US20170352932A1 - Magnetically Controlled Traction Battery Thermal Plate - Google Patents
Magnetically Controlled Traction Battery Thermal Plate Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20170352932A1 US20170352932A1 US15/683,253 US201715683253A US2017352932A1 US 20170352932 A1 US20170352932 A1 US 20170352932A1 US 201715683253 A US201715683253 A US 201715683253A US 2017352932 A1 US2017352932 A1 US 2017352932A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- magnetic
- coolant
- valve assembly
- flow field
- vehicle
- Prior art date
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- Abandoned
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Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- H01M10/00—Secondary cells; Manufacture thereof
- H01M10/60—Heating or cooling; Temperature control
- H01M10/65—Means for temperature control structurally associated with the cells
- H01M10/657—Means for temperature control structurally associated with the cells by electric or electromagnetic means
-
- B60L11/1874—
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60L—PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL; MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
- B60L58/00—Methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells, specially adapted for electric vehicles
- B60L58/10—Methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells, specially adapted for electric vehicles for monitoring or controlling batteries
- B60L58/24—Methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells, specially adapted for electric vehicles for monitoring or controlling batteries for controlling the temperature of batteries
- B60L58/26—Methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells, specially adapted for electric vehicles for monitoring or controlling batteries for controlling the temperature of batteries by cooling
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- H01M10/00—Secondary cells; Manufacture thereof
- H01M10/60—Heating or cooling; Temperature control
- H01M10/61—Types of temperature control
- H01M10/613—Cooling or keeping cold
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- H01M10/00—Secondary cells; Manufacture thereof
- H01M10/60—Heating or cooling; Temperature control
- H01M10/62—Heating or cooling; Temperature control specially adapted for specific applications
- H01M10/625—Vehicles
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- H01M10/00—Secondary cells; Manufacture thereof
- H01M10/60—Heating or cooling; Temperature control
- H01M10/65—Means for temperature control structurally associated with the cells
- H01M10/655—Solid structures for heat exchange or heat conduction
- H01M10/6556—Solid parts with flow channel passages or pipes for heat exchange
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- H01M10/00—Secondary cells; Manufacture thereof
- H01M10/60—Heating or cooling; Temperature control
- H01M10/65—Means for temperature control structurally associated with the cells
- H01M10/656—Means for temperature control structurally associated with the cells characterised by the type of heat-exchange fluid
- H01M10/6567—Liquids
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- H01M10/00—Secondary cells; Manufacture thereof
- H01M10/42—Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells
- H01M10/48—Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte
- H01M10/486—Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte for measuring temperature
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01M—PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- H01M2220/00—Batteries for particular applications
- H01M2220/20—Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E60/00—Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
- Y02E60/10—Energy storage using batteries
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
- Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
- Y02T10/60—Other road transportation technologies with climate change mitigation effect
- Y02T10/70—Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
-
- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
- Y02T90/00—Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
- Y02T90/10—Technologies relating to charging of electric vehicles
- Y02T90/16—Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
Definitions
- This disclosure relates to thermal management systems for high voltage batteries utilized in vehicles.
- Vehicles such as battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles (PHEVs), mild hybrid-electric vehicles (MHEVs), or full hybrid-electric vehicles (FHEVs) contain an energy storage device, such as a high voltage (HV) battery, to act as a propulsion source for the vehicle.
- the HV battery may include components and systems to assist in managing vehicle performance and operations.
- the HV battery may include one or more arrays of battery cells interconnected electrically between battery cell terminals and interconnector busbars.
- the HV battery and surrounding environment may include a thermal management system to assist in managing temperature of the HV battery components, systems, and individual battery cells.
- a vehicle traction battery assembly includes an array of battery cells, a thermal plate, and a magnetic valve assembly.
- the thermal plate is in thermal communication with the array and defines a flow field therein.
- the magnetic valve assembly selectively outputs a magnetic field to tune a viscosity of magnetic coolant within a vicinity of the magnetic field and flowing within the flow field to promote or inhibit the flowing within the flow field.
- the flow field may include first and second channels and the magnetic valve assembly may selectively output the magnetic field to tune the viscosity such that the magnetic coolant flows through the second channel and not the first channel.
- the thermal plate may define a plurality of valve zones.
- a vehicle includes an array of battery cells, a thermal plate, coolant, and an electromagnetic valve assembly.
