KR20220050710A - Compact Energy Storage System Having Uniform Temperature Distribution - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an energy storage facility capable of uniformly controlling the internal temperature. The energy storage facility includes a case (100); a rack body (120) provided in the inner space of the case to horizontally and vertically space apart and load a plurality of battery modules (200); an air conditioning unit (400) located on an inner surface of the door of the case (100); a thermal fluid duct (300) located inside the case (100) and coupled in communication with the air conditioning unit (400); a temperature sensor (700) located in the battery module (200); and a controller (700) electrically connected to the temperature sensor (700). The thermal fluid duct (300) guides the thermal fluid supplied from the air conditioning unit (400) to the battery module (200).

Description

Energy Storage System Having Uniform Temperature Distribution

The present invention relates to an energy storage facility having an air conditioning unit, and more particularly, energy having a uniform temperature distribution that can improve cooling efficiency for internal battery modules by providing an air conditioning unit inside an energy storage facility case. It is about storage equipment.

Energy storage facilities are storage facilities that store excess power in power plants and supply power when power is needed, such as power outages or power shortages. It is increasingly being used for power outages or peak power reduction.

In general, energy storage facilities are provided in a form in which a plurality of battery modules are stacked in multiple stages on a rack.

In energy storage facilities, the heat generated from each battery module directly affects the efficiency and lifespan of the battery. The larger the charge/discharge capacity, the more electrical energy is consumed as thermal energy and a lot of heat is generated from the battery. A technology that maximizes battery performance by effectively cooling the generated heat is needed.

In addition, in the energy storage facility, a technology for preventing a fire due to a rapid increase in the temperature of the battery module is also required.

In relation to the energy storage facility cooling technology, Patent Document 1 discloses an energy storage facility including a battery loading unit provided in the case, a cooling unit, and an airflow guide unit for moving the temperature control air discharged from the cooling unit to the battery loading unit, but However, it does not disclose a technique in which the cooling unit is located outside the case and recirculates the temperature control air to the cooling unit.

In addition, Patent Document 2 includes a base having a square or rectangular shape; a pair of side panels; door panel; rear panel; an inner frame portion in which a plurality of batteries can be respectively disposed; a roof disposed above the pair of side panels, door panels and rear panels; and an air conditioning unit for temperature control is disclosed, but the air conditioning unit for temperature control is disposed on the outside of the door and circulates air for temperature control to re-introduce it into the air conditioning unit. there is not

Korean Patent Publication No. 2020-0023023 (2020.03.04) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2059301 (2019.12.18)

An object of the present invention is to provide an energy storage facility capable of improving battery module cooling efficiency by arranging an air conditioning unit inside a case to solve the above problems.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an energy storage facility having a uniform temperature distribution by reducing the temperature deviation between the loaded battery modules having a thermal fluid duct capable of forming a uniform flow field.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an energy storage facility in which energy efficiency is improved by recirculating a thermal fluid cooled by a battery module to an air conditioning unit.

The energy storage facility according to the present invention for achieving this object is a case 100, a rack body 120 provided in the inner space of the case to horizontally and vertically spaced apart a plurality of battery modules 200, and the The air conditioning unit 400 located on the inner side surface of the case 100 door, the thermal fluid duct 300 located inside the case 100 and connected to the air conditioning unit 400 in communication with the air conditioning unit 400, located in the battery module 200 and a control unit 700 electrically connected to a temperature sensor 700 and the temperature sensor 700, wherein the thermal fluid duct 300 supplies the thermal fluid supplied from the air conditioning unit 400 to the battery module ( 200) to induce it.

In the energy storage facility according to the present invention, the thermal fluid duct 300 includes a thermal fluid duct inlet 310 , a thermal fluid duct guide 320 and a thermal fluid duct outlet 330 , and the thermal fluid In the duct discharge part 330, an internal flow path may be expanded.

In addition, in the energy storage facility according to the present invention, the thermal fluid duct outlet 330 may include a thermal fluid duct outlet 340 facing each battery module 200 loaded on the rack body 120 . there is.

Also, in the energy storage facility according to the present invention, the thermal fluid discharged to the thermal fluid duct outlet 340 may be introduced through the thermal fluid inlet 210 of the battery module 200 .

In addition, in the energy storage facility according to the present invention, a flow rate control means 350 is provided at the thermal fluid duct outlet 340 , and the flow rate control means 350 is transferred to the battery module 200 by the control unit 700 . The flow rate of the incoming thermal fluid can be adjusted.

