RU2187865C2 - Mechanical and thermal perfection of nickel-cadmium-hybrid batteries, battery modules and blocks of batteries - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: electrical engineering. SUBSTANCE: invention refers to mechanically and thermally perfected re-chargeable batteries, modules and battery systems cooled by fluid medium. Battery is prismatic in form with optimized relation of thickness to width and height which provides battery with balanced optimized properties as compared with prismatic batteries deprived of this optimized relation. Optimized thickness, width and height ensure maximum capacity and output power and eliminate side effects at same time. Battery frame allows expansion in one direction which is easily compensated by application of outside mechanical compression in this direction. Battery module includes means which couple/constrict under action of outside mechanical compression that is optimized to balance pressure directed outward because of expansion and to ensure additional compression directed inward to diminish distance between positive and negative electrodes raising by that total capacity of battery. Block 39 of batteries cooled by fluid medium includes frame 40 with inlets 41 and outlets 42 for flow of cooling agent. Battery modules are so placed in frame that they are distant from frame walls and one another and form passages 43 for flow of cooling agent along one surface of coupled batteries as minimum and at least one aid 44 for transportation of cooling agent. EFFECT: development of light, simple and non-expansive system of batteries with cooling. 25 cl, 29 dwg, 3 tbl

Description

 This application is part of a continuation of US patent application 08/140933, filed October 25, 1993.

Field of Invention
The present invention generally relates to improvements in batteries based on metal hydride (metal hydride batteries), battery modules made from them, and battery packs made from modules. More specifically, the present invention relates to mechanical and thermal improvements in battery design, battery module design, and battery pack design.

State of the art
Rechargeable prismatic batteries are used in a number of industrial and commercial applications, such as forklifts, golf carts, uninterruptible power supplies and electric vehicles.

 Rechargeable lead batteries are currently the most widely used type of battery. Lead-acid batteries are a useful source of power for starters in internal combustion engines. However, their low energy density, approximately 30 V • h / kg, and their inability to adequately remove heat makes them an impractical power source for an electric vehicle. An electric vehicle using lead-acid batteries has a short travel distance before recharging, requires approximately 6-12 hours to recharge, and contains toxic substances. In addition, electric vehicles using lead-acid batteries have slow acceleration, insufficient tolerance for deep discharge, and battery life is only approximately 32,200 km.

 Nickel-metal hydride batteries (Ni-MH batteries) are of much better quality than lead batteries, and Ni-MH batteries are the most promising type of battery available for electric vehicles. For example, Ni-MH batteries, such as those described in U.S. Patent Application 07/934976, co-authored by Ovshinsky and Fetcenko, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference, have a much better energy density than lead-acid batteries can provide An electric vehicle with an energy exceeding approximately 400 km can be recharged within 15 minutes before requiring recharging and does not contain any toxic substances. Electric cars using Ni-MH batteries can have exceptional acceleration and battery life is greater than approximately 161,000 km.

 Extensive research has been conducted in the past to improve the electrochemical aspects of the power and charge capacity of Ni-MH batteries, which is described in detail in US Pat. The contents of all of these links are expressly incorporated by reference.

 Initially, Ovshinsky and his group focused on alloys based on metal hydrides, which form a negative electrode. As a result of their efforts, they were able to significantly increase the reversible hydrogen storage characteristics necessary for efficient and economical battery applications, and to obtain batteries capable of accumulating energy with a high degree of density, with effective reversibility, high electrical efficiency, efficient bulk storage of hydrogen without structural changes or poisoning, long service life and repeated deep discharge. The improved characteristics of these ovonic ("Ovonic") alloys, as they are now called, were the result of maintaining local chemical ordering and, therefore, local structural ordering by combining the selected modifier elements into a primary matrix. Disordered metal hydride alloys have a substantially increased density of catalytically active sites and storage sites compared to single-phase or multiphase crystalline materials. These additional sites are responsible for the improved electrochemical charge / discharge efficiency and increase the storage capacity of electrical energy. The nature and number of storage sites can even be designed independently of catalytically active sites. More specifically, these alloys are made to allow bulk storage of dissociated hydrogen atoms with bond strengths within the reversibility range, suitable for use in secondary battery applications.

Some extremely effective hydrogen storage electrochemicals have been derived from the disordered substances described above. They are active substances of the type Ti-V-Zr-Ni, such as those disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,551,400 ('400' patent), the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. These substances reversibly form hydrides in order to accumulate hydrogen. All substances used in the '400 patent use the general composition Ti-V-Ni, where at least Ti, V and Ni are present and can be modified with Cr, Zr and Al. Substances of the '400 patent are multiphase substances that may contain, but are not limited to, one or more phases with crystalline structures of type C ₁₄ and C ₁₅ .

 Other Ti-V-Zr-Ni alloys are also used for rechargeable negative electrodes with hydrogen storage. One such family of substances is that described in US Pat. No. 4,728,586 (“the '586 patent”), the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference. The '586 patent describes a specific subclass of these Ti-V-Ni-Zr alloys containing Ti, V, Zr, Ni and the fifth component, Gr. The '586 patent mentions the possibility of additives and modifiers in addition to the Ti, V, Zr, Ni and Cr constituent alloys and generally describes the specific additives and modifiers of the quantity and interaction of these modifiers, and the specific benefits that can be expected from them.

 Unlike the ovonic alloys described above, previously known alloys were usually considered as “ordered” substances that had excellent chemism, microstructure and electrochemical characteristics. The effectiveness of known ordered substances was insufficient, but in the early 1980s, as the degree of modification increased (i.e., when the number and dose of elementary modifiers increased), their effectiveness began to increase significantly. This is due to both the disorder introduced by the modifier and their electrical and chemical properties. This development of alloys from a certain class of ordered substances to modern multicomponent, multiphase "disordered" alloys is shown in the following patents: (i) US patent 3874928; (ii) U.S. Patent 4,214,043; (iii) U.S. Patent 4,107,395; (iv) U.S. Patent 4,107,405; (v) U.S. Patent 4,112,199; (vi) U.S. Patent 4,125,688 (vii); U.S. Patent 4,214,043; (viii) U.S. Patent 4,216,274; (ix) U.S. Patent 4,487,817; (x) U.S. Patent 4,605,603; (xii) US Pat. No. 4,696,873; and (xiii) US Pat. No. 4,699,856. (These references are extensively described in US Pat. No. 5,096,667, and this description is expressly incorporated by reference.)

 Simply put, it was found that in all metal hydride alloys, with an increase in the degree of modification, the role of the initially ordered base alloy is less important in comparison with the properties and disorder inherent in specific modifiers. In addition, analysis of multicomponent alloys currently available on the market and obtained by many manufacturers indicates that these alloys are modified following the guidelines established for ovonic alloy systems. Thus, as defined above, all highly modified alloys are disordered substances, characterized by the presence of many components and many phases, that is, ovonic alloys.

 It is clear that the introduction of ovonic fusion methods has made significant improvements in the active electrochemical aspects of Ni-MH batteries. However, it should be noted that until recently, the mechanical and thermal aspects of the efficiency of Ni-MH batteries were neglected.

 For example, in electric vehicles, the weight of the batteries is a significant factor, since the weight of the battery is the largest component of the weight of the vehicle. For this reason, considerable attention is paid to reducing the weight of individual batteries when designing batteries for electric powered vehicles. In addition to reducing the weight of the batteries, the weight of the battery modules must be reduced while still providing the necessary mechanical requirements of the module (i.e. ease of transport, strength, etc.). Also, when these battery modules are included in battery pack systems (such as for use in electric vehicles), the components of the battery pack should be as light as possible.

 It should be emphasized that applications in electric vehicles pose a critical requirement for thermal management. This is because individual cells (elements) are connected together in close proximity, and many elements are electrically and thermally connected together. Therefore, since there is a characteristic tendency to emit a significant amount of heat during charge and discharge, a workable battery design for electric vehicles is assessed by whether or not the heat generated is controlled sufficiently.

First of all, there are three sources of heat. The first is the warmth of the environment due to the operation of the vehicle in a hot climate. The second is resistive or I ² R, heating during charge and discharge, where I represents the current flowing into or out of the battery, and R is the battery resistance. Third - a huge amount of heat is formed during recharging due to gas recombination.

 While the above parameters are usually common to all electrical battery systems, they are especially important for nickel-metal hydride battery systems. This is due to the fact that Ni-MH has such a high specific energy, and the charge and discharge currents are also large. For example, to charge a lead-acid battery in one hour, a current of 35 A can be used, while recharging a Ni-MH battery can use 100 A for the same one-hour recharge. Secondly, since Ni-MN has an exceptional energy density (that is, energy is accumulated very compactly), thermal dissipation is more difficult than in lead-acid batteries. This is due to the fact that the ratio of surface area to volume is much smaller than in lead-acid batteries, which means that while the heat generated is 2.5 times greater for Ni-MH batteries than for lead-acid batteries, heat dissipation surface is reduced.

 The following illustrative example is useful in understanding the heat management problems encountered when designing Ni-MH battery packs for electric vehicles. US Pat. No. 5,378,555 to General Motors (incorporated by reference) describes a battery pack of an electric vehicle using lead-acid batteries. A batch battery system using lead-acid batteries has a capacity of approximately 13 kW • hour, weighs approximately 363 kg and has a vehicle driving range of approximately 145 km. Replacing a battery pack of lead batteries with a pack of ovonic batteries of the same size, the capacity increases to 35 kW • hour, and the driving distance of the vehicle increases to approximately 400 km. One property of this comparison is that in 15 minutes of recharging, the energy supplied to the Ni-MH battery pack is 2.7 times more than that supplied to the battery pack of lead batteries with its commensurate additional heat. However, the situation is somewhat different during discharge. In order to power a vehicle on a highway at a constant speed, the current flowing through the battery is the same as for a Ni-MH battery or a lead battery (or any other power source for this purpose). Essentially, the electric motor that drives the vehicle “doesn't know” or “doesn't care” where it gets its energy from, or which battery supplies power. The difference between heating a Ni-MH battery and a lead-acid battery during a discharge is the duration of the discharge. That is, since the Ni-MH battery will drive the vehicle 2.7 times longer than the lead one, it needs a lot more time before it can cool down.

