KR20220150785A - Chamber for testing a thermal propagation - Google Patents

Abstract

A chamber for testing heat transfer according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a chamber body having an open unit that is open on the top and including a first space for accommodating a battery cell stack and a second space separated from the first space by a partition; and an upper plate coupled to cover the open unit of the chamber body.

Description

Chamber for heat transfer experiment {CHAMBER FOR TESTING A THERMAL PROPAGATION}

The present invention relates to a chamber for heat transfer experiments, and more particularly, to a chamber for heat transfer experiments capable of more diversely and safely performing heat transfer experiments with respect to battery modules and battery packs.

As the use of portable devices such as mobile phones, laptop computers, camcorders, and digital cameras has become commonplace in modern society, development of technologies in fields related to the above mobile devices has become active. In addition, secondary batteries capable of charging and discharging are a solution to air pollution, such as existing gasoline vehicles using fossil fuels, electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles ( P-HEV), etc., the need for development of secondary batteries is increasing.

Currently commercialized secondary batteries include nickel cadmium batteries, nickel hydrogen batteries, nickel zinc batteries, and lithium secondary batteries. , it is in the limelight due to its very low self-discharge rate and high energy density.

These lithium secondary batteries mainly use lithium-based oxides and carbon materials as positive electrode active materials and negative electrode active materials, respectively. A lithium secondary battery includes an electrode assembly in which a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate coated with such a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode active material are disposed with a separator therebetween, and a battery case in which the electrode assembly is sealed and housed together with an electrolyte solution.

In general, lithium secondary batteries 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 an exterior material.

In the case of secondary batteries used in small devices, 2-3 battery cells are disposed, but in the case of secondary batteries used in medium-large devices such as automobiles, a battery module electrically connecting multiple battery cells this is used In this battery module, capacity and output are improved by forming a battery cell stack in which a plurality of battery cells are connected in series or parallel to each other. One or more battery modules may be mounted together with various control and protection systems such as a battery disconnect unit (BDU), a battery management system (BMS), and a cooling system to form a battery pack.

On the other hand, the lithium secondary battery has a problem of low safety while having excellent electrical characteristics. For example, lithium secondary batteries generate heat and gas due to decomposition reactions of active materials and electrolytes, which are battery components, during abnormal operating conditions such as overcharge, overdischarge, exposure to high temperatures, and electrical short circuits. The high-pressure condition further promotes the decomposition reaction and eventually causes ignition or explosion.

The safety problem of the lithium secondary battery is more serious in a medium or large-sized cell module using a plurality of battery cells. That is, since a large number of battery cells are used in a medium-large cell module, abnormal operation of some battery cells may cause a chain reaction in other battery cells, and the resulting ignition and explosion may lead to a large-scale accident.

For this reason, the need for safety evaluation due to overcharging, exposure to high temperatures, etc. of medium and large sized cell modules is increasing, and in particular, the need for measuring pressure and the like during explosion of medium and large sized cell modules is emerging.

1 is a schematic diagram of a device for a conventional heat transfer simulation experiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, a heat transfer simulation experiment apparatus 1 for confirming the safety evaluation of a conventional battery module and battery pack in a single experiment includes three battery cells 21, 22, and 23 and a pair of aluminum plates 11 , 12) is configured to apply heat locally by placing a heating pad 40 at the bottom of the first battery cell 21 in a laminated state. The second battery cell 22 is disposed adjacent to the first battery cell 21 that is directly heated in this way, and the effect on the adjacent battery cell can be confirmed, which can be simulated by heat transfer in a module unit. In addition, since the third battery cell 23 is disposed with the second battery cell 22 and the heat insulating member 30 interposed therebetween, the influence between the battery cells isolated from each other can be confirmed, which is It can be simulated by heat transfer in pack units.

In addition, the temperature sensor 60 is attached to each layer to check the temperature and thermal runaway of the battery cell according to heating, and the pressure sensor 50 is added to measure the pressure received by the battery cell at each stage. influence can be ascertained. At this time, a load cell may be provided instead of the pressure sensor 50 to measure the pressure load.

However, in the case of such an experimental device, since the experiment is conducted in an open state, it is difficult to measure the explosion pressure during the experiment and it is difficult to secure the safety of the measurer and the measuring device from dangers such as explosion. In addition, even when measuring temperature and pressure, external influences cannot be blocked, resulting in inaccurate measurement results, and excessive costs arise because the aluminum plates 11 and 12 used must be replaced for every experiment.

Accordingly, there is a need to develop a heat transfer test apparatus that can be reused in a safe environment and can accurately measure heat transfer.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to improve a heat transfer experiment device for a battery module or battery pack, so that there is no safety problem, the temperature and pressure inside the experiment device can be accurately detected, and the heat transfer experiment that can be reused to reduce costs is possible. to provide a chamber.