- the thermal plate is in thermal communication with the array and defines a flow field.
- the coolant is distributed within the flow field and has magnetic particles therein.
- the electromagnetic valve assembly is arranged proximate to and outside of the flow field to selectively output a magnetic field to influence configurations of the particles to alter a flow of the coolant through the flow field.
- the electromagnetic valve assembly may include at least one electromagnet.
- the electromagnetic valve assembly may vary the output of the magnetic field such that the particles gather in a central region of the flow field or at walls defining the flow field.
- the flow field may include a plurality of multi-pass channels and the electromagnetic valve assembly may selectively output the magnetic field to direct the flow of the coolant within some of the multi-pass channels.
- the vehicle may include a controller to, in response to temperature data for the battery cells, control operation of the electromagnetic valve assembly.
- the coolant may be magnetorheological fluid or ferrofluid.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic illustrating a battery electric vehicle.
- FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example of a portion of a traction battery.
- FIG. 3 is a plan view of an example of a thermal plate having coolant within a flow field.
- FIG. 4 is a plan view of the thermal plate from FIG. 3 showing an example of an output of an electromagnetic valve assembly.
- FIG. 5 is a plan view of another example of a thermal plate showing another example of an output of an electromagnetic valve assembly.
- FIG. 6 is a plan view of the thermal plate from FIG. 5 showing another example of an output of an electromagnetic valve assembly.
- FIG. 7 is a plan view of another example of a thermal plate showing another example of an output of an electromagnetic valve assembly.
- FIG. 8 is a plan view of the thermal plate and electromagnetic valve assembly from FIG. 7 showing an example of battery cell locations.
- FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a portion of a traction battery showing examples of a thermal plate, an array of battery cells, and electromagnets of an electromagnetic valve assembly.
- FIG. 1 depicts a schematic of a typical plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle (PHEV).
- a typical plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle 12 may comprise one or more electric machines 14 mechanically connected to a hybrid transmission 16 .
- the electric machines 14 may be capable of operating as a motor or a generator.
- the hybrid transmission 16 is mechanically connected to an engine 18 .
- the hybrid transmission 16 is also mechanically connected to a drive shaft 20 that is mechanically connected to the wheels 22 .
- the electric machines 14 can provide propulsion and deceleration capability when the engine 18 is turned on or off.
- the electric machines 14 also act as generators and can provide fuel economy benefits by recovering energy that would normally be lost as heat in the friction braking system.
- the electric machines 14 may also provide reduced pollutant emissions since the hybrid-electric vehicle 12 may be operated in electric mode or hybrid mode under certain conditions to reduce overall fuel consumption of the vehicle 12 .
- a traction battery or battery pack 24 stores and provides energy that can be used by the electric machines 14 .
- the traction battery 24 typically provides a high voltage DC output from one or more battery cell arrays, sometimes referred to as battery cell stacks, within the traction battery 24 .
- the high voltage DC output may also be converted to a low voltage DC output for applications such as vehicle stop/start.
- the battery cell arrays may include one or more battery cells.
- the traction battery 24 is electrically connected to one or more power electronics modules 26 through one or more contactors (not shown). The one or more contactors isolate the traction battery 24 from other components when opened and connect the traction battery 24 to other components when closed.
- the power electronics module 26 is also electrically connected to the electric machines 14 and provides the ability to bi-directionally transfer electrical energy between the traction battery 24 and the electric machines 14 .
- a typical traction battery 24 may provide a DC voltage while the electric machines 14 may require a three-phase AC voltage to function.
- the power electronics module 26 may convert the DC voltage to a three-phase AC voltage as required by the electric machines 14 .
- the power electronics module 26 may convert the three-phase AC voltage from the electric machines 14 acting as generators to the DC voltage required by the traction battery 24 .
- the description herein is equally applicable to a pure electric vehicle.
- the hybrid transmission 16 may be a gear box connected to an electric machine 14 and the engine 18 may not be present.
- the traction battery 24 may provide energy for other vehicle electrical systems.
- a typical system may include a DC/DC converter module 28 that converts the high voltage DC output of the traction battery 24 to a low voltage DC supply that is compatible with other vehicle loads.
- Other high-voltage loads such as compressors and electric heaters, may be connected directly to the high-voltage without the use of a DC/DC converter module 28 .
- the low-voltage systems are electrically connected to an auxiliary battery 30 (e.g., 12V battery).