 Further, while the heat generated during charging and discharging Ni-MH batteries is usually not a problem in small household batteries or even in large batteries when they are used individually for a limited period of time, large batteries that serve as as a continuous power source, especially when more than one is used in series or in parallel, for example in a satellite or electric vehicle, a sufficient amount of heat is released during charging and discharging to affect the ultimate efficiency Battery modules or battery pack systems.

 Thus, there is a need for a battery, a battery module, and a package battery system design that reduces its total weight and has the necessary heat control necessary for successful operation in electric vehicles without reducing its energy storage capacity or output power, increases battery reliability and reduces cost.

The disadvantages of the prior art
The thermal management of an electric vehicle’s battery system using high-energy battery technology has never been demonstrated before. Some devices, such as Na-S, which function at elevated temperatures, are highly insulated to maintain a specific operating temperature. Such an organization is undesirable due to the large loss in the total energy density due to the excessive weight (means) of thermal management, high complexity and excessive cost. Other systems, such as Ni-Cd, used a water cooling system to attempt thermal control. Again, this type of thermal management system adds weight, complexity and value to a battery pack.

 Simply put, the prior art does not offer the configuration / interior design of an integrated battery, a battery module, and a thermally controlled battery pack system that is lightweight, simple, inexpensive, and combines the structural basis of batteries, modules and bags with an air-cooled heat management system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One aspect of the present invention provides a mechanically advanced rechargeable battery. A battery includes: a battery case, which includes a battery positive electrode terminal and a battery negative electrode terminal; at least one battery positive electrode located inside the battery case and electrically connected to the battery positive electrode terminal; at least one negative battery electrode located inside the battery case and electrically connected to the battery negative electrode terminal; at least one battery electrode separator located between the positive and negative electrodes inside the battery housing to electrically isolate the positive electrode from the negative electrode, but still allowing their chemical interaction; and a battery electrolyte surrounding and wetting the positive electrode, the negative electrode and the separator. The battery case is prismatic in shape and has an optimized ratio of thickness to width, to height.

 Another aspect of the present invention includes an improved high power battery module. A battery module according to the present invention includes: a plurality of individual batteries; a plurality of electrical interconnects connecting the individual batteries of the module to each other and providing means for electrically connecting the individual battery modules to each other; and means for linking / compressing the battery module. Batteries are connected inside the module’s binding / compression means by external mechanical compression, which is optimized to balance outward pressure due to expansion of the battery components and provide additional inward compression force to the battery electrodes inside each cell to reduce the distance between the positive and negative electrodes , thereby increasing the total power of the element.

 The module binding / compression tool is designed to: 1) permit the use of the required battery compression; 2) to perform the required mechanical function of vibration-resistant bundles of modules; and 3) be as light as possible.

 Another aspect of the present invention is the mechanical construction of a lightweight fluid cooled packet battery system. In its most general form, the present fluid-cooled battery pack system includes: a battery pack housing having at least one refrigerant inlet and at least one refrigerant outlet; at least one battery module located and mounted inside the housing so that the battery module is remote from the walls of the housing and from any other battery modules inside the housing to form channels for refrigerant current along at least one surface of the connected batteries, the channel width for current the refrigerant is optimally sized to allow maximum heat transfer through convective, conductive, and radiative heat transfer mechanisms from batteries to the refrigerant; and at least one refrigerant conveying means that causes the refrigerant to enter the refrigerant inlet means in the housing, to flow through the refrigerant current channels and exit through the refrigerant outlet means in the housing. In a preferred embodiment, the stacked battery system is air cooled.

 In yet another aspect of the present invention, the mechanical structure of the battery, module, and battery pack system described above is electronically integrated by means of a charging algorithm designed to quickly charge the battery pack system while increasing battery life by minimizing overcharging and controlling heat generation .

 In conclusion, batteries, modules, and packages may also include means for providing variable thermal insulation for at least the portion of the rechargeable battery system that is most directly exposed to these ambient thermal conditions so as to maintain the temperature of the rechargeable battery system within the required operating range under variable environmental conditions.

Brief Description of the Drawings
Figure 1 is a highly stylized cross-sectional view of a mechanically advanced rechargeable battery according to the invention, showing in detail battery electrodes, a separator, battery cases and battery electric terminals;
FIG. 2 is a stylized cross-sectional view of a mechanically advanced rechargeable battery detailing how many of the battery components interact during assembly;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged image of the terminal, the upper part of the shell, the sealing of the terminal and the comb of the electrode shown in figure 2;
FIG. 4 is a stylized image of a cross-sectional view of a crimped-up connection made to tightly secure the battery terminal to the top of the battery shell;
5 is a stylized cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a terminal of a battery, depicting in detail how a high pressure valve can be integrated into a terminal;
FIG. 6 is a stylized cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a battery terminal, detailing how an electrical female connector of a female type can be integrated into a terminal;
Fig.7 is a stylized image of the comb of the electrode;
FIG. 8 is a stylized top view of a battery module according to the present invention, detailing the manner in which the batteries are connected, including their orientation, rods and end plates that hold the batteries during external mechanical compression, and the compression axis;
FIG. 9 is a stylized side view of the battery module of FIG. 8, specifically depicting the manner in which metal rods are mounted in slots in the ribs of the end plates;
FIG. 10 is a stylized end view of the battery module shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, specifically depicting the manner in which end plates and compression rods interact;
FIG. 11 is a stylized top view of a battery module according to the present invention, specifically depicting modular gaskets according to the present invention, and conclusions of gaskets attached thereto;
FIG. 12 is a stylized side view of the battery module of FIG. 11, specifically depicting the manner in which the modular gaskets are placed above and below the battery module;
FIG. 13 a is a stylized illustration of one embodiment of the end plates of the battery modules according to the present invention, specifically depicting a ribbed end plate;
FIG. 13b is a stylized cross-sectional view of a ribbed end plate shown in FIG. 13a;
Fig. 14 is a stylized view of one embodiment of a braided cable connection suitable in battery modules and packages, according to the present invention specifically depicting a braided flat cable electrical connection;
FIG. 15 is a stylized top view of one embodiment of a fluid-cooled battery pack according to the present invention, depicting in detail a matrix arrangement of battery modules in a package housing, the manner in which modular gaskets form channels for refrigerant current, fluid inlet and outlet ports, and conveying means fluid;
FIG. 16 is a graph of battery temperature versus idle time indicating a method by which temperature controlled fan algorithms affect battery temperature during packet self-discharge; FIG.
17 is a graph of battery resistance and battery thickness versus external compression pressure, optimal and functional ranges are clearly presented;
FIG. Figure 18 illustrates the effect of temperature on the specific energy of the battery by plotting the temperature of the battery versus specific energy in W • h / kg;
FIG. 19 illustrates the effect of temperature on the specific power of the battery, plotting the temperature of the battery versus specific power in W / kg;
FIG. 20 is a graph of refrigerant volumetric flow rate and a percentage of the maximum heat transfer and the rate of refrigerant depending on the interval along the average separation axis (relative to the average width of the refrigerant channel) for the vertical flow of refrigerant through the channels for the refrigerant current;
FIG. 21 is a graph of refrigerant volumetric flow rate and a percentage of the maximum heat transfer and refrigerant speed as a function of the interval along the average separation axis (referring to the average width of the refrigerant channel) for horizontal refrigerant flow through the channels for the refrigerant current;
FIG. 22 is a graph of temperature rise versus ambient temperature and packet voltage versus time during charge and discharge cycles using a charge method with a “temperature-compensated voltage limit”;
FIG. 23 is a graph of temperature rise versus ambient temperature and packet voltage versus time during charge and discharge cycles using a “fixed voltage limit” charge method;
FIG. 24 is a graph of battery capacity, measured in A • h, depending on the type of battery for M series batteries;
25 is a graph of battery power, measured in watts, depending on the type of battery for M series batteries;
Fig is a graph of the normalized battery capacity, measured in mA • hour / cm ² , depending on the type of battery for batteries of the M series;
FIG. 27 is a graph of the normalized battery power, measured in mW / cm ² , depending on the type of battery for the M series batteries;
Fig. 28 is a graph of the specific power of the battery measured in W / kg, depending on the type of battery for M series batteries; and
FIG. 29 is a graph of the specific energy of the battery, measured in W • h / kg, depending on the type of battery for the M series batteries.

Description of the invention
One aspect of the present invention provides a mechanically improved rechargeable battery, shown generally in FIG. 1. Typically, in the technique of rechargeable batteries, such as a nickel-metal hydride battery system, much attention is paid to the electrochemical aspects of the batteries, while much less time and energy is spent on improving the mechanical aspects of the battery, module and package design.

 Applicants have investigated improvements in the mechanical design of rechargeable battery systems, paying attention to aspects such as energy density (both volumetric and gravimetric), strength, durability, mechanical aspects of battery efficiency, and heat management.

 As a result of these studies, the applicants have developed a mechanically improved rechargeable battery 1, which includes: a battery case 2, which includes a battery positive electrode terminal 7 and a battery negative electrode terminal 8; at least one positive battery electrode 5 located inside the battery housing 2 and electrically connected to the battery positive electrode terminal 7; at least one negative electrode 4 of the battery located inside the battery housing 2 and electrically connected to the terminal 8 of the negative electrode of the battery; at least one battery electrode separator 6 located between the positive and negative electrodes inside the battery case 2 to electrically isolate the positive electrode from the negative electrode, but still allowing their chemical interaction; and a battery electrolyte (not shown) surrounding and wetting the positive electrode 5, the negative electrode 4 and the separator 6. The battery case 2 is prismatic in shape and has an optimized ratio of thickness to width to height.

