KR20160144803A - A manifold with enhanced cooling efficiency and a battery pack comprising the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a manifold designed to properly maintain temperature of a coolant before the coolant is supplied to a cooling pin. The manifold includes a main body in which the coolant moves and a port to which the cooling pin connected with the main body is inserted. The main body and the port include a mixture of a polymer material and a phase change material (PCM). Also, the present invention provides a battery pack cooling device including the manifold and a battery pack including the battery pack cooling device.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a manifold with enhanced cooling efficiency and a battery pack including the manifold,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a manifold provided in a cooling device of a battery pack, and more particularly, to a manifold capable of achieving high cooling efficiency and a battery pack including the manifold.

Secondary batteries having high electrical characteristics such as high energy density and high ease of application according to the product group can be used not only as portable devices but also as an electric vehicle (EV) or a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) (Energy storage system). Such a secondary battery is not only a primary advantage that the use of fossil fuel can be drastically reduced, but also produces no by-products resulting from the use of energy, and thus is attracting attention as a new energy source for enhancing environmental friendliness and energy efficiency.

Lithium secondary batteries among commercialized secondary batteries are free from charging / discharging, have very low self-discharge rate, and have high energy density and are widely used in commercial use.

The secondary rechargeable battery which is commercialized today includes a nickel-cadmium battery, a nickel-hydrogen battery, a nickel-zinc battery, and a lithium secondary battery. Among them, the lithium secondary battery has almost no memory effect compared with the nickel- , Self-discharge rate is very low, and energy density is high. These lithium secondary batteries mainly use a lithium-based oxide and a carbonaceous material as a cathode active material and an anode active material, respectively. The lithium secondary battery includes an electrode assembly in which a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate each coated with such a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode active material are disposed with a separator interposed therebetween, and a casing member, that is, a battery case for sealingly accommodating the electrode assembly together with the electrolyte solution. The lithium secondary battery can be classified into a can-type secondary battery in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a metal can, and a pouch-type secondary battery in which an electrode assembly is embedded in a pouch of an aluminum laminate sheet, depending on the shape of the casing. In recent years, secondary batteries are widely used not only in small-sized devices such as portable electronic devices, but also in medium to large-sized devices such as automobiles and electric power storage devices. When used in such a medium to large-sized apparatus, a large number of secondary batteries are electrically connected to increase capacity and output. In particular, pouch-type secondary batteries are widely used because they are easy to laminate in such a middle- or large-sized apparatus. In this case, when a plurality of secondary batteries are connected, cooling fins are often interposed between the secondary batteries. The secondary battery may be used in a high temperature environment such as in the summer, and the secondary battery itself may also generate heat. In this case, when the plurality of secondary batteries are laminated to each other, the temperature of the secondary battery may be further increased. If the temperature is higher than the proper temperature, the performance of the secondary battery may deteriorate, and there is a risk of explosion or ignition in severe cases. Therefore, it is possible to use a configuration in which the cooling pin is interposed between the secondary batteries when constructing the secondary battery module so that the temperature rise of the secondary battery is prevented through the cooling fin. Such a cooling pin can be implemented in various forms and methods However, in order to reduce the volume of the secondary battery module and increase the heat exchange efficiency, the secondary battery module is often formed of a plate of a thermally conductive material and interposed between the secondary batteries. Particularly, the cooling fins, which are cooled by water-cooling through a coolant such as water, may be provided with a cooling channel in a tube shape so that the coolant can flow.

In this case, the refrigerant is usually supplied from the outside. In a module including a large number of secondary cells, a plurality of cooling fins may be provided, and a refrigerant should be supplied to each of the plurality of cooling fins. In this case, A manifold type refrigerant supply pipe is provided.

Generally, the refrigerant is conveyed from the refrigerant cooling apparatus (by heat exchange) before being supplied to the cooling fin, and follows the circulation path via the manifold. When the circulation path becomes long or the refrigerant transfer speed is low, There is a problem that the cooling effect is reduced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a manifold designed to maintain a proper temperature of a coolant before a coolant is supplied to the coolant. It is another object of the present invention to provide a battery pack cooling apparatus including the manifold and a battery pack including the cooling apparatus. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description. It is also to be easily understood that the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by the means or method described in the claims, and the combination thereof.

The present invention relates to a manifold for solving the above problems.

A first embodiment of the present invention is a manifold that is connected to a cooling fin having a cooling passage formed therein, the manifold having a hollow space formed therein and in which a refrigerant moves; A manifold extending from the main body and including a port through which the cooling fin is inserted, the main body and the port including a mixture of a polymer material and a phase change material (PCM) .

In a second embodiment of the present invention, in the first embodiment, the phase change material is at least one selected from the group consisting of an organic PCM, an inorganic PCM, and a eutectic PCM.