- a battery electrical control module (BECM) 33 may be in communication with the traction battery 24 .
- the BECM 33 may act as a controller for the traction battery 24 and may also include an electronic monitoring system that manages temperature and charge state of each of the battery cells.
- the traction battery 24 may have a temperature sensor 31 such as a thermistor or other temperature gauge.
- the temperature sensor 31 may be in communication with the BECM 33 to provide temperature data regarding the traction battery 24 .
- the temperature sensor 31 may also be located on or near the battery cells within the traction battery 24 . It is also contemplated that more than one temperature sensor 31 may be used to monitor temperature of the battery cells.
- the vehicle 12 may be, for example, an electric vehicle such as a PHEV, a FHEV, a MHEV, or a BEV in which the traction battery 24 may be recharged by an external power source 36 .
- the external power source 36 may be a connection to an electrical outlet.
- the external power source 36 may be electrically connected to electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) 38 .
- the EVSE 38 may provide circuitry and controls to regulate and manage the transfer of electrical energy between the power source 36 and the vehicle 12 .
- the external power source 36 may provide DC or AC electric power to the EVSE 38 .
- the EVSE 38 may have a charge connector 40 for plugging into a charge port 34 of the vehicle 12 .
- the charge port 34 may be any type of port configured to transfer power from the EVSE 38 to the vehicle 12 .
- the charge port 34 may be electrically connected to a charger or on-board power conversion module 32 .
- the power conversion module 32 may condition the power supplied from the EVSE 38 to provide the proper voltage and current levels to the traction battery 24 .
- the power conversion module 32 may interface with the EVSE 38 to coordinate the delivery of power to the vehicle 12 .
- the EVSE connector 40 may have pins that mate with corresponding recesses of the charge port 34 .
- the various components discussed may have one or more associated controllers to control and monitor the operation of the components.
- the controllers may communicate via a serial bus (e.g., Controller Area Network (CAN)) or via discrete conductors.
- serial bus e.g., Controller Area Network (CAN)
- CAN Controller Area Network
- the battery cells may include electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy to electrical energy.
- Prismatic cells may include a housing, a positive electrode (cathode) and a negative electrode (anode).
- An electrolyte may allow ions to move between the anode and cathode during discharge, and then return during recharge.
- Terminals may allow current to flow out of the cell for use by the vehicle.
- the terminals of each battery cell When positioned in an array with multiple battery cells, the terminals of each battery cell may be aligned with opposing terminals (positive and negative) adjacent to one another and a busbar may assist in facilitating a series connection between the multiple battery cells.
- the battery cells may also be arranged in parallel such that similar terminals (positive and positive or negative and negative) are adjacent to one another.
- two battery cells may be arranged with positive terminals adjacent to one another, and the next two cells may be arranged with negative terminals adjacent to one another.
- the busbar may contact terminals of all four cells.
- the traction battery 24 may be heated and/or cooled using a liquid thermal management system, an air thermal management system, or other method as known in the art.
- the traction battery 24 may be heated and/or cooled using a liquid thermal management system, an air thermal management system, or other method as known in the art.
- the traction battery 24 may include a battery cell array 88 shown supported by a thermal plate 90 to be heated and/or cooled by a thermal management system.
- the battery cell array 88 may include a plurality of battery cells 92 positioned adjacent to one another and structural components.
- the DC/DC converter module 28 and/or the BECM 33 may also require cooling and/or heating under certain operating conditions.
- a thermal plate 91 may support the DC/DC converter module 28 and BECM 33 and assist in thermal management thereof.
- the DC/DC converter module 28 may generate heat during voltage conversion which may need to be dissipated.
- thermal plates 90 and 91 may be in fluid communication with one another to share a common fluid inlet port and common outlet port.
- the battery cell array 88 may be mounted to the thermal plate 90 such that only one surface, of each of the battery cells 92 , such as a bottom surface, is in contact with the thermal plate 90 .
- the thermal plate 90 and individual battery cells 92 may transfer heat between one another to assist in managing the thermal conditioning of the battery cells 92 within the battery cell array 88 during vehicle operations.
- Uniform thermal fluid distribution and high heat transfer capability are two thermal plate 90 considerations for providing effective thermal management of the battery cells 92 within the battery cell arrays 88 and other surrounding components. Since heat transfers between thermal plate 90 and thermal fluid via conduction and convection, the surface area in a thermal fluid flow field is important for effective heat transfer, both for removing heat and for heating the battery cells 92 at cold temperatures. For example, charging and discharging the battery cells generates heat which may negatively impact performance and life of the battery cell array 88 if not removed.