 The term “battery” as used specifically refers to electrochemical cells that include a plurality of positive and negative electrodes separated by separators, sealed in a housing having positive and negative terminals on its outer side, where all corresponding electrodes are connected to their respective terminals.

 This optimized ratio, as described below, allows the battery to have balanced optimum properties compared to prismatic batteries that do not have this optimized ratio. In particular, thickness, width and height are optimized to provide maximum capacity and power output, while eliminating harmful side effects. In addition, this specific housing design allows for unidirectional expansion, which can be easily compensated by applying an external mechanical compression force in this one direction. Applicants have found that the optimal ratio of electrode thickness and width should be between approximately 0.1-0.75, and the optimal ratio of height to width 0.75-2.1. Specific examples of batteries and the ratio of their electrode height to width are given in table. 1.

It should be noted that even within the optimal range of ratios, there are optimal subranges depending on the required battery properties. For example, FIG. 24 to 29 show how different ratios of the height to width of the M series batteries (shown in Table 1) give different optimal values depending on the specific required properties. 24 and 25, which are graphs of capacity in A • hour and power in W, depending on the type of battery, respectively, indicate that for the maximum capacity and power M the cell is the best. However, as can be seen from FIGS. 26 and 27, which are graphs of the normalized capacitance in mA • h / cm ² and power in mW / cm ² depending on the type of battery, respectively, if the capacitance and power are normalized to the area of the electrodes, element M- 40 is the best. Additionally, if the specific power of the batteries is determined, the cell M-40 is also the best, as shown in FIG. 28, which depicts a graph of specific battery power in W / kg versus battery type. Finally, if the specific energy of the batteries is important, the M-20 cell is best, as shown in FIG. 29, which is a graph of the specific energy of the batteries in W • h / kg depending on the type of battery.

 In determining the optimal relationship, applicants noted that if the batteries are too high, there is an increasing tendency for the electrodes to split during expansion and contraction. There are also problems with increased internal electrical resistance of the electrodes and gravimetric segregation of the electrolyte to the bottom of the battery, leaving the upper electrode blocks dry. Both of these latter problems reduce battery capacity and output. If, on the other hand, the electrodes are too short, the capacity and power of the battery are reduced due to reduced inclusions of electrochemically active materials, and the specific energy density of the battery is reduced due to a change in the ratios of the components of its own weight to the electrochemically active components.

 Also, if the batteries are too wide, there is an increased tendency for the electrodes to split during expansion and contraction. There is also a problem with increased internal electrical resistance, which reduces battery capacity and output. But, if the electrodes are too narrow, the capacity and power of the battery decreases due to the reduced inclusion of electrochemically active materials, and the specific energy density of the battery decreases due to changes in the ratios of the components of the dead weight of the battery to the electrochemically active components.

 Finally, if the battery is too thick, there are problems with improper thermal dissipation from the central electrodes, which reduces battery capacity and power. Also, there is an increased overall expansion of the electrode bonding means in the thickness direction, which causes warping and damage to the battery case and creates gaps between the positive and negative electrodes, thereby reducing battery power and capacity. This excessive expansion of the electrode bonding means must be compensated by external mechanical compression. However, when the battery is too thick, an excessive amount of external force is required to compensate for the expansion, and the electrodes crack. On the other hand, if the battery is too thin, fewer electrodes fill the battery, and therefore, the capacity and power of the battery decreases due to reduced incorporation of electrochemically active materials and the specific energy density of the battery decreases due to a change in the ratios of the components of the dead weight of the battery to electrochemically active components.

 In this application, the term "expansion" includes both thermal and electrochemical expansion. Thermal expansion occurs due to the heating of the battery components through the mechanisms described above, and electrochemical expansion occurs due to changes between different lattice structures in the charged and discharged states of the electrochemically active substances of the battery.

The battery case 2 is preferably made of any material that is thermally conductive, mechanically strong and tough and chemically inert to the chemistry of the battery, such as metal. Alternatively, a polymer or composite may be used as a material for the battery case. When choosing such a material, attention should be paid to heat transfer. As described in detail in US patent application 08/238570 of May 5, 1995, the contents of which are incorporated by reference, experiments with plastic cases show that the internal temperature of the metal hydride battery enclosed in the plastic case rises to about 80 ^{° C.} from ambient temperature after cyclic operation from C / 10 to 120% of the capacity, while the temperature of the stainless steel case rises only to 32 ^o C. Thus, the case of a heat-conducting polymer or composite substance is preferred and. Most preferably, the case is made of stainless steel. It is advantageous to electrically isolate the outer surface of the metal casing from the medium by coating it with a non-conductive polymer coating (not shown). An example of one such layer is an insulating polymer layer in the form of a tape made of a polymer, such as a polyester. The mechanical strength and stiffness of the polymer tape are important, as well as the insulating properties. In addition, it is preferably inexpensive, uniform and thin.

 The inside of the battery case 2 must also be electrically isolated from the electrodes of the battery. This can be accomplished by coating an electrically insulating polymer (not shown) on the inner surface of the battery case, or, alternatively, enclosing the battery electrodes and electrolyte in an electrically insulating polymer tank (not shown) that is inert to the chemistry of the battery. This reservoir is then sealed and inserted into the battery case 2.

 In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the battery case includes an upper part 3 of the case to which a battery positive electrode terminal 7 and a battery negative electrode terminal 8 are attached, and a battery case shell 9 in which electrodes 4, 5 are disposed. Figure 3 shows that the upper part 3 of the housing includes openings 13 through which the positive and negative terminals 7, 8 of the battery are in electrical communication with the electrodes 4, 5 of the battery. The diameter of the holes 13 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the terminal 1, 8, but smaller than the outer diameter of the seal 10 used to seal the terminal 7, 8 to the upper part 3 of the housing. The terminals 7, 8 include a sealing flange 11, which helps seal the terminals 1, 8 to the upper part 3 of the housing using the seal 10. The seal 10 is usually an o-ring. The seal 10 includes a groove 12 of the sealing flange into which the sealing flange 11 of the terminal 7, 8 is inserted. This groove 12 helps to obtain a good high-pressure seal between the terminal 7, 8 and the upper part 3 of the housing and keep the seal 10 in place when the terminal 7 , 3 clog the crimp into the upper part 3 of the housing. The seal 10 is preferably made of an elastomeric dielectric hydrogen impermeable substance, such as, for example, polysulfone. The upper part 3 of the housing also includes a casing 14 surrounding each of the holes 13 and protruding outward from the upper part 3 of the housing. The casing 14 has an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the seal 10. The casing 14 is crimped around the seal 10 and the sealing flange 11 of the battery terminal 7, 8 to form an electrically non-conductive high pressure seal between the terminal 7, 8 and the upper part 3 of the housing. A crimped terminal seal provides vibration resistance compared to the prior art threaded seal. The upper part 3 of the casing, the casing 9 of the casing and the ring casing 14 can be made of stainless steel 304L.

 FIG. 4 depicts a portion of a battery according to the present invention, depicting in detail the method by which the terminal 7, 8 of the battery is crimped into the upper part 3 of the housing. From this drawing it can be clearly defined how the casing 14 of the upper part 3 of the housing is a clogged crimp around the seal 10, which, in turn, is sealed around the sealing flange 11 of the battery terminal 7, 8. In this way, a vibration resistant seal is formed.

 The method of attaching the terminal 7, 8 to the upper part 3 of the housing includes plugging the crimp terminal 7, 8 to the upper part 3 of the housing. This crimp crimping method has several advantages over the prior art crimp crimping can be performed quickly on high-speed equipment, resulting in a direct reduction in cost. In addition, this method uses less material than the prior art, which reduces the weight of the terminals, resulting in an indirect cost reduction. The increased surface area of this structure, together with the reduced weight of the substances, also leads to increased thermal dissipation from the terminals. Another advantage of the present invention is that it allows the battery housing and other parts to be made of any malleable material and does not specifically require a laser seal, a special ceramic-metal seal, or any special (and therefore expensive) methods. In addition, the total number of parts is reduced and the need for precision machining of the manufacture of parts is eliminated.

 Battery terminals 7, 8 are typically made of copper or a copper alloy, preferably nickel plated for corrosion resistance. However, any electrically conductive material that is compatible with battery chemistry may be used. It should be noted that the battery terminals 7, 8 described in the context of the present invention have less ring thickness and a larger diameter than those of the prior art. As a result, the terminals of the present invention are very efficient heat dissipators, and thus greatly contribute to the thermal management of the battery.

 Terminals 7, 8 may also include an axially aligned center hole 15. The center hole 15 serves many purposes. One important use is that it serves to reduce the weight of the battery. It can also serve as an opening into which an external electrical connector can be inserted by means of friction. That is, a cylindrical or annular wire battery connector can be inserted, by friction, into the central hole 15 to provide an external electrical connection to the battery. Finally, it can serve as a location for a pressure relief valve to relieve excess pressure from the inside of the battery. The hole 15 can pass partially through the terminal (if it is intended only as a connector socket) or completely through (if it is intended to relieve pressure and serves as a connector socket). When at least one of the terminals 7, 8 includes a high pressure valve to relieve the internal pressure of the battery to atmospheric pressure, the valve can be fixed in an axial hole inside the terminal, see FIG. 5.