Also, in the energy storage facility according to the present invention, a vane 360 for controlling the flow direction of the thermal fluid may be provided on the inner wall surface of the thermal fluid duct 300 facing the thermal fluid duct outlet 340 .

Also, in the energy storage facility according to the present invention, the contact surface of the vane 360 with the thermal fluid may be gradually increased from the upper part to the lower part of the thermal fluid duct discharge part 330 .

Also, in the energy storage facility according to the present invention, the vane 360 may change the flow direction of the thermal fluid by adjusting the angle by the controller 700 .

Also, in the energy storage facility according to the present invention, a fire extinguishing unit communicating with the inside of the rack body 120 may be included, and the fire extinguishing unit may be opened and closed by the control unit 700 .

Also, in the energy storage facility according to the present invention, the air conditioning unit 400 and the thermal fluid duct 300 may communicate with each other by a flexible duct 500 .

In addition, in the energy storage facility according to the present invention, a guide unit 510 for adjusting the bending direction and angle of the flexible duct 500 may be located in the flexible duct 500 .

In the present invention, one or two or more non-conflicting configurations among the above configurations may be selected and combined.

According to the energy storage facility according to the present invention, by providing an air conditioning unit inside the case of the energy storage facility, it is possible to reduce the heat loss of the thermal fluid supplied from the air conditioning unit to the battery module, thereby improving the cooling efficiency of the battery module. There is an advantage that there is

In addition, according to the energy storage facility according to the present invention, a thermal fluid duct capable of forming a uniform flow field is provided so that the amount of thermal fluid can be uniformly supplied to the battery modules, thereby reducing the temperature deviation between the battery modules and reducing the temperature distribution of the battery modules. It has the advantage of being able to control uniformly.

In addition, according to the energy storage facility according to the present invention, there is an advantage that the energy efficiency can be improved by recirculating the thermal fluid supplied from the air conditioning unit and cooling the battery module to the air conditioning unit.

In addition, when the temperature of the battery module rises, the fire extinguishing unit automatically operates, so that it is possible to cool and prevent fire in advance only for the battery module with an increase in temperature, which improves economic efficiency.

1 is an external view of an energy storage facility according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
2 is an internal schematic diagram of an energy storage facility according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a perspective view of a battery module according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a battery module loading state disposed on the rack body according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a perspective view of a thermal fluid duct according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a schematic diagram of a flexible duct according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a schematic diagram of a thermal fluid duct outlet according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
8 is an internal schematic diagram of an energy storage facility according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a CFD analysis result according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a CFD analysis result according to Comparative Example 1 of the present invention.
11 is a CFD analysis result according to Comparative Example 2 of the present invention.
12 is a CFD analysis result according to Comparative Example 3 of the present invention.

In the present application, terms such as "comprise", "have", "locate" or "include" are intended to designate the presence of a feature, number, step, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification. It should be understood that it does not preclude the possibility of addition or existence of one or more other features or numbers, steps, operations, elements, parts, or combinations thereof.

In addition, the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings for parts having similar functions and functions. Throughout the specification, when it is said that a certain part is connected to another part, it includes not only a case in which it is directly connected, but also a case in which it is indirectly connected with another element interposed therebetween. In addition, the inclusion of any component does not exclude other components unless otherwise stated, but means that other components may be further included.

Hereinafter, a battery module according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is an external view of an energy storage facility according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an internal schematic view of an energy storage facility according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, when explaining the energy storage facility according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the case 100 having a substantially hexahedral shape, the rack body 120 disposed inside the case 100, The battery module 200, the thermal fluid duct 300, the air conditioning unit 400 that supplies the thermal fluid for cooling the battery module 200, the thermal fluid duct ( It is configured to include a flexible duct 500 and a control unit 700 for connecting the 300) and the air conditioning unit (400).

First, if the case 100 is described in detail, the case 100 includes an upper cover 111 , a pair of side covers 112 , a rear cover 113 , and a lower cover located under the rack body 120 . (not shown) and one or more openable and openable doors 110 positioned on the front of the case 100 .

The following will be described with respect to the rack body (120).

The rack body 120 in the present invention includes a vertically configured rack frame (not shown), a plurality of rack shelves 121 formed in a horizontal direction inside the rack frame to place the battery module 200 thereon. can do.