- the thermal plate 90 may also provide heat to the battery cell array 88 when subjected to cold temperatures.
- the thermal plate 90 may include one or more channels 93 and/or a cavity to distribute thermal fluid through the thermal plate 90 .
- the thermal plate 90 may include an inlet port 94 and an outlet port 96 that may be in communication with the channels 93 for providing and circulating the thermal fluid.
- Positioning of the inlet port 94 and outlet port 96 relative to the battery cell arrays 88 may vary.
- the inlet port 94 and outlet port 96 may be centrally positioned relative to the battery cell arrays 88 .
- the inlet port 94 and outlet port 96 may also be positioned to the side of the battery cell arrays 88 .
- the thermal plate 90 may define a cavity (not shown) in communication with the inlet port 94 and outlet port 96 for providing and circulating the thermal fluid.
- the thermal plate 91 may include an inlet port 95 and an outlet port 97 to deliver and remove thermal fluid.
- a sheet of thermal interface material (not shown) may be applied to the thermal plate 90 and/or 91 below the battery cell array 88 and/or the DC/DC converter module 28 and BECM 33 , respectively.
- the sheet of thermal interface material may enhance heat transfer between the battery cell array 88 and the thermal plate 90 by filling, for example, voids and/or air gaps between the battery cells 92 and the thermal plate 90 .
- the thermal interface material may also provide electrical insulation between the battery cell array 88 and the thermal plate 90 .
- a battery tray 98 may support the thermal plate 90 , the thermal plate 91 , the battery cell array 88 , and other components.
- the battery tray 98 may include one or more recesses to receive thermal plates.
- the battery cell array 88 may be contained within a cover or housing (not shown) to protect and enclose the battery cell array 88 and other surrounding components, such as the DC/DC converter module 28 and the BECM 33 .
- the battery cell array 88 may be positioned at several different locations including below a front seat, below a rear seat, or behind the rear seat of the vehicle, for example. However, it is contemplated the battery cell arrays 88 may be positioned at any suitable location in the vehicle 12 .
- HV battery systems As described above, electrified vehicles utilize HV battery systems.
- the HV battery systems benefit from uniform temperature conditions of the battery cells within the HV battery system.
- Coolant is typically pumped through a closed loop path in liquid cooled HV battery systems.
- the coolant may accumulate heat from the battery cells and other components as the coolant flows through the closed loop path.
- Battery cells of the HV battery system may age differently due to varying temperatures of the battery cells during operation of the electrified vehicle. This varied aging between the battery cells may result in performance degradation of the HV battery system and the electrified vehicle.
- Thermal plates which assist in cooling the battery cells may often include channel configurations to distribute the coolant throughout the thermal plate to manage thermal conditions of the battery cells.
- the thermal plates may be formed in various fashions, but costs to produce the thermal plates may increase due to complexities of the channel configurations.
- FIG. 3 shows an example of a portion of a thermal management system for an HV battery system which may use a magnetic valve assembly to control a flow of coolant having magnetic particles.
- a thermal plate 100 may include a first wall 104 and a second wall 106 .
- An inlet 108 may deliver coolant 109 to a flow field defined by the first wall 104 and the second wall 106 .
- An outlet 110 may remove coolant from the flow field.
- a magnetic valve assembly may assist in controlling coolant flow within the thermal plate 100 .
- the coolant 109 may include magnetic particles 114 that may be magnetically optimizable.
- Magnetorheological (MR) fluid and ferrofluid are two examples of magnetically optimizable liquids which may be used for the coolant 109 .
- a viscosity of the fluid may be tuned to selectively inhibit or promote flow.
- the magnetic field may influence a position or movement of the magnetic particles.
- Various ratios of magnetic particles and fluid are available to provide multiple options for a composition of the coolant 109 .
- a size and type of the magnetic particle are two factors which may influence selection of the composition of the coolant 109 .
- the coolant 109 is shown with the magnetic particles 114 in a normal or random configuration.
- distribution of the magnetic particles 114 is driven by coolant 109 flow
- ferrofluids distribution of the magnetic particles 114 is driven by Brownian motion.