Most preferably, the high pressure valve 16 includes: a valve body 17 having a hollow inner region 21 in gas communication with the surrounding atmosphere and the inner region of the battery housing through openings 15, 18 and 23; a pressure relief piston 19 located within the hollow inner region 21, the pressure relief piston 19 being sized to seal the axial hole 18 and having a seal groove 20 on its surface opposite the axial hole 18; an elastomeric dielectric seal (not shown) is located inside the seal groove, the seal groove 20 being shaped to cover all but one of the seal surfaces, thereby leaving the unsealed seal surface unprotected; and a compression spring 22 arranged to cause the pressure relief piston 19 to compress the seal in the seal groove 20 and block the soy hole 18 at terminal 7, 8. For details, see US Pat. No. 5,258,242 of November 2, 1993 "ELECTROCHEMICAL CELL HAVING IMPROVED PRESSURE VENT", the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Again, preferably, the elastomeric dielectric seal is made of a hydrogen-impervious polysulfone substance. It is further preferred that the valve be designed to vent excess internal pressure greater than about 8.436 kg / cm ² to ensure battery integrity, since for shells the pressure is usually the norm at most about 10.545 kg / cm ² .

 In addition to the resealable valve described above, other types of valves according to the present invention may be used in batteries. In particular, destructible discs, high pressure plugs and diaphragm valves can be used. One such membrane valve is described in US Pat. No. 5,171,647, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Also, while it is preferable that the high pressure valve be placed inside the hollow terminal of the battery, the valve can also be effectively placed elsewhere on the top of the battery in its own protective housing or simply attached to an opening in the upper part of the battery case.

 Another alternative embodiment of the battery terminal is shown in FIG. 6, which depicts a terminal 7, 8 into which the external battery connector 24 can be tightly seated by making a frictional connection. The connector 24 is connected to the external terminal 25 of the battery. Conclusion 25 may be of any commonly known type, such as a solid rod; metal tape; single or stranded wire; or braided cable for high battery currents (which is described below). Preferably, the output connector 24 is a hollow ring drum connector, which, by friction, is inserted into the axis-aligned center hole 15 of the battery terminal 7, 8. The output connector 24 is held in the battery terminal 7, 8 by the baffle plate 26 of the drum connector. A solid drum connector is described in US Pat. Nos. 4,657,335 of April 14, 1937 and 4734063 of March 29, 1988, "RADIALLY RESILIENT ELECTRICAL SOCKET", which are incorporated herein by reference.

 If necessary, the embodiments shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 can be combined into one embodiment, which includes both an overpressure valve 16 and an external battery outlet connector 24. In addition, a destructible disc (i.e., a non-reusable sealed overpressure relief means) may be included in place of or in addition to the high pressure valve.

 While crimped plugs and the upper case are a preferred embodiment of the present invention, other types of terminals and, therefore, other types of upper cases can be used. In particular, a screw can be used on a terminal uniting an O-ring seal. In general, any type of known sealed terminal may be used as long as it can withstand the operating pressure of the battery and be resistant to the electrochemical environment of the battery.

 While any battery system can take advantage of the improvements presented in the design of the battery, module, and bag, it is preferred that the positive electrodes are made of nickel hydroxide and the negative electrodes are made of a hydrogen-absorbing alloy. Preferably, the negative electrode material is an ovonic metal hydride alloy (i.e., a disordered multicomponent metal hydride alloy, which is described in US patent application 08/259793 of June 14, 1994, US patent 5407781 of April 18, 1995 (both documents are expressly incorporated herein by reference), and applications and references which depend on them and which are specifically referred to in these documents. It is also preferred that the electrodes are separated by non-woven felt nylon or polypropylene separators, and electrolytes t was an alkaline electrolyte, for example, containing 20-45 wt.% potassium hydroxide. Such separators are described in US Pat. No. 5,330,861, which is incorporated herein by reference.

 Domestic Ni-MH batteries used paste-based metal hydride electrodes to achieve a sufficient degree of gas recombination and protect the base alloy from oxidation and corrosion. Such paste based electrodes typically combine a mixture of the active substance powder with plastic binders and other non-conductive hydrophobic substances. An unnecessary consequence of this method is a significant decrease in the thermal conductivity of the electrode structure compared to the structure according to the present invention, which consists essentially of a 100% conductive active substance pressed onto a conductive substrate.

 In a sealed prismatic Ni-MH battery according to the present invention, an increase in heat released during recharging is avoided using a bundle of metal hydride-based thermally conductive electrode materials. This thermally conductive metal hydride-based electrode substance contains particles of metal hydride in close contact with each other. Oxygen gas generated during recharging recombines to form water and heat on the surface of these particles. In the present invention, this heat is transferred through the material of the heat-conducting negative electrode to the current collector and then to the surface of the housing. The thermal efficiency of a bunch of thermally conductive metal hydride-based electrode material is further improved if this bundle of electrodes is in thermal contact with the battery case, which is also thermally conductive.

 In the present invention, the negative electrode metal hydride material is preferably an agglomerated electrode material, such as that described in US Pat. Nos. 4,765,598; 4,820,481; 4915898, 5507761 and US patent application 08/259793 (which are incorporated herein by reference) made by sintering so that Ni-MH particles are in close thermal contact with each other.

 The positive electrode used in the present invention is made of nickel hydroxide based materials. Positive electrodes can be agglomerated as described in US Pat. No. 5,347,728 (incorporated by reference), as well as pasted into nickel foam or matte of nickel fibers, as described in US Pat. No. 5,348,822 and its extensions (incorporated by reference).

 One aspect of the present invention indicates that in sealed Ni-MH batteries, heat generation is particularly high during recharging, especially in commercially necessary fast charge applications. It is noteworthy that the heat generated during recharging is released due to the recombination of oxygen on the surface of the metal hydride electrode. Therefore, it is possible to use a thermally conductive metal hydride electrode together with a positive paste-based electrode. This preferred embodiment is particularly useful for optimizing specific energy, overall efficiency and battery cost. For a more detailed description of the use of agglomerated electrodes, see US Patent Application 08/238570 "OPTIMIZED CELL PACK FOR LARGE SEALED NICKEL-METAL HYDRIDE BATTERIES" dated May 5, 1994, incorporated herein by reference.

 As shown in FIG. 2, each of the electrodes 4, 5, which form the electrode stack, has electrical connection terminals 27 connected to them. These findings 27 are used to transmit current generated in the battery and flowing to battery terminals 7, 8. Leads 27 are electrically connected to terminals 7, 8, which may include a protrusion 28 for just such a connection. Alternatively, this protrusion 28 can be used to electrically and physically connect the terminals 7, 8 to the collector comb 29 of the electrode lead. As shown in FIG. 7, the comb 29 is typically an electrically conductive rod that includes a plurality of receiving electrode leads of parallel slots 30 that hold the electrode terminals 27 by friction, welding, or brazing with refractory solder. 7 also depicts an opening 31 of a battery terminal connector in a terminal receiving comb 29. The weld / solder flange 28 of the battery terminal is inserted by pressing fit into hole 31, and then it can be brazed or welded into place if necessary or desired.

 Comb 29 provides a vibration-resistant connector for transmitting electrical energy from electrodes 4, 5 to terminals 7, 8. Comb 29 provides greater vibration resistance compared to the previous method of bolting the assembled leads 27 to the flange 28 of the bottom of terminal 7, 8. Known the method of attaching leads 27 to terminal 7, 8 also requires longer leads and a longer housing (a housing having a larger space above the fluid). This increases the total weight and volume of the batteries. The absence of bolts significantly reduces the space above the fluid, leading to an increase in bulk energy density. The comb 29 and the battery terminals 7, 8 are preferably made of copper or a copper alloy, which is more preferably nickel plated for corrosion resistance. However, they can be made from any electrically conductive substance that is compatible with battery chemistry. While the comb receiving the electrode leads is the preferred means of attaching the electrode leads to the battery terminals, other known means such as bolts, screws, welding or reflow soldering can also be used, and therefore, the applicants are not limited to the preferred embodiment.

 The positive and negative electrodes 4, 5 of the battery may be located in the battery housing 2 so that their respective electrical collector leads 27 are located opposite each other in the upper part of the housing. That is, all the electrical collector terminals of the negative electrode are located on one side of the battery, and all the electrical collector terminals of the positive electrode are located on the opposite side of the battery. Preferably, the positive and negative electrodes of the battery have cut out corners (not shown) where the electrical collector leads of electrodes of opposite polarity are located, thereby avoiding a short circuit between the electrodes and removing the unused dead weight of the electrode material. A short circuit can occur when the electrical collector leads of one electrode are twisted or have sharp protrusions that can then pierce the electrode separator and short circuit with an adjacent opposite polarity electrode. The self-weight of the electrode substance is formed due to the introduction of the active substance into the electrodes, which are inactive, since they are not adjacent to the substances of their opposite electrode.

 Although the batteries can have any number of electrodes, depending on their thickness, preferably the battery includes 19 positive electrodes and 20 negative electrodes, alternately located inside the specified housing. That is, the electrodes are alternating, with the negative ones located on the outside, and alternating positive and negative inside the entire package of electrodes. This configuration avoids possible short circuits when the batteries are exposed to an external mechanical compression force. That is, if there are positive and negative electrodes on the outside of the electrode stack, it will be possible for the electrodes to form an electrical short circuit through the metal housing of the battery when the battery is subjected to external mechanical compression.

 While it is necessary to have separators 6 only for electrodes surrounding one set of battery electrodes (i.e., separators around only negative or only positive electrodes), it may be advantageous to include separators 6 surrounding each set of electrodes. Data indicates that the use of dual separators can reduce battery self-discharge. In particular, charge retention increased from about 80% after two days for batteries with a single separator to about 93% after two days for batteries having a double separator. Separators 6 are well known conventional polypropylene separators. They have oriented grains or a grooved structure which is thought to be machined, and it is preferred that the grains or grooves of the polypropylene separator material are oriented along the length of the electrodes. This orientation reduces friction and prevents grains or grooves of one separator from grabbing and sticking with those of an adjacent separator during mechanical compression and / or expansion of the electrodes, since sticking and grabbing can cause the electrodes to crack.

