondary battery as efficiently as possible. .

Another object of the present invention is to provide a heating system used for heating a vehicle, a house, or the like using the driving heat of a secondary battery.

Objects and advantages according to the invention will be described below and will be appreciated by the embodiments of the invention. In addition, the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by the configuration and combination of configurations shown in the claims.

A cooling device of a secondary battery module of the present invention for achieving the above object is a cooling device of a secondary battery module for cooling the secondary battery cells in a secondary battery module formed by accommodating a plurality of secondary battery cells in parallel to each other, A heat sink inserted between the secondary battery cells to absorb heat from the secondary battery cell by being in close contact with the surface of the secondary battery cell; And a heat dissipation fin formed perpendicular to a plane formed by the heat dissipation plate on an opposite surface of the heat dissipation plate which is in close contact with the surface of the secondary battery cell. The heat dissipation fin is viewed in a direction perpendicular to a plane formed by the heat dissipation plate. A plurality of first heat radiation fins formed in parallel with each other in a straight line in a direction from the inflow side of the air for cooling to the outflow side; And a plurality of second heat dissipation fins connected to the first heat dissipation fin at one side of an upper side and a lower side of each of the plurality of first heat dissipation fins and inclinedly extending toward the outlet side of the air.

Preferably, the cooling device of the secondary battery module of the present invention is connected to the first heat radiation fins on the other side of the upper and lower sides of each of the plurality of first heat radiation fins and is formed to be inclined toward the outlet side of the air, the plurality of second It further comprises a plurality of third heat dissipation fins staggered with the heat dissipation fins.

In addition, the plurality of second heat dissipation fins and / or third heat dissipation fins may have different lengths from each other.

On the other hand, the cooling device of the secondary battery stack of the present invention for achieving the object according to another aspect of the present invention, for cooling the plurality of secondary battery modules in the secondary battery stack is a plurality of secondary battery modules are stacked up and down. A cooling apparatus of a secondary battery stack, comprising: a plurality of secondary battery module cooling apparatuses provided for cooling each of the plurality of secondary battery modules, each of the plurality of secondary battery module cooling apparatuses as described above; An air discharge duct having an air outlet for collecting and discharging air flowing out from the plurality of secondary battery module cooling devices; And a blowing fan configured to generate a flow of air in the order of the plurality of secondary battery module cooling devices, the air discharge duct, and the air outlet from the outside of the secondary battery stack.

In addition, the heating system of the present invention for achieving the object according to another aspect of the present invention, a heating system using the operating heat generated from the secondary battery module formed by storing a plurality of secondary battery cells in parallel with each other, the secondary An air-cooled secondary battery module cooling device for cooling the battery module; An air discharge duct having an air outlet for discharging warmed air flowing out of the secondary battery module cooling apparatus; And a blowing fan configured to generate a flow of air in the order of the secondary battery module cooling device, the air discharge duct, and the air outlet from the outside of the secondary battery module. The heated air discharged from the air outlet is included in the heating. It is characterized by using.

Here, the heating system is disposed at any position of the flow path of the air to receive and use relatively cold air when the secondary battery module is operated in a relatively low temperature environment, and receives power from the secondary battery module. It is preferable to further include an auxiliary heater for heating the air.

According to the secondary battery module cooling apparatus and the secondary battery stack cooling apparatus according to the present invention, cooling air flows in a zigzag due to the unique arrangement of the heat dissipation fins so that the air flow path is long, and the heat exchange area with the secondary battery is widened, so that the maximum amount Since heat is absorbed from the secondary battery, heat exchange efficiency can be maximized.