However, the problems to be solved by the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above problems and can be variously extended within the scope of the technical idea included in the present invention.

A chamber for heat transfer experiment according to an embodiment of the present invention is a chamber body having an open top, and includes a first space for accommodating a battery cell stack and a second space separated from the first space by a partition wall. A chamber body including a chamber body, and an upper plate coupled to cover an open portion of the chamber body.

The chamber body may further include a reinforcing plate interposed between the upper plates.

The chamber body includes a lower surface and a side surface so as to surround the first space and the second space, and an upper portion facing the lower surface constitutes an opening portion, enclosing an edge of the opening portion and extending vertically from the side surface portion. It may include a first frame portion.

The reinforcing plate may include a second frame portion overlapping the first frame portion.

The reinforcing plate may include a reinforcing layer covering the opening at a portion corresponding to the first space.

The reinforcing plate may include an opening communicating with the second space at a portion corresponding to the second space without covering the opening.

The second frame portion may include a groove portion recessed to form a space through which a wire electrically connected to a component inside the first space passes.

The chamber body, the reinforcing plate, and the upper plate have a plurality of first fastening holes and second fastening holes respectively formed to correspond to the first and second frame parts, and at positions corresponding to the second frame part. It may be coupled by a fastening member passing through a plurality of third fastening holes formed along the edge of the upper plate to correspond to the second fastening holes.

A connection hole between the first space and the second space may be formed in the barrier rib, and the connection hole may be blocked by a pair of shutters.

Each of the pair of shutters is attached to both sides of the partition wall and coupled to cover the connection hole, and is fixed by coupling a plurality of coupling members to a plurality of coupling holes penetrating the pair of shutters and the partition wall. It can be.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, during a heat transfer experiment on a battery module or battery pack, it is possible to evaluate inside the test apparatus, accurately detect the effect of temperature rise, and measure the explosion pressure through internal pressure measurement. At the same time, it is possible to provide a chamber for heat transfer experiments that has no safety problems and can reduce costs.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

1 is a schematic diagram of a device for a conventional heat transfer simulation experiment.
2 is an exploded perspective view of a chamber for a heat transfer experiment according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a perspective view of an assembled state of the heat transfer experiment chamber of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a partition wall in the configuration of FIG. 2 .
FIG. 5 is a view showing a front view of the bulkhead of FIG. 4 .
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the partition wall of FIG. 4;

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention. This invention may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

In order to clearly describe the present invention, parts irrelevant to the description are omitted, and the same reference numerals are assigned to the same or similar components throughout the specification.

In addition, since the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrarily shown for convenience of explanation, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the shown bar. In the drawings, the thickness is shown enlarged to clearly express the various layers and regions. And in the drawings, for convenience of explanation, the thicknesses of some layers and regions are exaggerated.

In addition, when a part such as a layer, film, region, plate, etc. is said to be "on" or "on" another part, this includes not only the case where it is "directly on" the other part, but also the case where there is another part in the middle. . Conversely, when a part is said to be "directly on" another part, it means that there is no other part in between. In addition, to be "on" or "on" a reference part means to be located above or below the reference part, and to necessarily be located "on" or "on" in the opposite direction of gravity does not mean not.

In addition, throughout the specification, when a certain component is said to "include", it means that it may further include other components without excluding other components unless otherwise stated.

In addition, throughout the specification, when it is referred to as "planar image", it means when the target part is viewed from above, and when it is referred to as "cross-sectional image", it means when a cross section of the target part cut vertically is viewed from the side.

Hereinafter, a chamber for a heat transfer experiment according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 6 .

2 is an exploded perspective view of a chamber for a heat transfer experiment according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a perspective view of an assembled state of the heat transfer experiment chamber of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a partition wall in the configuration of FIG. 2 . FIG. 5 is a view showing a front view of the bulkhead of FIG. 4 . FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the partition wall of FIG. 4;

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 , the chamber body 110 including an open portion 115 having an upper portion open to accommodate the battery cell stack 200 and the open portion 115 of the chamber body 110 It includes an upper plate 130 covering. At this time, the internal space of the chamber body 110 is separated by the partition wall 112, and the first space 110a accommodating the battery cell stack 200 and the second space adjacent to the first space 110a (110b). It also includes a reinforcing plate 120 disposed between the chamber body 110 and the upper plate 130 .

The chamber body 110 includes a lower surface 114 and side surfaces 113 extending vertically from four sides of the lower surface 114 to form a first space 110a and a second space 110b. A portion surrounded by four sides of the upper end of the side surface 113 (ie, upper portion in the z-axis direction), that is, a portion facing the lower surface 114 constitutes the opening 115 . An edge of the open portion 115 is surrounded by the first frame portion 111 . The first frame part 111 may be configured to extend outwardly in a vertical direction from the upper end of the side surface 113 (ie, in the x-axis and y-axis directions in the drawing).