According to a third embodiment of the present invention, in the first or second embodiment, the organic PCM comprises paraffin PCM, non-paraffin PCM or a mixture thereof.

In a fourth embodiment of the present invention, in any one of the third embodiments, the non-paraffinic PCM is selected from the group consisting of dodecanol, 1-tetretecanol, vinyl acetate, It is a mixture of two or more of these.

In a fifth embodiment of the present invention, in the second embodiment, the inorganic PCM is CaCl ₂ .6H ₂ O, Zn (NO ₃ ) ₂ .6H ₂ O, KF 4H ₂ O, Na ₂ S ₂ O _{3 · 5H 2 O, Na 2} SO 4 · 10H 2 O, Mn (NO 3) 2 · 1 member selected from the group consisting of _{6H 2 O, LiNO 3 · 3H} 2 O, Na (CH 3 COO) · 3H 2 O Or more.

In a sixth embodiment of the present invention, in the second embodiment, the eutectic PCM is a eutectic PCM, a urea of Ca (NO ₃ ) ₂ .4H ₂ O and Mg (NO ₃ ) ₂ .6H ₂ O, And eutectic PCM of acetamide, eutectic PCM of CaCl ₂ , NaCl, KCl and H ₂ O, eutectic PCM of CaCl ₂ .6H ₂ O and MgCl ₂ .6H ₂ O, Na (CH ₃ COO) 3H ₂ Eutectic PCM of O and CO (NH ₂ ), eutectic PCM of Mg (NO ₃ ) ₂ · 6H ₂ O and NH ₄ NO ₃ , eutectic PCM of Mg (NO ₃ ) ₂ · 6H ₂ O and MgCl ₂ · 6H ₂ O And eutectic PCM of naphthalene and benzoic acid.

A seventh embodiment of the present invention is the PCM of any one of the first to sixth embodiments, wherein the PCM is a shape stabilized PCM.

In an eighth embodiment of the present invention, in the seventh embodiment of the present invention, the shape-stabilized PCM is a PCM in a form impregnated with a porous material, an encapsulated PCM, a PCM mixed with a support, or two or more thereof.

The ninth embodiment of the present invention is a battery pack including the manifold of any one of the first to eighth embodiments. Here, the battery pack may include a plurality of secondary batteries; A cooling fin provided between the secondary cells and having a cooling passage formed therein; And a manifold coupled to the cooling fin.

Since the manifold according to the present invention includes phase change material (PCM), the temperature of the refrigerant can be appropriately adjusted or maintained in a predetermined range before the refrigerant is supplied to the cooling fin. As a result, the heat capacity of the battery pack can be increased, and the temperature of the secondary battery can be prevented from rising, thereby improving the cooling characteristics of the battery pack.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. On the other hand, the shape, size, scale or ratio of the elements in the drawings incorporated herein can be exaggerated to emphasize a clearer description.
1 is a diagrammatic representation of a manifold according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a schematic view of a battery pack having the manifold.

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terms or words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed to be limited to ordinary or dictionary terms and the inventor shall properly define the concept of the term in order to best explain its invention The present invention should be construed in accordance with the meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all the technical ideas of the present invention. Therefore, It is to be understood that equivalents and modifications are possible.

1 to 2, a manifold according to an embodiment of the present invention and a battery pack including the manifold will be described.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a manifold according to a specific embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a battery pack including the manifold.

The manifold 130 in accordance with the present invention may include a body 130 and a port 132. The manifold 130 is coupled to the port 132 formed from the main body and the cooling fin 120, so that the refrigerant moves to the inside of the main body 130, thereby effectively removing heat generated in the battery. That is, the main body secures the flow path of the refrigerant, and the port can transfer the refrigerant to each of the cooling fins.

In this case, the port 132 of the manifold 130 may be formed in a flexible manner for coupling with the cooling fin 120. According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, a sealing member (133) may be further provided.

2 is a perspective view illustrating a battery pack having a manifold coupled thereto according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, the battery pack according to the present invention includes a secondary battery 110, a cooling fin 120, and a manifold.

The secondary battery 110 may include an electrode assembly, an electrode tab, and a pouch case. The secondary battery may be used alone, but in many cases, the secondary battery is used in an electrically connected manner to increase the capacity or output. A plurality of secondary batteries 110 may be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance to form one battery pack.

The cooling fin 120 may be interposed between the plurality of secondary batteries 110. When the plurality of secondary batteries are stacked on one another, the heat generated by the secondary batteries 110 is accumulated and the cooling fin 120 generates more heat due to the mutual denser structure, have. At this time, the cooling fin 120 may be cooled in a water-cooled manner through a coolant such as water, and a cooling channel in the form of a tube may be formed to allow the coolant to flow. In addition, the cooling fin 120 may be formed in various forms and schemes, but may be generally formed of a plate made of a thermally conductive material.