In addition, according to the heating system according to the present invention, it is possible to heat the air using the heat generated during the operation of the secondary battery, and to heat the inside of the house or the vehicle by using the warmed air. Therefore, by utilizing the operating heat of the secondary battery, which has been conventionally discarded, as heating energy, energy efficiency may be maximized. In particular, by applying the secondary battery module cooling apparatus and the secondary battery stack cooling apparatus according to the present invention described above to the heating system according to the present invention, it is possible to absorb the maximum amount of heat to be used for heating.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and, together with the description of the invention given below, serve to further the understanding of the technical idea of the invention. And should not be construed as limiting.
1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a cooling device and a heating system of a secondary battery stack according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a cooling device and a heating system of the secondary battery stack shown in FIG. 1.
Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view showing a secondary battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention with a cooling device,
4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 3 schematically illustrating a structure of a heat dissipation fin in a secondary battery module cooling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
5 is a partial cross-sectional view schematically showing a modified example of the heat radiation fin in the secondary battery module cooling apparatus shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, terms or words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as being limited to the common or dictionary meanings, and the inventors should properly explain the concept of terms in order to best explain their own invention. Based on the principle that can be defined, it should be interpreted as meaning and concept corresponding to the technical idea of the present invention.

Therefore, the embodiments described in the specification and the drawings shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiment of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical idea of the present invention, various modifications that can be replaced at the time of the present application It should be understood that there may be equivalents and variations.

1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a cooling apparatus and a heating system of a secondary battery stack according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cooling apparatus and heating system of a secondary battery stack shown in FIG. . A general and general description of a cooling device and a heating system of a secondary battery stack of the present invention will be described first with reference to FIG. 1, and each detailed configuration will be described later with reference to the corresponding drawings.

Meanwhile, in the detailed description of the present invention and in the claims that follow, terms indicating directions such as up, down, left, right, front, and back are relative terms for explaining directions as shown in the drawings, and are terms that can be reversed depending on the viewing direction. Please specify.

1 and 2, the secondary battery stack to which the cooling apparatus of the present invention is applied and forms part of a heating system has one or more secondary battery modules 100 housed in a secondary battery module case 200, and one The secondary battery module case 200 in which the secondary battery module 100 is stored is stacked in one or more stages. In FIG. 1, three secondary battery modules 100 are accommodated in each of the secondary battery module cases 200 in each stage, and the stacked three stages are stacked. However, this is merely an example of the secondary battery module 100. The number and number of stacked layers of the secondary battery module case 200 may be changed as much as possible. In addition, in the present embodiment, a case in which a plurality of secondary battery modules 100 are stacked to form a stack is described, but the cooling apparatus and the heating system of the present invention may be equally applicable to a case including only one module. .

In the following description of the present invention, the secondary battery module 100 may refer to a plurality of secondary battery cells or assemblies assembled according to an embodiment, and may be referred to as a 'battery module' or a 'battery pack'.

One or more secondary battery modules 100 provided in the secondary battery stack may be electrically interconnected in series or parallel structure in various forms according to the embodiment, and may also be arranged to function as an independent power source. to be.

On the other hand, the component shown by the reference numeral 300 on the back of the secondary battery stack in FIG. 1 is introduced from the front surface of the secondary battery module 100 after passing through the secondary battery module 100, the secondary battery module 100 Air exhaust duct that collects and discharges the air discharged to the back of the tank. The air discharge duct 300 is provided on the rear surface of the plurality of secondary battery modules 100 in common, and discharges through the air outlet 310 to use the air warmed while passing through the secondary battery module 100 for heating. do.

Here, although one air outlet 310 is illustrated as being disposed on the top of the secondary battery stack in FIGS. 1 and 2, the number or arrangement positions of the air outlets may be changed in accordance with a space requiring heating.

In FIG. 2, components shown by reference numeral 400 are not shown in FIG. 1, but are mounted on a front surface of each secondary battery module 100 to supply external air to each secondary battery module 100. I'm a fan.

Therefore, the external air supplied to the secondary battery module 100 through the blower fan 400 is passed through the air discharge duct 300 and the secondary battery module cooling apparatus described later included in each of the plurality of secondary battery modules 100. In order for the air outlet 310 to flow, the air outlet 310 is supplied to the inside of the vehicle or the house that is the actual heating target. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to heat the inside of a house or a vehicle by using the warmed air which has been conventionally used for cooling secondary batteries and has been discharged to the outside.