The inner space of the chamber body 110 is partitioned into a first space 110a and a second space 110b by a partition wall 112 . The battery cell stack 200 for testing may be accommodated in the first space 110a, and therefore, its size may be appropriately determined in consideration of horizontal or vertical arrangement of the battery cell stack 200. The battery cell stack 200 for testing may be formed by stacking two or more battery cells. In addition, on one side of the battery cell stack 200, a heating member 500 manufactured in a similar shape to the battery cell stack may be disposed. Both ends of the heating member 500 may be thermocouples connected by an internal wire 301 , thereby heating the battery cell stack 200 and sensing the temperature. Also, for example, by applying a current to a heat pad formed to contact any one battery cell of the battery cell stack 200 (for example, a pad in the form of winding a copper wire with a coil), the battery cell in contact therewith The cell can be forcibly ignited by heating one side.

The second space 110b is a space separated from the first space 110a, and connects the battery cell stack 200 disposed in the first space 110b with external control and measurement equipment (not shown). This is a space for arranging and leading the wiring 300 to the outside. The wiring 300 may include a voltage line, a temperature sensing line, and the like, and may be added in various ways according to experiments to be measured/applied to the battery cell stack 200 disposed inside the first space 110a.

In this way, by providing the chamber body 110 with the second space 110b separated from the battery cell stack 200 disposed in the first space 110a, even if an explosion or the like occurs in the battery cell stack 200 It is possible to prevent damage to the second space 110b by blocking the propagation of heat and flame by the barrier rib 112, and also to block the propagation to the outside, so that the safety of the operator can be guaranteed. In addition, damage to the wiring 300 or the like disposed inside the second space 110b may be prevented.

Meanwhile, the reinforcing plate 120 disposed between the chamber body 110 and the upper plate 130 includes a second frame portion 121 overlapping the first frame portion 111, and the second frame portion ( 121) A reinforcing layer 120a disposed to cover the first space 110a corresponding to the first space 110a inside. The reinforcing layer 120a may be integrally formed with the second frame portion 121 or may be separately formed and inserted therein, and is not particularly limited. By providing the reinforcing layer 120a corresponding to the first space 110a, one layer of the upper plate 130 covers the space where the battery cell stack 200 is disposed, and the space is covered with two layers. (That is, since it is configured to be covered with the reinforcing layer 120a and the upper plate 130), even if an explosion occurs in the battery cell stack 200, external influence can be minimized.

A recessed groove 122 is formed in the second frame part 121 so that the wire 300 electrically connected to the internal structure of the first space 110a can pass. That is, the wiring 300 extends from the battery cell stack 200 inside the first space 110a and devices such as a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor installed therein, and connects to a connection hole 1124 of the partition wall 112, which will be described later. ) and can be arranged in the second space 110b and connected to the equipment outside the chamber 100 through the groove 122. As such, the groove 122 through which the wiring 300 passes is formed in the second frame portion 121 of the reinforcing plate 120 disposed between the chamber body 110 and the upper plate 130, thereby forming the wiring 300. It can be efficiently organized and improved assemblability.

In addition, there is no risk of explosion and the upper portion of the second space 110b, which is separated from the effects of the explosion, does not require reinforcement as corresponding to the first space 110a, and thus the portion corresponding to the second space 110b. In , the reinforcing layer 120a is not formed and includes an opening 120b communicating with the second space 110b. By including the opening 120b, it is preferable to further secure an arrangement space for the wiring 300 that is arranged through the groove 122 and led out.

An upper plate 130 is disposed above the reinforcing plate 120 . The upper plate 130, the reinforcing plate 120, and the chamber body 110 are fastened by inserting fastening members (not shown) into the first to third fastening holes 110h, 120h, and 130h formed therein, respectively. can be combined That is, the first fastening hole 110h is formed in the first frame part 111 of the chamber body 110, and the second fastening hole 120h is formed in the second frame part 121 of the reinforcing plate 120 corresponding thereto. ) is formed, and a third fastening hole 130h is formed at the edge of the upper plate 130 corresponding to the second fastening hole 120h. The first to third fastening holes 110h, 120h, and 130h are formed in plurality, respectively, so that fastening can be performed at a plurality of points, thereby improving the strength of the chamber 100. Such fastening may be performed by fastening a bolt and a nut, for example.

The chamber body 110, the reinforcing plate 120, and the upper plate 130 may each be made of aluminum, but are not limited thereto, and the materials thereof may be variously changed according to the experiment contents. In addition, the thickness of each part can be 5 cm or more, and this can also be appropriately changed according to the contents of the experiment.