- Magnetic particles in both MR fluids and ferrofluids experience a magnetic force parallel to the line of magnetic flux created by an electromagnet.
- the applied magnetic field is anisotropic, with regions of greater and lesser magnetic flux due to magnetic pole location.
- the magnetic particles 114 may be oriented in specific configurations to promote or inhibit coolant 109 flow by selectively placing single or multiple electromagnets adjacent to the coolant 109 .
- the electromagnets may also be configured to pulse the output of the magnetic field such that the coolant 109 reaches an intermediate condition in which laminar coolant 109 flow is induced to become more turbulent to increase heat transfer properties of the coolant 109 .
- FIG. 4 shows an example in which the magnetic particles 114 are reconfigured due to output of a magnetic field 118 generated by electromagnets 120 .
- the electromagnets 120 may be placed adjacent the flow field of the thermal plate 100 to selectively control flow of the coolant 109 by exerting a force against the magnetic particles 114 .
- the electromagnet 120 is activated to output the magnetic field 118 as represented by directional arrows.
- the magnetic field 118 exerts the force on the magnetic particles 114 such that a positioning of the magnetic particles 114 may be reconfigured.
- the magnetic particles 114 are shown realigned in a substantially liner configuration in comparison with the normal or random configuration shown in FIG. 3 .
- FIG. 1 shows an example in which the magnetic particles 114 are reconfigured due to output of a magnetic field 118 generated by electromagnets 120 .
- the electromagnets 120 may be placed adjacent the flow field of the thermal plate 100 to selectively control flow of the coolant 109 by exerting a force against the magnetic particles 114
- the four electromagnets 120 are shown to create four columns of the magnetic particles 114 being driven toward the wall 104 by the magnetic force of the magnetic field 118 .
- the applied magnetic force in this example is perpendicular to the direction of coolant 109 flow and by causing motion of the magnetic particles 114 into the wall 104 it is possible to increase the local viscosity of the coolant 109 and to increase a contribution of wall shear stress to retard the coolant 109 flow.
- FIG. 5 shows another example in which the magnetic particles 114 are reconfigured due to output of a magnetic field 122 by an electromagnet 124 which may be located below the thermal plate 150 .
- the output of the magnetic field 122 travels from below the thermal plate 150 (as represented by a series of directional Xs) and influences the magnetic particles 114 to reconfigure and collect at the wall 104 and the wall 106 .
- Flow of the coolant 109 may be influenced to travel along a central portion of the flow field defined by the thermal plate 100 .
- FIG. 6 shows another example in which the magnetic particles 114 are reconfigured due to output of magnetic fields 128 by electromagnets 130 and electromagnets 132 .
- the output of the magnetic fields 128 influences the magnetic particles 114 to reconfigure and collect in the central portion of the flow field.
- Flow of the coolant 109 may be influenced to travel along outer portions of the flow field defined by the thermal plate 100 .
- the locations of the electromagnets 130 and the electromagnets 132 in this example create two sub-coolant paths 136 and 138 of the flow field.
- FIGS. 7 and 8 show an example of another thermal plate 150 which may utilize a magnetic valve assembly to control a flow of coolant having magnetic particles therein.
- the thermal plate 150 may include an inlet 154 and an outlet 156 .
- a plurality of battery cells may be supported by the thermal plate 150 and/or in thermal communication therewith.
- a flow field for coolant is included between the inlet 154 and the outlet 156 .
- the thermal plate 150 may include a wall 160 to define the flow field therebetween.
- the thermal plate 150 may define one or more extrusions within the flow field to distribute the coolant throughout the thermal plate 150 .
- Battery cells 164 and 166 are shown spaced apart in one example of a battery cell configuration.
- a magnetic valve assembly may assist in controlling the flow of coolant within the thermal plate 150 .
- the magnetic valve assembly may include one or more electromagnets as shown in FIG. 8 .
- a first valve zone 170 may correspond to a first electromagnet 180 .
- a second valve zone 172 may correspond to a second electromagnet 184 .
- a third valve zone 174 may correspond to a third electromagnet 186 .
- the valve zones are shown with directional arrows to represent an example of a direction of magnetic fields output by the electromagnets.
- a control system may direct operation of the magnetic valve assembly based on operating conditions of the battery cells. For example, a controller (not shown) may direct operation of the first electromagnet 180 , the second electromagnet 184 , and the third electromagnet 186 .