Meanwhile, in FIG. 2, the blower fan 400 is illustrated as being disposed one at the front of each secondary battery module 100, but one common to each secondary battery module case 200 constituting each stage of the stack is disposed, or the entirety. Only one can be placed in front of the stack in common. In this case, in order to evenly supply air to the plurality of secondary battery modules 100, the front surface of the secondary battery stack may be provided with a duct. In addition, the blowing fan may be disposed near the air outlet 310 instead of the front surface of the secondary battery module 100, or may be disposed at both the front surface of the secondary battery module 100 and the vicinity of the air outlet 310. In other words, the arrangement is not particularly limited as long as the blower fan can generate a flow of air from the outside of the secondary battery module (stack) in the order of the secondary battery module 100, the air discharge duct 300, and the air outlet 310. Do not.

In addition, although not shown, the heating system of the present embodiment may further include an auxiliary heater. As described above, the secondary battery module 100 generates heat by repeatedly performing charging and discharging. However, when the secondary battery module 100 is initially operated in a relatively cold state, heat is not generated enough so that the secondary battery module 100 is heated. Not available at Therefore, when the temperature of the air discharged from the air outlet 310 is measured by means such as, for example, a temperature sensor and the predetermined temperature is not reached, it is preferable to take the configuration of heating by operating the auxiliary heater.

The auxiliary heater may be an electric heater operated by receiving electric power from the secondary battery module 100, and the above-described air flow path, that is, the blowing fan 400, the secondary battery module 100, the air discharge duct 300, The air outlet 310 may be disposed at any position in the air flow path formed in order. However, since the secondary battery module 100 may also be difficult to exhibit sufficient performance at low temperatures, the location of the auxiliary heater may be provided in front of the secondary battery module 100, that is, at the front end or the rear end of the blower fan 100 in a low temperature environment. When operating the secondary battery module 100, it is preferable to allow the secondary battery module 100 to be properly heated.

As described above, according to the secondary battery cooling device and the heating system according to the present invention, it is possible to heat the inside of a house or a vehicle by using the warmed air that has been conventionally used for cooling the secondary battery and discharged to the outside, thereby improving heat use efficiency. Can increase dramatically.

Hereinafter, the detailed configuration of each of the secondary battery module cooling devices 20 constituting the secondary battery stack cooling device and the heating system will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a secondary battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention together with a cooling device thereof, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 3, and according to an embodiment of the present invention. The cross-sectional view schematically showing the structure of the heat radiation fin in the cooling device.

3 and 4, the secondary battery module cooling apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment is accommodated in the secondary battery cell case 110 together with the plurality of secondary battery cells 10 and the secondary battery module 100. ). That is, as shown in FIG. 3, in the secondary battery cell case 110, a plurality of secondary battery cells 10 on a plate and a plurality of cooling apparatuses 20 according to the present embodiment are sandwiched alternately to closely adhere to each other. It is received.

Each secondary battery cell 10 may have a rectangular plate shape, and may be a typical lithium secondary battery in which a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate are laminated through a separator and filled with an electrolyte therein. In addition, the secondary battery cell 10 may include an explosion-proof safety device or a control circuit for preventing ignition or explosion due to misuse such as overcharging. In addition, each secondary battery cell 10 may be a unit secondary battery cell, or may be an aggregate of a plurality of unit cells. Meanwhile, components shown by reference numeral 11 in FIG. 3 are electrode tabs which are positive and negative terminals of the secondary battery cell 10. The electrode tabs 11 of the respective secondary battery cells 10 are electrically connected to each other in series or in parallel by connecting to each other by using a bus bar or the like.

Each secondary battery module cooling device 20 absorbs heat from the secondary battery cell 10 by being inserted between adjacent secondary battery cells 10 to be in close contact with the surface of the secondary battery cell 10. Specifically, the secondary battery module cooling device 20 is a heat sink (21) in close contact with the surface of the secondary battery cell 10, the heat sink 21 in close contact with the surface of the secondary battery cell 10, the heat sink ( It includes a heat radiation fin (22 ~ 24) formed perpendicular to the plane formed by 21. The heat sink 21 and the heat radiation fins 22 to 24 are made of metal such as aluminum or copper having high thermal conductivity.