Here, the rack shelf 121 may be coupled and fixed to a vertically formed rack frame, and may be configured in the form of one sheet formed between the rack frames in a horizontal direction (x-axis direction). The rack shelf 121 may have a horizontal plate shape, and is preferably formed in a pair of parallel rack frames, respectively, and configured in a pin shape spaced apart on one horizontal plane. When the battery module 200 is disposed on a pair of spaced apart fins, a space is formed between the fins so that a thermal fluid can flow, which is advantageous for cooling the battery module 200 .

Here, the rack shelf 121 is preferably made of a material having excellent thermal conductivity, and more preferably a mesh type material. The above configuration is advantageous for heat exchange with the thermal fluid.

Battery modules are stacked vertically or horizontally on the rack shelf 121 of the rack body 120 .

A thermal fluid duct 300 is positioned on one side inside the case 100 , and the thermal fluid inlet 311 positioned at the end of the thermal fluid duct 300 is connected to a flexible duct 500 , which will be described later. In addition, the thermal fluid inlet 311 may be provided with an inlet fan 312 capable of smoothly transferring the thermal fluid.

The air conditioning unit 400 in the present invention may be disposed on the inner surface of the door 110 , and each door 110 is provided according to the capacity of the energy storage facility 10 and the heat fluid supply characteristic of the air conditioning unit 400 . can be

Here, the air conditioning unit 400 may supply a cooling thermal fluid for cooling the battery module 200 when the internal temperature of the case 100 rises, and may supply a heating thermal fluid to maintain a constant temperature in winter. there is. The air conditioning unit 400 supplies cooling heat fluid when the temperature rises above the appropriate temperature for both heating and cooling, and supplies the heating heat fluid when the temperature decreases below the appropriate temperature.

Accordingly, the air conditioning unit 400 may supply a cooling thermal fluid to cool the battery module 200 so that the battery module 200 can always be maintained at an appropriate indoor temperature, or may increase the temperature by supplying a heated thermal fluid.

In addition, the air conditioning unit 400 may include a humidity control function so that the battery module 200 can control the humidity of the inner space of the case 100 .

In the present invention, the air conditioning unit supply unit 410 is located on the upper side of the enclosure (not shown) of the air conditioning unit 400, and the air conditioning unit recirculation unit 420 is located on the lower outer wall.

The supply unit 410 located on the upper side of the air conditioning unit 400 according to the present invention may be connected to the flexible duct 500 to be described later. A recirculation unit 420 is positioned at the lower portion of the air conditioning unit 400 to suck and recirculate the thermal fluid that has undergone heat exchange with the battery module 200, thereby improving energy efficiency. The recirculation unit 420 is located in the lower portion of the air conditioning unit 400 and directly sucks the heat-exchanged thermal fluid flowing from the lower side of the rack body 120, and the flow path of the thermal fluid in the inner space of the case 100. As it can be reduced as much as possible, there is an advantage in that heat loss of the thermal fluid can be reduced.

The flexible duct 500 is a duct that can be contracted and expanded horizontally and vertically. One end of the flexible duct 500 is connected to the supply unit 410 of the air conditioning unit 400 , and the other end is connected to the thermal fluid duct inlet 311 of the thermal fluid duct 300 .

The end cross-section of the flexible duct 500 has a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the air conditioning unit supply unit 410, and the other end cross-section of the flexible duct 500 may have a shape corresponding to the cross-section of the thermal fluid duct inlet 311. .

The air conditioning unit supply unit 410 corresponding to the end of the flexible duct, the multi-stage flexible duct and the thermal fluid duct inlet 311 are in close contact with each other to form a thermal fluid flow passage.

Each of the corresponding cross-sections facing each other is preferably in a shape that narrows toward the inside of the case 100 .

The cross section may be rectangular or triangular. In the case of a quadrangular shape, it is preferable that the side facing the inside of the case 100 is shorter than the side of the cross section facing the inner side of the door 110, and two sides facing the inside of the case 100 from the inner side of the door 110 are It is more preferable that the side is curved in a direction in which the door 110 and the case 100 are coupled. In addition, in the case of a triangle, it is preferable that one side of the triangle is positioned to face the inner surface of the door 110 , and the vertex of the triangle is positioned in the inner space direction of the case 100 . The two sides connected from the end point of the side facing the door 110 to the vertex are curved in the direction in which the door 110 and the case 100 are coupled and move along the movement trajectory of the door 110 so that the corresponding cross sections are It is more precisely located facing each other, which is advantageous for smooth thermal fluid flow.