 Another aspect of the present invention includes an improved high power battery module (the term “battery module” or “module” as used herein defines two or more electrically interconnected cells) specifically shown in FIGS. 8-12. To be suitable, the batteries in the module must be tightly packed, portable, and mechanically durable when used. In addition, the substances used in the design of battery modules (except for the batteries themselves) should not excessively increase the module's own weight, or the energy density of the modules will decrease. Also, since the batteries generate a large amount of heat during cyclic operation, the structural substances must be heat-conducting and small enough not to face the problem of heat transfer far from the batteries, or act like a radiator, trapping heat inside the batteries and modules. To meet these and other requirements, the applicants of the present invention have developed an improved high power battery module.

 The battery module 32 according to the present invention includes: a plurality of individual batteries 1; a plurality of electrical interconnects 25 connecting the individual batteries 1 of the module 32 to each other and providing means for electrically interconnecting the individual modules 32 of the battery with each other; and bundle / compression means for the battery module. The batteries are tied together by external mechanical compression (the advantages of which are described below) inside the bundle / compression module means so that they are fixed and do not rotate or displace when exposed to mechanical vibrations during transportation or use.

 While any number of batteries can be connected in a module, 2-15 batteries per “bundle” is typical. Battery modules 32 are typically bundles of prismatic batteries according to the present invention. Preferably, they are connected so that they are all oriented in the same way, with each battery having electrical terminals located on the upper part (see FIGS. 9 and 12). The batteries are oriented in the module so that their narrowest side surfaces face the sides of the module, and their wider sides (those that will deform when the batteries expand) are placed adjacent to other batteries in the module. This arrangement allows expansion in only one direction within the module, which is desirable.

 Batteries 1 bind inside the bundle / compression means of the module under the action of an external mechanical compression force, which is optimized to balance the outward pressure due to expansion of the battery components and provide additional internal compression force to the battery electrodes inside each battery to reduce the distance between positive and negative electrodes, thereby increasing the total battery power.

 As described above, the extension of the prismatic batteries, preferably used in these modules, is designed unidirectional, therefore, compression to offset the expansion is required only in this one direction (see arrow 33 in the compression direction). If there is no bias, this expansion will cause deflection and warping of the external battery case and greater than optimal dividing gaps between the electrodes, thereby reducing battery power. Also, overcompensation for expansion has been found to be somewhat beneficial. That is, to some extent, excessive compression actually increases the output power (reduces the internal resistance) of the connected batteries. However, excessive compression leads to cracking and short circuiting of the electrodes inside the batteries. The mechanism of this increased power during excessive compression is believed to result from the compression of the positive electrode, which reduces resistance by reducing the contact resistance between the particles of the active substance in the electrode and the electrode current collector. Also, squeezing the separator leads to a reduced distance between the plates of the positive and negative electrodes of the battery, which makes shorter the paths of movement of ions between the electrodes, thereby reducing the resistance of the electrolyte between them.

FIG. 17 shows the correlation of module compression and battery resistance. Modules having end plates were compressed using different amounts of battery strength and internal resistance (related to the total output power and charge efficiency), and the thickness of the battery was measured. As can be seen from FIG. 17, there is an optimal compression range for these modules between about 4.921 and 11.951 kg / cm ² (force of about 500-1180 kg per area of about 100 cm ² ) and a functional range between about 3.5 to about 12, 65 kg / cm ² (approximately 363 kg approximately 1270 kg per area of approximately 100 cm ² ). It can be clearly seen that for these specific batteries used in this module, compression above the upper limit and compression below the lower limit of the functional range causes an increase in the internal resistance of the batteries and therefore reduces power. It should be noted that while the optimal and functional compression ranges are different for batteries of different sizes, all the graphs of the resistance to compression for these batteries of different sizes are similar in that there are functional and optimal compression ranges for the corresponding cell efficiency.

 Find a structure / substance configuration that: allows the use of the required compression; performs the required mechanical function of vibration resistance of the module binding / compression means and is as light as possible, it is a huge task. Applicants have discovered that battery modules can be bonded together by high mechanical compression forces using metal rods 34 (preferably stainless steel) that are installed along all four sides of the battery module 32 and welded at the four corners of the module where the rods meet, such forming a belt around the periphery of the battery module. Preferably, the welded metal rods 34 are located in the middle between the top and bottom of the battery module, which are located where the expansion is greatest. Compressing batteries in areas that do not contain an electrode stack is not useful since electrodes are not compressed. In fact, this can be harmful, since it leads to the closure of the electrodes on the metal casing through the internal insulator.

 It should be noted that the thickness and width dimensions along the perimeter of the upper and lower parts of the battery case are less by 0.5-1.0 mm than the total thickness and width dimensions. These reduced dimensions ensure that all compressive force is transmitted only to the electrode plate pack and separators.

 More preferably, the welded metal rods 34 include two or three sets of rods mounted midway between the upper and lower boundaries of the battery module. If three sets of rods are used, then the first set of rods should be halfway between the upper and lower edges of the battery module, the second set of rods is then placed between the first set of rods and the upper boundary of the battery module, and the third set of rods is placed between the first set of rods and the lower the edge of the battery module. This allows for a uniform distribution of compression and strain relief on any one set of rods. This compression distribution also allows the use of the smallest, lightest metal rods, thereby reducing the dead weight of the module.

 Another preferred design utilizes metal end plates 35 at the ends of the module. Stainless steel rods are located along the surfaces of the battery module and are welded at the corners of the module to a rectangular metal tube (45 in FIG. 9), which replaces the end rods and holds the end plates 35 in place. This design allows even better distribution of compressive forces. The end plates 35 are preferably made of aluminum and may include ribs 36 protruding perpendicular to the plane of the end plates 35, thereby providing additional strength to the plates 35 and allowing the use of lighter materials. (One embodiment of the end plates is shown in FIGS. 13a and 13b. Other embodiments are described in US Patent Application 08/238570 of May 5, 1995, incorporated herein by reference.) When the end plates 35 have such ribbing 36, slots need to be provided (Fig. 9) in the ribbing to accommodate a rectangular metal tube 45. The end plates 35 can preferably be thermally insulated or insulated from the batteries connected to the module 32 by a heat insulating substance such as a heat insulating layer of a polymer or polymer foam. This insulation prevents uneven temperature distribution of the battery inside the module, which can be caused by the cooling effect of the ribs 36 of the end plates 35. However, the ribs 36 can provide additional thermal dissipation for the batteries 1 inside the module 32, if necessary, by performing a heat sink from the end plates 35 to the adjacent batteries 1.

 Each of the modules 32 may further include modular gaskets 37 (see FIGS. 11 and 12) that hold the modules 32 away from any other modules 32 and from the battery pack housing. These modular gaskets 37 are located on the top and bottom of the module 32 to protect the corners of the batteries 1 inside the module 32 and the electrical interconnects 25 and terminals 7, 3 of the batteries 1. More importantly, the terminals 38 on the surfaces of the gaskets 37 keep the modules 32 at an optimal distance. Gaskets 37 are preferably made of a lightweight, electrically non-conductive substance, such as a durable polymer. Also, it is important for the total energy density of the bag, so that the pads include as little as possible the total amount of the substance in order to fulfill the function required of them and still remain as light as possible.

 The batteries and modules of the present invention are preferably electrically connected by conductive wires 25 (see FIGS. 8 and 9), which provide a low resistance connection between them. The total resistance, including the resistance of the wire and the contact resistance, should not exceed preferably 0.1 mOhm. The wires are attached to the terminals with a screw or bolt, or preferably a female drum connector 24. The electrical interconnections 25 of the battery module 32 according to the present invention are preferably braided cable connections (see FIG. 14) that provide high heat dissipation and design flexibility / module configuration. That is, the braided cable connections 25 perform two important functions within the battery modules of the present invention (apart from their normal function of transmitting electrical energy outside the batteries). Firstly, the braided cable 25 is flexible, which adapts to the expansion and contraction of the individual batteries 1, which leads to a change in the distance between the terminals 7, 8 of the individual batteries inside the module 32. Secondly, the connection 25 of the braided cable has a significantly larger surface area than solid cable or bus. This is important for the thermal management of the batteries, modules and packages according to the present invention, since the electrical connection is part of the heat path that begins in the interior of the battery, passes through the electrodes 4, 5, through the lead of the electrode 27, through the terminal of the battery 7, 8 and goes to the electrical interconnect 25. Therefore, the higher the surface area of the electrical interconnect 25, the greater the heat dissipation and better thermal management of the batteries 1. The electrical interconnect 25 from the braided cable is preferably pressed from copper or a copper alloy, which is preferably coated with nickel for resistance to corrosion.

 Another aspect of the present invention (shown in FIG. 15) is the mechanical design of a fluid-cooled battery pack system (the terms “pack of batteries” or “pack” are used to refer to two or more electrically connected battery modules). Again, it should be noted that during the cyclic operation of the batteries they emit a large amount of unnecessary heat. This is especially true during battery charging. This excess heat can be harmful and even disastrous for the battery system.

 Some of the negative characteristics encountered when packaged battery systems do not have any or have inadequate thermal management include: significantly lower capacity and power; significantly increased self-discharge; unbalanced temperatures between the batteries and the modules leading to improper battery handling and reduced battery life. Therefore, it is clear that an optimally useful battery pack system requires adequate thermal management.

Some of the factors that need to be considered when thermal management of a batch battery system are: all batteries and modules should be kept colder than 65 ^o C in order to avoid permanent damage to batteries; all batteries and modules should be kept colder than 55 ^° C in order to obtain at least 80% of the nominal battery efficiency; all batteries and modules should be kept colder than 45 ^° C in order to achieve maximum service life, and the temperature difference between individual batteries and battery modules should be kept below 8 ^° C for optimal efficiency. It should be noted that the improvements in the present invention regulate the temperature difference between the batteries within less than about 2 ^o C.

Thermal management of the battery pack system should provide adequate cooling to ensure optimal performance and longevity of Ni-MH batteries in a wide variety of operating modes. Ambient temperatures in the United States are in a wide range, at least from -30 ^o C to 43 ^o C in 49 states of lower latitudes. It is necessary to achieve the working usefulness of the battery packs at this ambient temperature range, while at the same time maintaining the batteries in their optimal efficiency range from about -1 ^o C to 38 ^o C.