Preferably, the heat sink 21 is inserted between the pair of secondary battery cells 10 is made of a pair to contact the surface of each secondary battery cell 10, the heat dissipation fin (22 ~ 24) is a It is formed in the space between the pair of heat sink 21 is formed to connect the pair of heat sink 21. Therefore, a flow path through which air for cooling the secondary battery cells 10 is formed by the pair of heat sinks 21 and the heat radiation fins 22 to 24 formed therebetween.

More specifically, the heat dissipation fins 22 to 24 preferably include a first heat dissipation fin 22, a second heat dissipation fin 23, and a third heat dissipation fin 24 as shown in FIG. 4.

The first heat dissipation fin 22 is formed in plural in parallel with each other in a shape when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the plane formed by the heat sink 21 in a direction from the inflow side to the outflow side of air for cooling. Therefore, the respective air flow paths are formed between two adjacent first heat sinks 22.

The second heat dissipation fin 23 is connected to the first heat dissipation fin 22 at the lower side of each of the plurality of first heat dissipation fins 22 and extends inclined toward the outlet side of the air, and a plurality of third heat dissipation fins 24 are formed. A plurality of heat dissipation fins 22 are connected to the first heat dissipation fins 22 at an upper side of the heat dissipation fins 22 and are inclined to the outlet side of the air like the second heat dissipation fins 23.

Therefore, in each of the air flow paths formed between two adjacent first heat sinks 22, the air is caused by the second heat radiation fins 23 and the third heat radiation fins 24, which are alternately opposed to each other, as indicated by arrows in FIG. Will flow together. In particular, as shown in FIG. 4, the second heat dissipation fin 23 and the third heat dissipation fin 24 are formed by periodically disposing fins having different lengths, and the air is discharged from the first heat dissipation fin by the long fins. It prevents the straight out of the flow path formed by 22). Therefore, the air flows zigzag by the unique arrangement of the second heat dissipation fin 23 and the third heat dissipation fin 24, so that the flow path is long, and the heat exchange area with the cooling device 20 is widened, so that the secondary battery generates as much heat as possible. Absorbed from the cell 10 may maximize the heat exchange efficiency.

On the other hand, the specific structure and arrangement of the second heat radiation fin 23 and the third heat radiation fin 24 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, long fins and short fins may be alternately arranged to achieve an effect of increasing the flow path and the heat exchange area as shown in FIG. 4. In addition, as shown in (b) of FIG. 5, similar effects may be achieved by staggering pins having the same length.

Although the present invention has been described above by means of limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto and will be described below by the person skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Of course, various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the claims.

10: secondary battery cell 11: electrode tab
20: secondary battery module cooling device 21: heat sink
22: first heat radiation fin 23: second heat radiation fin
24: third heat radiation fin 100: secondary battery module
110: secondary battery cell case 200: secondary battery module case
300: air exhaust duct 310: air outlet
400: blower fan

Claims (15)