- One or more sensors may be located proximate to or integrated with the battery cells 164 and 166 .
- the one or more sensors may measure temperature conditions of the battery cells.
- the one or more sensors may be in communication with the controller and configured to send one or more signals thereto.
- the one or more sensors may include the measured temperature conditions in the one or more signals sent to the controller.
- the controller may be configured to, in response to receiving the one or more signals from the one or more sensors including the measured temperature of the battery cells, direct one or more of the electromagnets to adjust an output of a magnetic field such that the coolant flow is altered based on the measured temperature of the battery cells.
- the controller may receive a signal from one of the sensors indicating that battery cells proximate the first electromagnet 180 are operating at a temperature above a predetermined threshold.
- the predetermined threshold may be, for example, a battery cell temperature at which the battery cell may decrease in performance.
- the controller may direct the second electromagnet 184 and the third electromagnet 186 to output a magnetic field such that coolant is prohibited or limited from flowing through the second valve zone 172 and the third valve zone 174 .
- coolant may be directed toward the battery cells which are operating at a temperature above the predetermined threshold to assist in cooling the battery cells.
- the controller may receive a signal from one of the sensors indicating that battery cells proximate the second electromagnet 184 are operating at a temperature above the predetermined threshold.
- the controller may direct the first electromagnet 180 and the third electromagnet 186 to output a magnetic field such that coolant is prohibited or limited from flowing through the first valve zone 170 and the third valve zone 174 .
- This magnetic valve assembly configuration provides a capability to control coolant flow within the thermal plate and without utilizing mechanical valves or mechanical components within the thermal plate 150 . It is contemplated that other combinations of magnetic field outputs from the first electromagnet 180 , the second electromagnet 184 , and the third electromagnet 186 may alter a flow of the coolant within the thermal plate 150 . Further, more or fewer electromagnets may be utilized to provide additional coolant flow control options.
- FIG. 9 shows another example of a thermal plate 220 which may utilize a magnetic valve assembly to assist in managing thermal conditions of an array of battery cells 224 .
- the battery cells 224 may be in thermal communication with the thermal plate 220 .
- coolant may enter and exit the thermal plate 220 via a plate inlet 230 and a plate outlet 234 , respectively.
- the thermal plate 220 may define a plurality of multi-pass channels, such as a first multi-pass channel 226 a, a second multi-pass channel 226 b, a third multi-pass channel 226 c, and a fourth multi-pass channel 226 d (collectively referred to as “multi-pass channels 226 ” herein).
- Coolant may flow through the multi-pass channels 226 to assist in managing thermal conditions of the battery cells 224 .
- One or more electromagnets may be arranged with the multi-pass channels 226 to assist in managing coolant flow within the thermal plate 220 .
- a first electromagnet 250 may be arranged with the first multi-pass channel 226 a such that a magnetic field output of the first electromagnet 250 may influence magnetic particles of the coolant flowing toward or within the first multi-pass channel 226 a.
- the influence of the magnetic field may be such that the magnetic particles are reconfigured to prohibit, limit, or alter coolant flow as described above.
- a second electromagnet 252 , a third electromagnet 254 , and a fourth electromagnet 256 may influence magnetic particles of the coolant flowing toward or within the respective second multi-pass channel 226 b, the third multi-pass channel 226 c, and the fourth multi-pass channel 226 d.
- the electromagnets are located above the battery cells 224 .
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- Battery Mounting, Suspending (AREA)
Abstract
A vehicle traction battery assembly including an array of battery cells, a thermal plate, and a magnetic valve assembly. The thermal plate may be thermal communication with the array and define a flow field therein. The magnetic valve assembly may selectively output a magnetic field to tune a viscosity of magnetic coolant within a vicinity of the magnetic field and flowing within the flow field to promote or inhibit the flowing within the flow field. The flow field may include first and second channels and the magnetic valve assembly may further selectively output the magnetic field to tune the viscosity such that the magnetic coolant flows through the second channel and not the first channel.
Description
- This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No. 14/538,388 filed Nov. 11, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. ______, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference herein.
- This disclosure relates to thermal management systems for high voltage batteries utilized in vehicles.