Nickel-metal hydride batteries exhibit a deterioration in charge efficiency characteristics at critically high temperatures above 43 ^° C due to problems arising from oxygen evolution on the nickel positive electrode. To avoid these inefficiencies, the temperature of the battery during charging should ideally be kept below 43 ^° C. Nickel-metal hydride batteries also show a deterioration in power performance at temperatures below about -1 ^° C due to the degraded performance of the negative electrode. To avoid low power, the temperature of the battery should be kept above about -1 ^o C during discharge.

As mentioned above, in addition to poor performance at high and low temperatures, harmful effects can occur as a result of temperature differences between the batteries inside the module during charging. Large temperature differences cause imbalances in the battery charge efficiency, which, in turn, can cause imbalances in the state of charge, leading to reduced capacitive characteristics and potentially leading to improper use of significant overcharging and overdischarging. To avoid these problems, the temperature difference between the batteries should be controlled within less than 8 ^{o C.} and preferably less than 5 ^o C.

FIG. 18 shows the relationship between the specific energy of a battery, measured in W • h / kg, and the temperature of a battery for a nickel metal hydride battery according to the present invention. As you can see, the specific energy of the battery begins to fall above about 20 ^o C or so and decreases sharply at temperatures above about 40 ^o C. Fig.19 shows the relationship between the specific power of the battery, measured in W / kg, and the temperature of the battery for Nickel-metal hydride batteries according to the present invention. As can be seen, the specific power of the battery increases with temperature, but evens out above about 40 ^o C.

 Other factors in the design of a fluid-cooled packet battery system include mechanical issues. For example, the packing densities of the battery and module should be as high as possible to save space in the final product. In addition, anything added to the battery pack system to provide thermal management ultimately reduces the overall energy density of the battery system, since this alone does not contribute directly to the electrochemical capacity of the batteries. To meet these and other requirements, applicants have developed a fluid-cooled packaged battery system according to the present invention.

 In its most general form (the embodiment shown in FIG. 15), the present fluid-cooled battery pack system 39 includes: a battery pack housing 40 having at least one refrigerant inlet 41 and at least one outlet 42 for refrigerant; at least one battery module 32 located and installed inside the housing 40 so that the battery module 32 is remote from the walls of the housing and from any other battery modules 32 inside the housing 40 to form channels 43 for refrigerant current along at least one surface coupled batteries, the channel width 43 for the refrigerant current is optimally sized to allow for maximum heat transfer through convective, conductive and radiating heat transfer mechanisms from the batteries to the refrigerant and at least one transport means 44 refrigerant refrigerant, which causes the refrigerant to enter the refrigerant inlet means 41 in the housing 40, flow through the refrigerant flow channels 43 and exit through the refrigerant outlets means 42 from the housing 40. Preferably, and more realistically, the battery pack system 39 includes there are many modules 32 of the battery, usually from 2 to 100 modules, placed in a 2- or 3-dimensional matrix configuration inside the case. The matrix configuration allows for high packing density, while allowing the refrigerant to flow through at least one surface of each of the battery modules 32.

 The housing 40 of the battery pack is preferably made of an electrically insulating substance. More preferably, the housing 40 is made of a lightweight electrically insulating polymer material with a long service life. The substance must be electrically insulated so that there is no short circuit of the batteries and modules if the housing touches them. Also, the substance should be light in order to increase the overall energy density of the packet. In conclusion, the substance must be durable and able to withstand the harsh extreme conditions of use of a battery pack. The battery pack housing 40 includes one or more refrigerant inlets 41 and outlets 42, which may be specialized fluid ports, if necessary, but preferably are simply openings in the battery pack housing 40 through which cooling air enters and exits battery pack.

The fluid-cooled battery pack system 39 is designed to use an electrically insulating refrigerant, which can be either gaseous or liquid. Preferably, the refrigerant is gaseous and, more preferably, the refrigerant is air. When air is used as a refrigerant, the refrigerant transport means 44 is preferably a blower fan, and more preferably a fan that provides an air flow rate of 28317-84951 cm ³ / min of air per cell in the bag.

 Fans do not need to continuously inject cooling air into the battery pack, but can be controlled so as to maintain the temperature of the battery pack at optimum levels. It is necessary to provide fan control to turn the fan on and off, and preferably to control the fan speed to ensure efficient cooling during charging, starting, and inactive states without load. Typically, cooling is most critical during a charge, but also necessary during an aggressive start. The fan speed is controlled based on the temperature difference between the battery pack and the environment, as well as on the basis of the absolute temperature, the latter not to cool the battery when it is already cold, or to provide additional cooling when the battery has a temperature near the upper limit of its ideal temperature range .

 For a nickel-metal hydride battery, fans are also needed during inactive periods after charging. Intermittent cooling is necessary under this condition to ensure efficient cooling and leads to energy saving of the network, while maintaining the self-discharge rate below the power consumed by the fan. A typical result (Fig. 16) shows a fan at a point in time of 2.4 hours after initial cooling after charging. Normally, the normal fan control routine works well in this scenario. Fan control, if necessary, allows the use of powerful fans for efficient cooling without consuming the full power of the fan during the entire operation, thus maintaining high energy efficiency. The use of more powerful fans is useful for maintaining the optimum temperature of the bag, which helps optimize the efficiency and life of the bag.

One example of a fan control procedure ensures that if the maximum temperature of the battery is higher than 30 ^° C and the ambient temperature is lower (preferably 5 ^° C or lower) than the maximum temperature of the battery, then the fans turn on and pump cooler air into the refrigerant channels.

 Another useful fan control algorithm uses variable speed fans depending on some criteria. This criterion includes the maximum battery temperature; ambient temperature current battery usage (i.e. charge, standby charge, high temperature, large depth of discharge (BHG) when powered, stop, etc.); voltage of any auxiliary battery that supplies refrigerant fans: this algorithm is shown in table. 2.

In the algorithm given in table. 2:
Tbatmax - maximum module temperature;
Tamb - ambient temperature;
Delta - Tbatmax-Tamb (negative values are set to zero)
PWM - percentage of the fan pulse width modulation control signal (PWM) (0 = off, 100 = full power);
Vauxbat - voltage of the additional fan battery;
Minspeed - minimum fan speed, 30% PWM when charging, waiting for charge, high temperature, large discharge depth (BGR) at startup; or
0% PWM otherwise; and
Maxspeed - maximum fan speed,
100% PMW when charging or waiting for a charge, or 65% PMW otherwise.

The flow rate and pressure of the cooling fluid must be sufficient to provide sufficient heat capacity and heat transfer to cool the bag. The flow rate of the fluid must be sufficient to provide a steady state heat removal at the maximum expected supported rate of heat generation, in order to lead to an acceptable temperature rise. Typical Ni-MH battery packs with a heat of 5-10 W per cell released during recharging (maximum heat) require 28317-84951 cm ³ / min of air per cell to ensure adequate cooling simply based on the heat capacity of the air and achieve acceptable rise in temperature. A radial type of fan can be used to provide the most efficient airflow for thermal management. This is due to the higher atmospheric pressure generated by these types of fans, as opposed to the pressure generated by axial fans. Typically, a pressure drop of at least 1.27 cm of water is required at the operating point of the fan that is installed in the bag. To obtain this pressure drop at high flow rates, the ability to create a static pressure of 3.8-7.62 cm of water column is usually required by the fan.

 In addition to using fans to cool the battery pack when it is hot, fans can heat the battery pack when it is too cold. That is, if the temperature of the battery pack is lower than its minimum optimum temperature and the ambient temperature is higher than the battery pack, fans can be turned on to pump warmer ambient air into the battery pack. The warmer air then transfers its thermal energy to the battery pack, and heats it at least to the lower limit of the optimum temperature range.

 A means for transporting one or more refrigerants may be located in the refrigerant inlet 41 to supply new refrigerant to the battery pack housing 40 through the refrigerant flow passages 43 and from the refrigerant outlet 42. Alternatively, one or more refrigerant transport means 44 may be installed in the refrigerant outlet 42 to remove heated refrigerant outside the battery pack case 40, causing fresh refrigerant to be drawn into the battery pack case 40 through the refrigerant inlet 41 and flowing through channels 43 for refrigerant current.

 The refrigerant can flow parallel to the longest measurement of the channels 43 for the refrigerant current (i.e., in the direction of the length of the battery modules) or, alternatively, it can flow perpendicular to the longest measurement of the channels 43 for the refrigerant current (i.e., in the direction of the height of the battery module). It should be noted that, since the refrigerant removes waste heat from the batteries when it flows through the cooling channel 43, the refrigerant is heated. Therefore, it is preferable that the fluid flow perpendicular to the longest dimension of the cooling channel 43. This is because when the refrigerant is heated, the temperature difference between the batteries and the refrigerant decreases, and therefore, the cooling rate also decreases. Thus, the total thermal dissipation is reduced. To minimize this effect, the refrigerant flow path should be shorter of the two, that is, run along the height of the batteries.

 While air is the most preferred refrigerant (as it is easily accessible and easy to transport inside and outside the enclosure), other gases and even liquids can be used. In particular, liquid refrigerants such as freon or ethylene glycol can be used, as well as other commercially available fluorocarbon and petroleum carbon based materials. When these other gases or liquids are used as a refrigerant, the refrigerant transporting means 44 may preferably be a pump. When using refrigerants other than air, the refrigerant conveying means may preferably include a refrigerant return line connected to a refrigerant outlet 42, which recirculates the heated refrigerant to a refrigerant reservoir (not shown) from which it is transported to a refrigerant heat exchanger (not shown) to remove heat from it, and finally, re-supply to the pump 44 of the refrigerant for reuse in cooling the package of 39 batteries.