A secondary battery module cooling apparatus for cooling the secondary battery cells in a secondary battery module formed by accommodating a plurality of secondary battery cells in parallel to each other,
A heat sink inserted between adjacent secondary battery cells to absorb heat from the secondary battery cell by being in close contact with the surface of the secondary battery cell; And
And a heat dissipation fin formed perpendicular to a plane of the heat dissipation plate on an opposite surface of the heat dissipation plate which is in close contact with the surface of the secondary battery cell.
The heat dissipation fins,
A plurality of first heat dissipation fins having a shape when viewed in a direction perpendicular to a plane formed by the heat sink in parallel with each other in a straight line in a direction from an inflow side to an outflow side of air for cooling; And
And a plurality of second heat dissipation fins connected to the first heat dissipation fins at one side of each of the plurality of first heat dissipation fins, the second heat dissipation fins being inclined toward the outlet side of the air. The method of claim 1,
Further comprising a plurality of third heat radiation fins connected to the first heat radiation fins on the other side of the upper and lower sides of each of the plurality of first heat radiation fins and inclined toward the outlet side of the air and alternately disposed with the plurality of second heat radiation fins. Cooling apparatus for a secondary battery module, characterized in that. The method of claim 1,
Cooling device of a secondary battery module, characterized in that the plurality of second heat radiation fins are arranged with different lengths of the fins. The method of claim 2,
The plurality of third heat dissipation fins, the cooling device of the secondary battery module, characterized in that the fins are arranged with different lengths. 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The heat dissipation plate is inserted between the adjacent pair of the secondary battery cell is made of a pair to contact the surface of each secondary battery cell,
The heat dissipation fins are formed in a space between the pair of heat sinks, the cooling device of the secondary battery module, characterized in that formed to connect the pair of heat sinks. In the secondary battery stack for cooling the plurality of secondary battery modules in a secondary battery stack is a plurality of secondary battery modules are stacked up and down,
A plurality of secondary battery module cooling devices provided for cooling each of the plurality of secondary battery modules, each of the plurality of secondary battery module cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 4;
An air discharge duct having an air outlet for collecting and discharging air flowing out from the plurality of secondary battery module cooling devices; And
And a blower fan configured to generate a flow of air in the order of the plurality of secondary battery module cooling devices, the air discharge ducts, and the air outlet from the outside of the secondary battery stack. In the heating system using the operating heat generated from the secondary battery module formed by storing a plurality of secondary battery cells in parallel with each other,
An air-cooled secondary battery module cooling device for cooling the secondary battery module;
An air discharge duct having an air outlet for discharging warmed air flowing out of the secondary battery module cooling apparatus; And
And a blowing fan configured to generate a flow of air in the order of the secondary battery module cooling device, the air discharge duct, and the air outlet from the outside of the secondary battery module.
And heating the heated air discharged from the air outlet. The method of claim 7, wherein
And an auxiliary heater disposed at an arbitrary position of the air flow path and receiving electric power from the secondary battery module to heat the air. The method according to claim 7 or 8,
The heating system includes a plurality of the secondary battery module of the same structure stacked up and down,
The air discharge duct is a heating system, characterized in that one is provided in common to the plurality of secondary battery modules. The method according to claim 7 or 8,
The blowing fan is a heating system, characterized in that disposed on the front of the secondary battery module. The method according to claim 7 or 8,
The secondary battery module cooling device,
A heat sink inserted between adjacent secondary battery cells to absorb heat from the secondary battery cell by being in close contact with the surface of the secondary battery cell; And
And a heat dissipation fin formed perpendicular to a plane of the heat dissipation plate on an opposite surface of the heat dissipation plate which is in close contact with the surface of the secondary battery cell.
The heat dissipation fins,
A plurality of first heat dissipation fins having a shape when viewed in a direction perpendicular to a plane formed by the heat sink in parallel with each other in a straight line in a direction from an inflow side to an outflow side of air for cooling; And
And a plurality of second heat dissipation fins connected to the first heat dissipation fins on one side of each of the plurality of first heat dissipation fins, the second heat dissipation fins being inclined toward the outlet side of the air. The method of claim 11,
Further comprising a plurality of third heat radiation fins connected to the first heat radiation fins on the other side of the upper and lower sides of each of the plurality of first heat radiation fins and inclined toward the outlet side of the air and alternately disposed with the plurality of second heat radiation fins. Heating system, characterized in that. The method of claim 11,
The plurality of second heat dissipation fins are heating systems, characterized in that the fins are arranged in different lengths. The method of claim 12,
The plurality of third heat dissipation fins are heating systems, characterized in that the fins are arranged with different lengths. The method of claim 11,
The heat dissipation plate is inserted between the adjacent pair of the secondary battery cell is made of a pair to contact the surface of each secondary battery cell,
The heat dissipation fins are formed in the space between the pair of heat sinks, characterized in that the heating system is formed to connect the pair of heat sinks.

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