The manifold 130 may be coupled to the cooling fin 120. When the manifold 130 is coupled with the cooling fin 120, the refrigerant can move along the manifold 130 and circulate through the cooling channel of the cooling fin 120. [

In the present invention, the main body 131 has a hollow space formed therein, and may be formed in a substantially tubular shape. At this time, the empty space of the main body 131 may be a flow path, and the refrigerant may flow along the flow path. In addition, the main body 131 may be formed of a polymer material such as polyethylene and polypropylene.

In the present invention, the body may further include a phase change material (PCM) in addition to the polymer material. The phase change material (PCM) is a phase change material that changes the phase according to a change in temperature. The phase change material (PCM) is a phase change material that changes a phase from a solid state to a liquid state, . ≪ / RTI > In the present invention, the phase change material is present in the interior of the body, more specifically, in the wall of the body. When the high temperature cooling water is introduced, the phase change material changes into a liquid state. The endothermic action of the PCM occurs until the state of the PCM becomes a phase from solid to liquid.

In one specific embodiment of the present invention, the phase change material may be organic PCM, inorganic PCM, eutectic PCM or a mixture of two or more of the two. The organic PCM has similar melting, autogenous nucleation and is non-corrosive to the material used in the manifold body. In particular, the organic PCM is chemically stable and has a temperature range in which phase separation does not occur well. However, since it exhibits a low latent heat capacity, it is preferable to use it by appropriately mixing it with the inorganic PCM described later. Also, the organic PCM may be paraffin PCM and / or non-paraffin PCM. Specific examples of the non-paraffinic PCM include silver 1-dodecanol, 1-tetradecanol, and vinyl acetate.

Inorganic PCM is a material that has a high latent heat per unit volume and is small in volume and non-flammable. However, it is corrosive to materials used as the manifold body. The inorganic PCM includes, but is not limited to, CaCl ₂ .6H ₂ O, Zn (NO ₃ ) ₂ .6H ₂ O, KF 4H ₂ O, Na ₂ S ₂ O ₃ .5H ₂ O, Na ₂ SO ₄ , 10H ₂ O, Mn (NO ₃ ) ₂ .6H ₂ O, LiNO ₃ .3H ₂ O, Na (CH ₃ COO) 3H ₂ O and the like.

The eutectic PCM is a mixture of two or more components with properties of a eutectic mixture that melts at the lowest temperature. This eutectic PCM has the advantage of rapid liquefaction and rapid heat exchange with the refrigerant. The eutectic PCM was prepared from eutectic PCM of Ca (NO ₃ ) ₂ .4H ₂ O and Mg (NO ₃ ) ₂ .6H ₂ O, eutectic PCM of urea and acetamide, CaCl ₂ , NaCl, eutectic of _{H 2 O PCM, CaCl 2 ·} 6H 2 O and eutectic of MgCl ₂ · 6H ₂ O eutectic _{PCM, Na (CH 3 COO)} · 3H 2 O and CO (NH ₂₎ of the PCM, Mg (NO _{3) 2} Eutectic PCM of 6H ₂ O and NH ₄ NO ₃ , eutectic PCM of Mg (NO ₃ ) ₂ .6H ₂ O and MgCl ₂ .6H ₂ O, and eutectic PCM of naphtalene and benzoic acid But is not limited thereto.

Further, in a specific embodiment of the present invention, the PCM may include shape stabilized PCM (SSPCM). Since the PCM may leak in a liquid state, the shape of the PCM needs to be stably maintained in order to stably exist in the main body. Such an SSPCM may be, for example, an impregnated PCM in the form impregnated with a porous material, a mixed PCM mixed with a suitable support, an encapsulated PCM, or a mixture thereof.

The impregnated PCM can be obtained by inserting PCM into a porous material such as gypsum board or concrete. PCM can be placed in the pores present in the porous material to prevent leaks when the PCM is liquefied.

In addition, the mixed PCM can be obtained by mixing a liquid PCM and a support. For example, mixed PCM can be prepared by mixing octadecane with HDPE (high density poly ethylene), treating with chromic acid, adding appropriate additives, and heating.

In addition, the encapsulated PCM can be produced by a method of coacervation reaction of gelatin and arabic rubbers, a method of encapsulating coco fatty acid with PCM, a method using n-hexadecane and PMMA (poly methyl methacrylate) (poly ethylene glycol) encapsulation method, polyvinyl acetate and teradecane encapsulation method, and the like. These capsules and PCM can be degraded more energy-saving than general PCM by weight due to the wall material of capsules, but they have the best shape stability.