 The optimized channel width for the refrigerant current includes many different factors. Part of these factors includes the number of batteries, their energy density and capacity, the speed of their charge and discharge, direction, speed and volumetric flow rate of the refrigerant, heat capacity of the refrigerant, and others. It has been found that, irrespective of most of these factors, it is important to design cooling channels 43 to inhibit or slow down the volume of the cooling fluid flow as it passes between the modules. Ideally, the delay in the flow mainly takes place due to friction with the cooling surfaces of the element, which leads to a decrease in flow by 5-30% of the flow volume. When the gaps between the modules constitute the main flow restriction in the cooling fluid control system, this causes a uniform and approximately equal volumetric flow rate of the cooling fluid in the gaps between all the modules, resulting in uniform cooling and less impact of other flow restrictions (such as inlets or outlets ), which could otherwise produce an uneven flow between the modules. In addition, the same area of each element is exposed to a cooling fluid at a similar speed and temperature.

 Battery modules are designed to efficiently cool battery cells by maximizing the speed of the coolant in order to achieve a high heat transfer coefficient between the cell surface and the cooling fluid. This is achieved by narrowing the intermodular gap to a value at which the cooling volumetric fluid flow begins to decrease, but the fluid velocity is still increasing. A narrower gap also helps to increase the heat transfer coefficient, since a shorter distance for heat transfer in the cooling fluid increases the temperature gradient from the cell to the fluid.

 The optimum channel width for the refrigerant current depends on the length of the flow path in the flow direction, as well as on the channel area for the refrigerant current in a plane perpendicular to the refrigerant flow. There is a weaker dependence of the optimal gap on the fan characteristics. For air, the width of the channels 43 for the refrigerant current is between approximately 0.3-12 mm, preferably between 1-9 mm and most preferably between 3-8 mm.

 For vertical airflow through a module 17.78 cm high, the optimal achievable average clearance between the modules (channel width 43 for refrigerant current) is approximately 3-4 mm (center line distance 105 mm long).

 For a horizontal air flow flowing across four modules with a length of 40.64 cm in a row with a total distance of 162.56 cm, the optimal achievable average interval of the module (channel width 43 for refrigerant current) is approximately 7-8 mm (center line length 109 mm). A slightly smaller inter-module gap at the far end of this row will result in a higher air flow rate and therefore a higher heat transfer coefficient, thereby compensating for a higher outlet air temperature. A secondary inlet or a series of inlets along part of the horizontal path of the refrigerant flow can also be used as a means of introducing additional refrigerant, thereby creating a heat transfer between the battery cells and the refrigerant more uniform along the entire flow path.

 It should be noted that the term “midline distance” is sometimes used as a synonym for channel width for refrigerant current. The reason for this is that the aforementioned channel widths for the refrigerant current are averages. The reason for this averaging is that the surfaces of the battery modules that form the current channels 43 are not uniformly flat and even, the bundle that ties the modules together, and the surfaces of the batteries themselves cause a change in the actual channel width along their length. Therefore, it is sometimes easier to describe the width in terms of the distance between the centers of the individual modules, that is, the width along the midline, which varies for batteries of various sizes. Therefore, it is usually more convenient to describe the average channel width that applies to battery modules regardless of the actual battery size used.

 20 and 21 are graphs of the relationship between the channel width for the refrigerant current (i.e., the distance along the midline) as a function of the volume flow of the refrigerant, a percentage of the maximum refrigerant speed and a percentage of the maximum heat transfer for the vertical and horizontal refrigerant flow, respectively. The graphs are given for air as a refrigerant and suggest a turbulent flow and a free air restriction of 30%. As you can see, there are clearly optimal intervals, which differ depending on the direction of the refrigerant flow. The most efficient operation is carried out in the range of ± 10% of the optimal heat transfer, however, if necessary, the system can be operated outside this range, increasing the volume flow of the refrigerant.

и ромбами

представляют собой процентную часть от максимальной теплопередачи и процентную часть от максимальной скорости потока хладагента, соответственно, и отсчитываются от правой ординаты.In the drawings, the curves indicated by squares (■) represent the volumetric flow rate of the refrigerant (air) and are counted from the left ordinate, while the curves indicated by triangles

and diamonds

represent a percentage of the maximum heat transfer and a percentage of the maximum flow rate of the refrigerant, respectively, and are counted from the right ordinate.

 To help achieve and maintain the required module distance within the package housing and to provide electrical isolation between the modules, each module includes refrigerant-flow-channel gaskets 37 that hold the modules 32 at an optimum distance from any other modules 32 and from the battery case 40 to form channels 43 for refrigerant current. As described above, the refrigerant-flow-channel gaskets 37 are preferably mounted on the top and bottom of the battery modules 32, providing protection for the corners of the modules 32, the battery terminals 7, 8 and the electrical interconnects 25. More importantly, the terminals on the surfaces of the gaskets 38 keep the modules at an optimal distance from each other from friend. Gaskets 37 are preferably made from a lightweight, electrically non-conductive substance, such as a durable polymer. It is also important for the total energy density of the bag that the pads include as little substance as possible in order to fulfill the desired function and be as light as possible.

 As noted above, Ni-MH batteries work best in a certain temperature range. While the cooling system described above enables the battery pack systems of the present invention to maintain operating temperatures below the upper limit of the optimum temperature range (and sometimes operate above the lower limit of the optimal temperature range if the ambient temperature is higher than that of the battery, and above the lower limit of the optimal temperature range), there are times when the temperature of the battery system will be lower than the lower limit of the optimal temperature range ur Therefore, there is a need to somehow provide variable thermal insulation for some or all of the batteries or modules in a batch battery system.

 In addition to the cooling systems described above, another method for thermally controlling packaged battery systems according to the present invention is to use temperature-dependent charge modes. Temperature-dependent charge modes allow efficient charging under a variety of ambient temperature conditions. One method involves charging the batteries to a continuously updated temperature-dependent voltage limit, which is held until the current drops to a predetermined value, after which a certain input charge is supplied at constant current.

 Another method includes a series of steps with decreasing direct current or constant power to the limit of the temperature-compensated voltage, followed by the supply of a certain charge, carried out at constant current or power.

Another method involves a series of steps of decreasing direct current or constant power, culminating in the maximum measurable rate of temperature rise, followed by the supply of a certain charge carried out with direct current or power. The use of temperature-dependent voltage limits ensures uniform capacitance over a wide temperature range and ensures that charge completion occurs with a minimum rise in temperature. For example, the use of fixed limits of the voltage charge leads to a temperature rise of 8 ^o C in one housing, while the use of temperature-compensated charging leads to a temperature rise of 3 ^o C under similar conditions. The limits of the absolute temperature of the charge (60 ^o C) are required for this battery in order to avoid serious overheating, which can occur in the event of a simultaneous failure of the charger and cooling system. Determining the rate of change of voltage over time (dV / dt) based on a packet or module allows a negative value of dV / dt to serve as a sign of the end of charge. This can prevent overcharging and improve battery performance, and also serve as an additional safety limitation.

 An example of a temperature-dependent charge mode is presented in table. 3.

 FIG. 22 and 23 illustrate how a charging mode with a temperature-compensated voltage limit can reduce temperature rise during charging of packaged battery systems. These drawings depict a graph of the rise in temperature of the battery pack and the voltage of the pack versus time during charge and discharge of the pack.

In FIG. 22 (temperature-compensated voltage limit), the upper curve represents the voltage of the packet, and the lower curve represents the temperature of the packet above ambient. Fig. 22 indicates that at the end of the charge cycle indicated by the peak of the voltage curve, the battery pack only experienced a temperature rise of 3 ^° C above ambient temperature. On the contrary, FIG. 23 indicates a temperature rise of 8 ^{° C.} from the ambient temperature when using the “fixed voltage limit” charging method. Here, the curve shown by the dashed line represents the voltage of the packet, and the curve shown by the solid line represents the temperature of the packet. Therefore, it can be seen that most of the heat generated during the standard charge was removed using a charging mode with a temperature-compensated voltage limit.

 As described above, in addition to having an upper limit on the operating temperature range of the batteries according to the present invention, there is also a lower limit. As also described above, when the ambient temperature is higher than the temperature of the battery, the “cooling system” can be used as a heating system. However, it is much more likely that if the temperature of the battery pack is low, then the ambient temperature will also be low, and probably lower than the temperature of the battery pack. Therefore, there must be moments during the operational use of the packet battery system when it will be beneficial to thermally isolate the batteries from the environment. However, the need for thermal insulation will not be constant and can vary greatly only for a very short time interval. Therefore, the need for thermal insulation will also be variable.

 To adapt this variable need for thermal insulation, applicants have invented a means for providing variable thermal insulation. The new variable thermal insulation can be used on individual batteries, battery modules and also packaged battery systems.

 In its most general form, the tool provides variable thermal insulation for at least the portion of the rechargeable battery system that is most directly affected by the indicated ambient temperature conditions so as to maintain the temperature of the rechargeable battery system in the required operating range under varying environmental conditions.

 To provide this variable thermal insulation, the inventors combined a temperature sensor means, a compressible thermal insulation means and means for compressing a compressible thermal insulation means in response to a temperature detected by the thermal sensor. When the temperature sensor indicates that the ambient temperature is low, thermal insulation is placed in the necessary areas to isolate the exposed areas of the battery, module or battery pack system. When the ambient temperature is higher, the temperature sensor causes the thermal insulation to partially or completely compress so that the insulation factor provided to the battery system by compressible insulation is partially or completely removed.

 Thermal sensors can be electronic sensors that provide information to piston devices that alternately increase or decrease the compressive force on compressible foam or fiber insulation. Alternatively (and more preferably, based on the use of electrical energy and from the point of view of mechanical reliability), the sensor and compression devices can be combined into single mechanical devices that cause a variable compression force on thermal insulation as a direct reaction to ambient thermal conditions. Such a combined sensor / compression device may be made of a bimetallic substance, such as strips used in thermostats. At low ambient temperatures, the bimetallic device will allow the thermal insulation to stretch in place to protect the battery system from cold environmental conditions, but when the temperature of the battery or the environment is elevated, the bimetallic device compresses the insulation to eliminate the insulating effect from the battery system.