In addition, it is self-evident that the corresponding facing surfaces are closely adhered to prevent external leakage of the thermal fluid.

In the present invention, the cross-section of the air conditioning unit supply unit 410 and the thermal fluid duct inlet 311 corresponding to the end surface of the flexible duct 500 may have grooves and protrusions coupled to each other in a fitting manner. When a groove is formed in any one of the two corresponding cross-sections, a protrusion having a shape corresponding to the groove may be formed in the rest. The groove may be coated with an elastic material and combined with the protrusion of a rigid material to increase the sealing effect. The elastic material is not limited as long as it is a wear-resistant material having elasticity such as rubber or resin.

In addition, the groove and the protrusion may be of a sliding dovetail type, and it is preferable that the sliding dovetail be formed at the ends of the corresponding cross-sections from the door 110 to the inside of the case 100 .

In addition, it may be in the form of a ball sliding dovetail capable of improving the sliding effect by providing a ball member in any one of the groove and the protrusion.

Here, the control unit 700 may be located in the door 110 and may be configured to be controllable from the outside. The control unit 700 controls the flow rate of the thermal fluid according to the temperature condition of the battery module 200 to maintain the optimum operating state. In addition, the control unit 700 may be deployed outside the energy storage facility 10 , and thus may be configured to be remotely controlled and controlled in the field at the same time.

In addition, although not shown in the drawings, a fire extinguishing unit may be provided. The fire extinguishing unit may be formed through the thermal fluid duct 300 and may be configured to directly face the battery module through the case 100 . When the temperature of the battery module 200 rises rapidly and a thermal runaway phenomenon occurs, or when a fire is ignited, a fire extinguishing gas is supplied through the fire extinguishing unit to prevent a fire. One or more fire extinguishing units may be provided, and may be provided corresponding to each battery module 200 . In case of temperature runaway or ignition, there is an advantage that economic loss can be reduced by operating only the fire extinguishing unit corresponding to the battery module having a problem and the adjacent battery module to extinguish or cool it.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a battery module according to a first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a battery module loading state disposed in the rack body according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The battery module 200 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 .

The battery module 200 in the present invention has an approximately hexahedral module case 201, and a thermal fluid inlet 210 into which the thermal fluid can be introduced may be located on one side of the front side of the battery module 200. . The first side flow path 231 is formed along the side surface of the case of the battery module 200 in which the thermal fluid inlet 210 is formed and the inner side of the battery. The thermal fluid introduced through the thermal fluid inlet 210 may move to the rear surface of the battery module 200 along the first side flow path 231 . The first side flow path 231 is connected to the horizontal flow path 232 formed between the upper end of the module case 201 and the top surface of the battery, so that a portion of the thermal fluid flowing through the first side flow path 231 is horizontal. It flows into the flow path 232 . The thermal fluid flowing into the horizontal flow path 232 may flow into the second side flow path 233 opposite to the first side flow path 231 with the battery interposed therebetween. The thermal fluid passing through the second side flow path 233 is discharged to the outside of the battery module 200 through the thermal fluid outlet 220 located on one side of the rear surface of the battery module 200 . In the above process, the battery module 200 and the thermal fluid exchange heat, so that the temperature of the battery module 200 can be controlled.

Here, the module fan 240 is provided on the front side of the battery module 200 to suck the thermal fluid into the thermal fluid inlet 210 .

In the present invention, the thermal fluid inlet 210 of the battery module 200 is loaded on the rack body 120 so that it can be placed vertically in a straight line to configure the energy storage facility 10 .

In the present invention, the battery module 200 may be configured by vertically or horizontally stacking a plurality of batteries disposed inside the module case. The battery is configured to include a battery case for accommodating the electrode assembly and an electrode lead.

Here, the battery case is a pouch-type battery case, and after the electrode assembly is accommodated in at least one receiving unit, the receiving unit is closed by fusion bonding, and a pair of electrode leads are connected to both sides or one side of the electrode assembly. protrudes to the outside of Of course, after the positive electrode tab and the negative electrode tab of the electrode assembly are electrically connected, they may be exposed to the outside of the cell case, or the cell assembly and the electrode lead may be directly connected to each other without the tab.