In this process, since the PCM uses a phase change latent heat that changes from solid to liquid, the manifold according to the present invention has excellent cooling performance of the battery pack.

The battery pack according to the present invention can design the volume of the cooling device provided by the effective cooling function using the phase change latent heat of the PCM to be smaller than that of the conventional cooling device.

The port is formed so as to extend from the main body 131 and to insert the cooling fin 120 therein. The port 132 may be configured to comprise at least one or more. For example, in FIG. 1, the number of the ports 132 is shown to be 10, but it is not limited thereto. That is, the port 132 may be included in various numbers depending on the type of coupling with the cooling pin 120, and it is apparent that the port may include more than 10 or less than 10, unlike the one shown in the drawing.

At this time, the port 132 may be formed of an elastic material so as to engage with the cooling fin 120. For example, the elastic body may be composed of styrene, ethylene, butylene, propylene, diene, or the like. The sealing member 133 may be formed in the form of an O-ring. According to a specific embodiment of the present invention, the sealing member 133 may be coupled to one port or one or more ports, and may be included in various numbers depending on the type of connection with the port 132. The sealing member 133 may be formed of a material having elasticity such as nitrile rubber, silicone, nylon, or the like, and may be fitted to the port 132 so as to enclose the port 132. More specifically, the sealing member 133 can enhance the sealing effect when the cooling fin 120 is inserted into the port 132 formed of the elastic material. That is, the sealing member 133 presses the port 132 inward in the state where the cooling fin 120 is inserted into the port 132, so that the insertion portion of the port 132 and the sealing member 133 So that it can be closely adhered. The pressing force of the sealing member 133 also makes it possible to prevent the port 132 from being permanently deformed into an expanded state to reduce the sealing force.

Although described herein with respect to a manifold associated with a water-cooled chiller, the manifold comprising the phase change material (PCM) can be applied to an air-cooled chiller system with appropriate design modifications.

Meanwhile, the battery pack according to the present invention includes an electric vehicle (EV), a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) ; An electric motorcycle including an electric bike (E-bike) and an electric scooter (E-scooter); And may be used in a middle- or large-sized battery module used as a power source for medium and large-sized devices such as an electric golf cart. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the invention.

100: Battery pack
110: secondary battery
120: cooling pin
130: manifold
131:
132: Port
133: sealing member

Claims (9)

And a manifold which is connected to a cooling fin formed with a cooling passage,
The manifold includes a body in which a hollow space is formed and the refrigerant moves; A manifold extending from the body and including a port through which a cooling fin is inserted, the body and port comprising a mixture of a polymeric material and a phase change material (PCM).
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the phase change material is at least one selected from the group consisting of organic PCM, inorganic PCM, and eutectic PCM.
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the organic PCM comprises paraffinic PCM, non-paraffinic PCM or mixtures thereof.
The method of claim 3,
Wherein the non-paraffinic PCM is 1-dodecanol, 1-tetradecanol, vinyl acetate, or a mixture of two or more thereof.
3. The method of claim 2,
The inorganic PCM may be selected from the group consisting of CaCl ₂ .6H ₂ O, Zn (NO ₃ ) ₂ .6H ₂ O, KF 4H ₂ O, Na ₂ S ₂ O ₃ .5H ₂ O, Na ₂ SO ₄ .10H ₂ O, Mn _{NO 3) 2 · 6H 2 O} , LiNO 3 · 3H 2 O, Na (CH 3 COO) · a manifold for a battery pack cooling system is at least one member selected from the group consisting of 3H ₂ O.
3. The method of claim 2,
The eutectic PCM was prepared from eutectic PCM of Ca (NO ₃ ) ₂ .4H ₂ O and Mg (NO ₃ ) ₂ .6H ₂ O, eutectic PCM of urea and acetamide, CaCl ₂ , NaCl, eutectic of _{H 2 O PCM, CaCl 2 ·} 6H 2 O and eutectic of MgCl ₂ · 6H ₂ O eutectic _{PCM, Na (CH 3 COO)} · 3H 2 O and CO (NH ₂₎ of the PCM, Mg (NO _{3) 2} · Eutectic PCM of 6H ₂ O and NH ₄ NO ₃ , eutectic PCM of Mg (NO ₃ ) ₂ · 6H ₂ O and MgCl ₂ · 6H ₂ O, and eutectic PCM of naphtalene and benzoic acid Wherein said at least one battery pack is at least one selected from the group consisting of:
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the PCM is a shape stabilized PCM.
8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the shape-stable PCM is a PCM impregnated with a porous material, an encapsulated PCM, a PCM mixed with a support, or two or more thereof.
A plurality of secondary batteries;
A cooling fin provided between the secondary cells and having a cooling passage formed therein; And
And a manifold coupled to the cooling fin,
Wherein the manifold is according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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