- Vehicles such as battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles (PHEVs), mild hybrid-electric vehicles (MHEVs), or full hybrid-electric vehicles (FHEVs) contain an energy storage device, such as a high voltage (HV) battery, to act as a propulsion source for the vehicle. The HV battery may include components and systems to assist in managing vehicle performance and operations. The HV battery may include one or more arrays of battery cells interconnected electrically between battery cell terminals and interconnector busbars. The HV battery and surrounding environment may include a thermal management system to assist in managing temperature of the HV battery components, systems, and individual battery cells.
- A vehicle traction battery assembly includes an array of battery cells, a thermal plate, and a magnetic valve assembly. The thermal plate is in thermal communication with the array and defines a flow field therein. The magnetic valve assembly selectively outputs a magnetic field to tune a viscosity of magnetic coolant within a vicinity of the magnetic field and flowing within the flow field to promote or inhibit the flowing within the flow field. The flow field may include first and second channels and the magnetic valve assembly may selectively output the magnetic field to tune the viscosity such that the magnetic coolant flows through the second channel and not the first channel. The thermal plate may define a plurality of valve zones. The magnetic valve assembly may include an electromagnet positioned proximate to each of the valve zones and the magnetic valve assembly may operate the electromagnet to selectively control the flowing of magnetic coolant within each of the valve zones. The magnetic valve assembly may selectively output the magnetic field based on a temperature of the battery cells. The magnetic valve assembly may selectively output the magnetic field to promote the flowing within portions of the flow field adjacent to the battery cells having a temperature exceeding a threshold value. The magnetic coolant may be a magnetorheological fluid or ferrofluid.
- A vehicle includes an array of battery cells, a thermal plate, coolant, and an electromagnetic valve assembly. The thermal plate is in thermal communication with the array and defines a flow field. The coolant is distributed within the flow field and has magnetic particles therein. The electromagnetic valve assembly is arranged proximate to and outside of the flow field to selectively output a magnetic field to influence configurations of the particles to alter a flow of the coolant through the flow field. The electromagnetic valve assembly may include at least one electromagnet. The electromagnetic valve assembly may vary the output of the magnetic field such that the particles gather in a central region of the flow field or at walls defining the flow field. The flow field may include a plurality of multi-pass channels and the electromagnetic valve assembly may selectively output the magnetic field to direct the flow of the coolant within some of the multi-pass channels. The vehicle may include a controller to, in response to temperature data for the battery cells, control operation of the electromagnetic valve assembly. The coolant may be magnetorheological fluid or ferrofluid.
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FIG. 1 is a schematic illustrating a battery electric vehicle. -
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example of a portion of a traction battery. -
FIG. 3 is a plan view of an example of a thermal plate having coolant within a flow field. -
FIG. 4 is a plan view of the thermal plate fromFIG. 3 showing an example of an output of an electromagnetic valve assembly. -
FIG. 5 is a plan view of another example of a thermal plate showing another example of an output of an electromagnetic valve assembly. -
FIG. 6 is a plan view of the thermal plate fromFIG. 5 showing another example of an output of an electromagnetic valve assembly. -
FIG. 7 is a plan view of another example of a thermal plate showing another example of an output of an electromagnetic valve assembly. -
FIG. 8 is a plan view of the thermal plate and electromagnetic valve assembly fromFIG. 7 showing an example of battery cell locations. -
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a portion of a traction battery showing examples of a thermal plate, an array of battery cells, and electromagnets of an electromagnetic valve assembly. - Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. It is to be understood, however, that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples and other embodiments can take various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features could be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ embodiments of the present disclosure. As those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, various features illustrated and described with reference to any one of the figures can be combined with features illustrated in one or more other figures to produce embodiments that are not explicitly illustrated or described. The combinations of features illustrated provide representative embodiments for typical applications. Various combinations and modifications of the features consistent with the teachings of this disclosure, however, could be desired for particular applications or implementations.