On the other hand, the electrode assembly is a jelly-roll type assembly having a structure in which a separator is interposed between a long sheet-shaped positive electrode and a negative electrode and then wound up, or a stack-type assembly in which a rectangular positive electrode and a negative electrode are stacked with a separator interposed therebetween. , a stack-folding assembly in which unit cells are wound by a long separation film, or a lamination-stacking assembly in which battery cells are stacked and attached to each other with a separator interposed therebetween, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, it is natural that there is no problem even if the electrolyte is replaced with a solid electrolyte or a semi-solid electrolyte in the form of a gel having an intermediate form between liquid and solid by adding an additive to the solid electrolyte in addition to the generally used liquid electrolyte.

The electrode assembly as described above is accommodated in a battery case, and the battery case typically has a laminate sheet structure of an inner layer/metal layer/outer layer. Since the inner layer is in direct contact with the electrode assembly, it must have insulation and electrolyte resistance, and for sealing with the outside, the sealing property, that is, the sealing portion where the inner layers are thermally bonded to each other must have excellent thermal bonding strength. The material of the inner layer may be selected from polyolefin resins such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene acrylic acid, polybutylene, etc., polyurethane resins and polyimide resins having excellent chemical resistance and good sealing properties, but is not limited thereto, Polypropylene excellent in mechanical properties such as tensile strength, rigidity, surface hardness, and impact resistance and chemical resistance is the most preferable.

The metal layer in contact with the inner layer corresponds to a barrier layer that prevents moisture or various gases from penetrating into the battery from the outside.

And an outer layer is provided on the other side of the metal layer, and this outer layer can use a heat-resistant polymer excellent in tensile strength, moisture permeability and air permeability to secure heat resistance and chemical resistance while protecting the electrode assembly, As an example, nylon or polyethylene terephthalate may be used, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, a temperature sensor 600 may be disposed in the battery module 200 to detect the temperature of the battery module and control the amount of thermal fluid. The temperature sensor 600 may be located outside the module case 201 , and is preferably located near the electrode lead of the battery located in the center of the battery module 200 . When a plurality of batteries are in close contact, the temperature of the battery located in the center is relatively high compared to the batteries located outside, and the temperature distribution in the unit battery is the highest near the electrode lead, so the temperature sensor 600 is connected to the battery module. It is advantageous to detect a temperature change by arranging it near the electrode lead of the battery disposed in the center of 200 . From this, phenomena such as thermal runaway due to temperature rise can be immediately confirmed and accidents can be prevented in advance. Here, the temperature sensor 600 may be electrically connected to the control unit 700 to adjust the flow rate of the thermal fluid supplied to each battery module 200 .

5 is a perspective view of a thermal fluid duct according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

5, the thermal fluid duct 300 in the present invention is located inside the case 100 and mainly transfers the thermal fluid supplied from the air conditioning unit 400 to the battery module 200 to the battery module 200. It serves to control the temperature of

The thermal fluid duct 300 includes a thermal fluid duct inlet 310 disposed vertically upward, a thermal fluid duct guide part 320 disposed horizontally adjacent to the upper cover 111 of the case 100, and the case 100 ) is disposed vertically downward adjacent to the side cover 112 , and includes a thermal fluid duct outlet 330 for guiding the thermal fluid to the battery module 200 .

The thermal fluid duct inlet 310 , the thermal fluid duct guide part 320 , and the thermal fluid duct exhaust 330 may be integrally manufactured or may be respectively manufactured and then combined by welding.

In the present invention, the thermal fluid duct inlet 310, the thermal fluid duct guide part 320, the thermal fluid duct guide part 320 and the thermal fluid duct exhaust part 330 are formed in a shape that communicates with each other while forming an angle of 90 degrees. and the connection angle is not particularly limited as long as it is easy to place within the case of the energy storage facility and does not result in volume expansion.

The thermal fluid supplied from the air conditioning unit 400 passes through the thermal fluid duct inlet 310 and the thermal fluid duct guide 320 and then flows into the thermal fluid duct outlet 330 whose cross-sectional area is enlarged. At this time, the Since the same pressure field is created inside the thermal fluid duct discharge unit 330 having an enlarged cross-sectional area, the thermal fluid can maintain a uniform flow rate inside the thermal fluid duct discharge unit 330 . Therefore, there is an effect that the thermal fluid can be constantly supplied to the battery module 200 vertically loaded on the rack body 120 .