 While variable thermal insulation can be used to completely surround an entire battery, module, or battery pack system, this is not always necessary. Variable thermal insulation can be just effective when it only isolates the problem points of the system. For example, in battery modules and packet systems according to the present invention that use ribbed end plates, it may only be necessary to thermally isolate the ends of the modules that are most directly affected by low ambient temperature conditions. These environmental conditions can cause large temperature imbalances between the batteries of the module (s) and, as a result, degrade the efficiency of the module or batch system. By providing variable isolation for the exposed end (s) of the module (s), the temperature difference between the batteries can be reduced or eliminated and the total temperature of the module (s) can be controlled. Finally, it should also be noted that thermal insulation does not have to touch the batteries or modules, but can be located away from the modules and leave a dead air zone near the battery or module, which acts as additional thermal insulation.

 The description presented here in the form of detailed embodiments fully discloses the present invention, and the details presented therein should not be interpreted as limiting the true scope of the invention, which is set forth and defined in the claims.

Claims (25)

 1. A fluid-cooled battery pack system comprising a battery pack housing that includes at least one refrigerant inlet means and at least one refrigerant outlet means, a plurality of battery modules disposed and forming a matrix configuration within the specified housing, the battery module contains many individual batteries connected together, while the specified matrix configuration allows the flow of refrigerant along at least one surface of the specified associated batteries, of each of the battery modules, wherein said battery modules are located in said housing with a gap from the housing and with a gap from other battery modules located in the housing to form channels for refrigerant flow along at least one surface of said associated batteries moreover, the width of these channels for the refrigerant current has optimal dimensions to ensure maximum heat transfer through convective, conductive and radiating heat transfer mechanisms from these refrigerant batteries an agent, and at least one refrigerant conveying means that forces the refrigerant to enter the indicated refrigerant inlet means provided in said enclosure for the refrigerant to flow through said channels and then the refrigerant outlet through said refrigerant outlet means provided in said enclosure .  2. The fluid-cooled packet battery system of claim 1, wherein the matrix configuration allows a flow of refrigerant to flow through at least one surface of the associated batteries of each of the battery modules.  3. The fluid-cooled packet battery system of claim 1, wherein said fluid-cooled packet battery system is configured to use an electrically insulating gaseous or liquid refrigerant.  4. A fluid-cooled packet battery system according to claim 3, wherein said gaseous refrigerant is air and wherein said refrigerant transport means includes an air blower.  5. The fluid-cooled packet battery system of claim 3, wherein said refrigerant transport means includes a pump and wherein said refrigerant transport means also includes a refrigerant return line coupled to said refrigerant exit means, which causes heated refrigerant to recirculate. to the refrigerant reservoir from which it is transported to the refrigerant heat exchanger to extract heat from it and, finally, re-directed to the specified refrigerant pump I repeated use during cooling of the battery pack. 6. The fluid-cooled packet battery system of claim 1, wherein said system maintains a temperature of said battery modules below 45 ^{° C.} and in which said system maintains a temperature difference between the battery modules of less than 8 ^° C.  7. An improved high-power battery module comprising a plurality of individual batteries, a plurality of electrical interconnections that electrically connect the individual batteries of said module to each other and provide means for electrically connecting the individual battery modules to each other, means for coupling / compressing the battery module, said batteries connect inside said bonding / compressing means such that the plurality of batteries are fastened so that they resist movement or rotation when and subjected to mechanical vibrations, or transportation, or use; said batteries are coupled in said means of bonding / compression by external mechanical compression, wherein said external mechanical compression is optimized to balance outward pressure due to expansion of the battery components and provide an additional inward compression force applied to the battery electrodes inside each batteries, to reduce the distance between the positive and negative electrodes, thereby increasing the total battery power.  8. The battery module according to claim 7, in which these battery modules are connected together by a large mechanical compression force using metal rods that are installed along all four sides of the battery module and welded at the four corners of the module, where the rods meet, thereby forming a belt around the periphery of the battery module. 9. The battery module according to claim 7, in which these battery modules are connected under the action of mechanical compression, approximately equal to 3.5-12.65 kg / cm ² .  10. The battery module according to claim 7, in which these battery modules are connected together under strong mechanical compression using metal rods that are located along two sides of the battery module and are welded at the corners of the module to a metal tube that holds the end plates in place, in wherein said end plate includes ribs protruding perpendicular to the plane of said end plates, thereby providing additional strength to said end plates and slots for said a thallic tube, and in which said end plates are thermally isolated from said batteries connected into a module.  11. The battery module according to claim 7, in which each of these battery modules includes modular gaskets that hold the modules at a distance from any other modules and from the housing of the battery pack, in which these modular gaskets are made of electrically non-conductive substance.  12. The battery module of claim 7, wherein said electrical interconnects are braided cable connections that provide high heat dissipation and flexibility in the design / configuration of a module in which said braided cable electrical connections are made of copper, a coated copper alloy nickel copper or nickel plated copper alloy.  13. A mechanically advanced rechargeable battery that includes a housing having a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal, wherein at least one positive electrode is located inside said housing and is electrically connected to said positive electrode terminal, at least one negative electrode is located inside said the housing and is electrically connected to the specified terminal of the negative electrode, at least one separator located between the specified positive and negative electrodes, which provides electrical isolation of these electrodes and which allows chemical interaction of these electrodes, and an electrolyte located in the specified housing, which surrounds and moistens the specified positive electrode, negative electrode and separator, while the battery case is made prismatic in shape and has optimized the ratio of thickness to width and height, which provides maximum battery capacity and output.  14. The mechanically advanced rechargeable battery of claim 13, wherein said housing is made of an upper portion of the housing that includes said battery positive electrode terminal and said battery negative electrode terminal, and a battery case shell in which said electrodes are located, in which the specified upper part of the housing includes an annular casing defining the periphery of at least one hole through the specified upper part and these terminals have a sealing flange x circumference of said crimp terminals sealed in said sealed housing in said annular sealing flange, in which the dielectric elastomeric seal disposed between said sealing flange and said annular housing, wherein said dielectric elastomer seal is made of an impermeable material for hydrogen polysulfone.  15. The mechanically advanced rechargeable battery according to item 13, in which at least one of the terminals includes a high pressure valve to relieve the internal pressure of the battery to atmospheric pressure, while the valve is fixed in an axial hole inside the terminal and includes a valve body having a hollow inner region in gas communication with said ambient atmosphere and the inside of said body through said opening; a pressure relief piston installed inside said hollow inner region, said pressure relief piston is sized to seal said axial hole, and has a sealing groove on a surface opposite said axial hole; an elastomeric dielectric seal installed inside said sealing groove, said sealing groove is configured to cover all but one of the surfaces of said seal, thereby leaving the unreached surface of said seal unprotected; said elastomeric dielectric seal is made of a hydrogen-impervious polysulfone substance and a compression spring positioned so as to cause said pressure relief piston to compress said seal in said sealing groove and block said axial hole in said terminal.  16. The mechanically advanced rechargeable battery according to item 13, which further includes at least one comb, forming an electrical connection between the internal terminals of the electrode and these terminals, in which the specified at least one comb is an electrically conductive rod, having a plurality of parallel slots into which the indicated internal terminals of the electrode are inserted, making a frictional connection, and in which said at least one comb is made of copper, m alloy-stand, nickel plated copper or nickel coated copper alloy.  17. The fluid-cooled packet battery system of claim 13, wherein said separators are made of polypropylene having an oriented grain or groove structure, and in which said separators are mounted so that said oriented grain structure is oriented along a height direction of at least , one positive electrode and said at least one negative electrode.  18. The mechanically advanced rechargeable battery of claim 13, wherein said positive and negative battery electrodes are located in said housing so that their respective electrical collector leads are opposite each other in the upper part of said housing and wherein said positive and negative battery electrodes are have cut out corners where the electrical collector leads of electrodes of opposite polarity are located, thus avoiding a short circuit between the electrodes and and removing the unused material of the electrode itself.  19. The mechanically advanced rechargeable battery according to item 13, in which the inner specified metal prismatic battery housing is electrically isolated from electrodes and electrolyte.  20. The mechanically advanced rechargeable battery of claim 13, wherein said negative electrodes are made of a thermally conductive agglomerated metal hydride material of the electrode and are in thermal contact with the battery case.  21. A rechargeable battery system made of at least one associated rechargeable battery, said rechargeable battery system is exposed to thermal environmental conditions and, to debug deteriorating thermal operating conditions, said system comprises means for providing variable thermal insulation of at least that part of the indicated rechargeable battery system that is most directly affected by the indicated thermal state of the environment in order to maintain the temperature uru rechargeable battery system within its desired operating range for variable environmental conditions.  22. The rechargeable battery system of claim 21, wherein said means for providing variable thermal insulation includes a temperature sensor, compressible thermal insulation means, and means for compressing compressible thermal insulation means in response to a temperature detected by the thermal sensor.  23. The rechargeable battery system of claim 22, wherein said temperature sensors include electronic sensors, said compressible thermal insulation means includes a polymer insulating layer or polymer foam, and said compressible thermal insulation means for compressing include a piston device, which alternately increases or decreases the amount of compression on compressible foam or fiber insulation in response to signals from electronic sensors.  24. The rechargeable battery system according to claim 23, wherein said temperature sensors and said means for compressing compressible thermal insulation means are combined into a single module.  25. The rechargeable battery system according to paragraph 24, in which the specified single module includes a bimetallic substance, such as a strip, which allows the compressible thermal insulation to expand to the place to protect the battery system from low ambient temperatures, and reduce insulation to eliminate the insulating effect of the battery system in warm ambient conditions.

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