Next, with further reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 , the configuration of the barrier rib 112 will be described in more detail.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a partition wall in the configuration of FIG. 2 . FIG. 5 is a view showing a front view of the bulkhead of FIG. 4 . 6 is a view showing a state in which the bulkhead of FIG. 4 is viewed from the side.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 , a partition wall body 1121 formed in a plate shape is fixed inside the chamber body 110 to partition the first space 110a and the second space 110b. The partition wall body 1121 may be made of aluminum or the like to prevent heat or flame from the first space 110a from being transferred to the second space 110b. At this time, the partition wall body 1121 A connection hole 1124 ( FIGS. 5 and 6 ) is formed at the bottom, and the connection hole 1124 is blocked by a pair of shutters 1122 .

Through the connection hole 1124 , a wire 300 drawn out from the first space 110a and connected to the outside through the second space 110b may be connected. In addition, except for the minimum space where the wiring 300 is connected in this way, it may be blocked by a pair of shutters 1122. By being blocked in this way, it is possible to prevent flame or heat from propagating through the connection hole 1124 .

The shutters 1122 are provided in pairs and are arranged to block the connection holes 1124 at the first space 110a side and the second space 110b side, respectively. In the bulkhead body 1121, a plurality of coupling holes 1125 are formed around the connection hole 1124, and corresponding coupling holes are also formed in the shutter 1122, and the coupling member 1123 passing through them The shutter 1122 may be fixed.

When an explosion occurs in the battery cell stack 200 inside the first space 110a by the shutter 1122, the explosion pressure can be measured. That is, by providing the shutter 1122, the battery cell stack 200 inside the first space 110a can be provided with an environment in which it exists in a closed system, and therefore, in this state, the battery cell stack 200 ), the explosion pressure can be measured when some battery cells included in the Conventionally, since heat transfer experiments of battery cell stacks were conducted in an open system, it was impossible to measure the pressure at the time of such an explosion, and only information such as the state of ignition, temperature, propagation time, etc. could be obtained. However, in the present invention, Since the battery cell stack 200 is placed in a closed system and the experiment is conducted, the explosion pressure can also be measured. In addition, since it is possible to adjust the first space 110a to a closed system or partially open system by the shutter 1122 as needed, various experiments under various conditions are possible.

As described above, according to one embodiment of the present invention, by using the closed heat transfer test chamber 100 and partitioning the space inside at this time to place the battery cell stack only in one space to conduct the experiment, Even if an explosion or the like occurs due to this, it is possible to secure safety by blocking influence from the outside, and since the heat transfer test chamber after the test can be reused, cost reduction can be obtained.

In this embodiment, terms indicating directions such as front, back, left, right, up, and down are used, but these terms are only for convenience of description and may vary depending on the location of the target object or the location of the observer. .

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements of those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present invention defined in the following claims are also made according to the present invention. falls within the scope of the rights of

Chamber for 100 heat transfer experiments
110 chamber body
120 top plate
130 reinforcement plate
112 bulkhead
200 battery cell stack
110a first space
110b second space

Claims (10)

A chamber body having an open top, a chamber body including a first space for accommodating a battery cell stack and a second space separated from the first space by a partition wall, and
A heat transfer experiment chamber including an upper plate coupled to cover the opening of the chamber body. In paragraph 1,
The heat transfer experiment chamber further comprising a reinforcing plate interposed between the chamber body and the upper plate. In paragraph 2,
The chamber body includes a lower surface and a side surface to surround the first space and the second space, and an upper portion facing the lower surface constitutes an opening,
A chamber for a heat transfer experiment including a first frame part surrounding an edge of the opening and extending vertically from the side surface. In paragraph 3,
The reinforcing plate is a heat transfer experiment chamber including a second frame portion overlapping the first frame portion. In paragraph 3,
The reinforcing plate includes a reinforcing layer covering the opening in a portion corresponding to the first space. In paragraph 3,
The reinforcing plate includes an opening communicating with the second space without covering the opening at a portion corresponding to the second space. In paragraph 4,
The second frame part includes a groove part recessed to form a space through which a wire electrically connected to a configuration inside the first space passes. In paragraph 4,
The chamber body, the reinforcing plate, and the upper plate have a plurality of first fastening holes and second fastening holes respectively formed to correspond to the first and second frame parts, and at positions corresponding to the second frame part. A heat transfer experiment chamber coupled by a fastening member passing through a plurality of third fastening holes formed along the edge of the upper plate to correspond to the second fastening holes. In paragraph 1,
A heat transfer experiment chamber wherein a connection hole between the first space and the second space is formed in the partition wall, and the connection hole is blocked by a pair of shutters. In paragraph 8,
Each of the pair of shutters is attached to both sides of the partition wall and coupled to cover the connection hole, and is fixed by coupling a plurality of coupling members to a plurality of coupling holes penetrating the pair of shutters and the partition wall. chamber for heat transfer experiments.

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