When the cross-sectional area of the thermal fluid duct discharge part 330 is enlarged than the cross-sectional area of the thermal fluid duct guide part 320 connected to the front end, the flow rate of the incoming thermal fluid is reduced and the entire thermal fluid duct discharge part 330 is A stable flow is made in the zone, and a stable and uniform pressure field can be formed, which is advantageous in uniformly supplying the thermal fluid to the battery modules 200 loaded in the vertical direction.

In the present invention, the cross-sectional area of the thermal fluid duct discharge part 330 may be 1.2 times to 1.5 times the cross-sectional area of the thermal fluid duct guide part 320, and more preferably 1.3 times to 1.4 times. If it is 1.2 times or less, it is difficult for the thermal fluid to flow in and diffuse into the thermal fluid duct discharge unit 330 to form a stable flow field, and if it is 1.5 times or more, the volume of the entire system increases due to the increase in the volume of the thermal fluid duct discharge unit 330. There is a problem to do.

The thermal fluid duct inlet 311 formed at the end of the thermal fluid duct inlet 310 is disposed to face the aforementioned air conditioning unit supply unit 410 when the door 110 is closed, and the thermal fluid duct inlet 311 An inlet fan 312 may be disposed at the rear end to propel the flow of the thermal fluid to the rear end.

A plurality of thermal fluid duct outlets 340 may be provided on one side wall of the thermal fluid duct outlet 330 . The thermal fluid duct outlet is preferably provided to correspond to the number of battery modules 200 loaded on the rack body 120 , and more preferably located to face the thermal fluid inlet 210 of the battery module 200 . Do. The thermal fluid flowing through the thermal fluid duct outlet 330 is introduced into the case 100 of the energy storage facility 10 through the thermal fluid duct outlet 340 . When the thermal fluid inlet 210 of the battery module 200 is positioned to face the thermal fluid duct outlet 340, the discharged thermal fluid can directly flow into the battery module 200, so the shortest movement path of the thermal fluid is It can be secured, and heat loss can be minimized, which is advantageous for heat exchange with the battery module 200 .

6 is a schematic diagram of a flexible duct according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

The second embodiment of the present invention is the same as the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5 except for the guide unit 510 of the flexible duct 500, and below, including the guide unit 510 It will be described only with respect to the flexible duct 500 to do.

A guide unit 510 capable of reducing fatigue damage of the flexible duct 500 due to expansion and bending may be disposed inside both ends of the flexible duct 500 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The guide unit 510 may be in the form of a plate curved to one side or a cylinder having a predetermined diameter, and one or more may be arranged in close contact with the inner end surface of the flexible duct 500, preferably two or more are arranged can be

According to the opening and closing of the door 110, the flexible duct 500 is simultaneously expanded in the vertical and horizontal directions. Due to the horizontal expansion, the flexible duct 500 is in contact with the guide unit 510. and, due to repeated operation, eventually causes damage to the flexible duct 500 . Therefore, by arranging a plurality of guide units 510, it is possible to distribute the action force due to horizontal expansion, there is an advantage in extending the service life of the flexible duct 500.

7 is a schematic diagram of a thermal fluid duct outlet according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

The third embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figs. 1 to, except that the exhaust gate 350 is provided at the thermal fluid duct outlet 330 and the vane 360 is provided at the thermal fluid duct outlet 330 . Since it is the same as the first embodiment described with reference to 5, only the discharge gate 350 and the vane 360 will be described below.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the thermal fluid duct outlet 330 may include an outlet gate 350 . One or two outlet gates 350 may be provided, and may be pivotally coupled to the thermal fluid duct outlet 330 in a pivot form or may be coupled in a slide form. In addition, the control unit 700 may automatically control the degree of opening and closing of the outlet gate 350 upon detection of the above-described temperature sensor 600 . When the temperature of the battery module 200 rises, the control unit 700 opens the outlet gate 350 positioned to correspond to the battery module 200 to the battery module 200 through the thermal fluid duct outlet 340 . By increasing the amount of supplied thermal fluid, the temperature rise of the battery module can be controlled.

The shape of the outlet gate 350 is not particularly limited as long as it does not affect the operation of the thermal fluid duct 300 while controlling the thermal fluid supply amount.

A vane 360 may be provided in the thermal fluid duct discharge part 330 . One or more vanes 360 may be configured on the inner wall of the thermal fluid duct outlet 330 to face the thermal fluid duct outlet 340 , and may be configured to correspond to the number of thermal fluid duct outlets 340 . The vane 360 is preferably in the form of a plate having a predetermined area facing the flow direction of the thermal fluid flowing from the upper part to the lower part of the thermal fluid duct discharge part 330, and the vane in the direction toward the corresponding outlet 340 It is more preferable that the width of 360 is configured in a narrowed form. After the thermal fluid collides with the plate surface of the vane 360 , the flow direction is bent to facilitate inflow into the outlet 340 , and the thermal fluid duct has a shape in which the width of the vane toward the outlet 340 is narrowed. There is an advantage in that the amount of supply of the thermal fluid to the outlet 340 can be precisely controlled. In addition, the vane may be a plate having a flat surface, may be a plate having a uniformly curved shape, and if the flow direction of the thermal fluid can be controlled, its shape is not particularly limited.

The vanes 360 may be disposed on the inner wall surface of the thermal fluid duct discharge unit 330 at a predetermined distance from the top to the bottom, and the contact area with the thermal fluid may gradually increase. As the amount of thermal fluid decreases toward the lower portion of the thermal fluid duct discharge unit 330, the contact area of the vanes can be increased to ensure the quantity of thermal fluid to the corresponding battery module.

Each vane 360 can control the amount of thermal fluid supplied to the thermal fluid duct outlet 340 by automatically adjusting the angle disposed by the control unit 700 similarly to the outlet gate 350 .

8 is an internal schematic diagram of an energy storage facility according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

The fourth embodiment of the present invention is the same as the first embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, except that the air conditioning unit supply unit 410 and the thermal fluid duct inlet 310 are directly coupled. omit

As the specific parts of the present invention have been described in detail above, for those of ordinary skill in the art, these specific descriptions are only preferred embodiments, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereby, It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made within the scope and spirit of the present invention, and it is natural that such variations and modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Hereinafter, examples will be given to describe the present invention in detail. However, the embodiments according to the present invention may be modified in various forms, and the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited by the embodiments described below. The embodiments of the present invention are provided to more completely explain the present invention to those of ordinary skill in the art.

<Example>

The thermal fluid duct inlet 310 that receives the thermal fluid, the thermal fluid duct guide 320 that transports the introduced thermal fluid to the rear end, and the thermal fluid duct discharge that guides the thermal fluid to the battery module 200 330 ), the cooling performance of the battery modules loaded in the rack body of the energy storage facility using the thermal fluid duct 300 including the CFD was analyzed.

In this embodiment, a thermal fluid inlet 210 into which a thermal fluid is introduced is formed on one side of the front surface of the battery module 200, and the battery modules 200 are arranged so that the thermal fluid inlets 210 are positioned in a vertical straight line. It is vertically loaded on the rack body 120 .

In this embodiment, the thermal fluid duct 300 is a thermal fluid duct inlet 310 that is arranged vertically upward, and a thermal fluid duct guide part 320 that is horizontally arranged adjacent to the upper cover 111 of the case 100 . ) and is disposed vertically downward adjacent to the side cover 112 of the case 100 , and includes a thermal fluid duct discharge part 330 for guiding the thermal fluid to the battery module 200 .

Here, the thermal fluid duct discharge unit 330 has an expanded cross-sectional area compared to the thermal fluid duct inlet 310 and the thermal fluid duct guide 320 at the front end. The cross-sectional area of the thermal fluid duct discharge part is 1.3 times the cross-sectional area of the communicating thermal fluid duct guide part.

In addition, on the side wall surface of the thermal fluid duct discharge part 330 facing the battery modules 200 loaded on the rack body 120, each facing the thermal fluid inlet 210 of the battery module 200 A corresponding thermal fluid duct outlet 340 is formed.

Also, the thermal fluid discharged from the air conditioning unit 400 is supplied to the thermal fluid duct inlet 310 .

The specifications applied in CFD analysis for cooling performance evaluation in this example are shown in Table 1.

As a result of CFD analysis according to the embodiment, it was found that the degree of cooling of each of the battery modules 200 vertically loaded on the rack body 120 was almost the same.

Table 1. CFD analysis application specifications

<Comparative Example 1>

The thermal fluid duct for transporting the thermal fluid supplied from the air conditioning unit 400 is directly connected to the horizontally located thermal fluid duct inlet and the thermal fluid duct inlet, except that it is composed of a vertically positioned thermal fluid duct outlet. and is the same as in the example.

As a result of CFD analysis according to Comparative Example 1, it was found that the degree of cooling of each of the battery modules 200 vertically loaded on the rack body 120 was non-uniform, and the battery module adjacent to the inlet of the thermal fluid duct was more appeared to be cooled.

<Comparative Example 2>

Except that the cross-sectional area of the thermal fluid duct discharge part 330 is the same as that of the thermal fluid duct guide part 320, it is the same as the embodiment.

As a result of CFD analysis according to Comparative Example 2, it was found that the degree of cooling of each of the battery modules 200 vertically loaded on the rack body 120 was non-uniform, and the battery module adjacent to the upper side of the thermal fluid duct discharge part. appeared to be cooler.

<Comparative Example 3>

The same as in the embodiment except that the cross-sectional area of the thermal fluid duct discharge part 330 is 1/2 of the cross-sectional area of the thermal fluid duct guide part 320 .

As a result of CFD analysis according to Comparative Example 3, it was found that the degree of cooling of each of the battery modules 200 vertically loaded on the rack body 120 was non-uniform, and the battery module adjacent to the upper side of the thermal fluid duct discharge part. appeared to be cooler.

10: Energy storage equipment
100: case
110: door
111: upper cover
112: side cover
113: back cover
120: rack body
121: rack shelf
200: battery module
201: module case
210: thermal fluid inlet
220: thermal fluid outlet
230: thermal fluid flow path
231: first side flow path
232: horizontal flow
233: second side flow path
240: module fan
300: thermal fluid duct
310: thermal fluid duct inlet
311: thermal fluid duct inlet
312: inlet fan
320: thermal fluid duct guide unit
330: thermal fluid duct outlet
340: thermal fluid duct outlet
350: outlet gate
360: vane
400: air conditioning unit
410: air conditioning unit supply unit
420: air conditioning unit recirculation unit
500: black sible duct
510: guide unit
600: temperature sensor
700: control unit

Claims (11)

case 100;
a rack body 120 provided in the inner space of the case to horizontally and vertically spaced apart a plurality of battery modules 200;
an air conditioning unit 400 positioned on the inner surface of the case 100 door;
a thermal fluid duct 300 positioned inside the case 100 and coupled to the air conditioning unit 400 in communication;
a temperature sensor 700 located in the battery module 200; and
a control unit 700 electrically connected to the temperature sensor 700; including,
The thermal fluid duct (300) is an energy storage facility, characterized in that for guiding the thermal fluid supplied from the air conditioning unit (400) to the battery module (200).
According to claim 1,
The thermal fluid duct 300 includes a thermal fluid duct inlet 310, a thermal fluid duct guide 320 and a thermal fluid duct outlet 330,
The heat fluid duct discharge part 330 is an energy storage facility, characterized in that the internal flow path is expanded.
3. The method of claim 2,
The thermal fluid duct outlet 330 has an energy storage facility, characterized in that it includes a thermal fluid duct outlet 340 facing each battery module 200 loaded on the rack body 120 .
4. The method of claim 3,
Energy storage facility, characterized in that the thermal fluid discharged to the thermal fluid duct outlet (340) is introduced through the thermal fluid inlet (210) of the battery module (200).
4. The method of claim 3,
The thermal fluid duct outlet 340 is provided with a flow rate control means 350, and the flow rate control means 350 adjusts the flow rate of the thermal fluid flowing into the battery module 200 by the control unit 700 energy storage equipment.
4. The method of claim 3,
Energy storage facility, characterized in that the vane 360 for controlling the flow direction of the thermal fluid is provided on the inner wall surface of the thermal fluid duct (300) facing the thermal fluid duct outlet (340).
7. The method of claim 6,
Energy storage facility, characterized in that the contact surface of the vane (360) with the thermal fluid gradually increases from the upper part to the lower part of the thermal fluid duct discharge part (330).
7. The method of claim 6,
The vane 360 is an energy storage facility, characterized in that it changes the flow direction of the thermal fluid by the angle adjustment by the control unit (700).
According to claim 1,
and a fire extinguishing unit communicating with the inside of the rack body (120), wherein the fire extinguishing unit is opened and closed by the control unit (700).
10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
The air conditioning unit (400) and the thermal fluid duct (300) is an energy storage facility, characterized in that the communication by a flexible duct (500).
11. The method of claim 10,
Energy storage facility, characterized in that the flexible duct (500) has a guide unit (510) for adjusting the bending direction and angle of the flexible duct (500) is located.

Images