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FIG. 1 depicts a schematic of a typical plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle (PHEV). A typical plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle 12 may comprise one or moreelectric machines 14 mechanically connected to ahybrid transmission 16. Theelectric machines 14 may be capable of operating as a motor or a generator. In addition, thehybrid transmission 16 is mechanically connected to anengine 18. Thehybrid transmission 16 is also mechanically connected to adrive shaft 20 that is mechanically connected to thewheels 22. Theelectric machines 14 can provide propulsion and deceleration capability when theengine 18 is turned on or off. Theelectric machines 14 also act as generators and can provide fuel economy benefits by recovering energy that would normally be lost as heat in the friction braking system. Theelectric machines 14 may also provide reduced pollutant emissions since the hybrid-electric vehicle 12 may be operated in electric mode or hybrid mode under certain conditions to reduce overall fuel consumption of thevehicle 12. - A traction battery or
battery pack 24 stores and provides energy that can be used by theelectric machines 14. Thetraction battery 24 typically provides a high voltage DC output from one or more battery cell arrays, sometimes referred to as battery cell stacks, within thetraction battery 24. The high voltage DC output may also be converted to a low voltage DC output for applications such as vehicle stop/start. The battery cell arrays may include one or more battery cells. Thetraction battery 24 is electrically connected to one or morepower electronics modules 26 through one or more contactors (not shown). The one or more contactors isolate thetraction battery 24 from other components when opened and connect thetraction battery 24 to other components when closed. Thepower electronics module 26 is also electrically connected to theelectric machines 14 and provides the ability to bi-directionally transfer electrical energy between thetraction battery 24 and theelectric machines 14. For example, atypical traction battery 24 may provide a DC voltage while theelectric machines 14 may require a three-phase AC voltage to function. Thepower electronics module 26 may convert the DC voltage to a three-phase AC voltage as required by theelectric machines 14. In a regenerative mode, thepower electronics module 26 may convert the three-phase AC voltage from theelectric machines 14 acting as generators to the DC voltage required by thetraction battery 24. The description herein is equally applicable to a pure electric vehicle. For a pure electric vehicle, thehybrid transmission 16 may be a gear box connected to anelectric machine 14 and theengine 18 may not be present. - In addition to providing energy for propulsion, the
traction battery 24 may provide energy for other vehicle electrical systems. A typical system may include a DC/DC converter module 28 that converts the high voltage DC output of thetraction battery 24 to a low voltage DC supply that is compatible with other vehicle loads. Other high-voltage loads, such as compressors and electric heaters, may be connected directly to the high-voltage without the use of a DC/DC converter module 28. In a typical vehicle, the low-voltage systems are electrically connected to an auxiliary battery 30 (e.g., 12V battery). - A battery electrical control module (BECM) 33 may be in communication with the
traction battery 24. TheBECM 33 may act as a controller for thetraction battery 24 and may also include an electronic monitoring system that manages temperature and charge state of each of the battery cells. Thetraction battery 24 may have atemperature sensor 31 such as a thermistor or other temperature gauge. Thetemperature sensor 31 may be in communication with theBECM 33 to provide temperature data regarding thetraction battery 24. Thetemperature sensor 31 may also be located on or near the battery cells within thetraction battery 24. It is also contemplated that more than onetemperature sensor 31 may be used to monitor temperature of the battery cells. - The
vehicle 12 may be, for example, an electric vehicle such as a PHEV, a FHEV, a MHEV, or a BEV in which thetraction battery 24 may be recharged by an external power source 36. The external power source 36 may be a connection to an electrical outlet. The external power source 36 may be electrically connected to electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) 38. TheEVSE 38 may provide circuitry and controls to regulate and manage the transfer of electrical energy between the power source 36 and thevehicle 12. The external power source 36 may provide DC or AC electric power to theEVSE 38. TheEVSE 38 may have acharge connector 40 for plugging into acharge port 34 of thevehicle 12. Thecharge port 34 may be any type of port configured to transfer power from theEVSE 38 to thevehicle 12. Thecharge port 34 may be electrically connected to a charger or on-boardpower conversion module 32. Thepower conversion module 32 may condition the power supplied from theEVSE 38 to provide the proper voltage and current levels to thetraction battery 24. Thepower conversion module 32 may interface with theEVSE 38 to coordinate the delivery of power to thevehicle 12. TheEVSE connector 40 may have pins that mate with corresponding recesses of thecharge port 34. - The various components discussed may have one or more associated controllers to control and monitor the operation of the components. The controllers may communicate via a serial bus (e.g., Controller Area Network (CAN)) or via discrete conductors.
- The battery cells, such as a prismatic cell, may include electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy to electrical energy. Prismatic cells may include a housing, a positive electrode (cathode) and a negative electrode (anode). An electrolyte may allow ions to move between the anode and cathode during discharge, and then return during recharge. Terminals may allow current to flow out of the cell for use by the vehicle. When positioned in an array with multiple battery cells, the terminals of each battery cell may be aligned with opposing terminals (positive and negative) adjacent to one another and a busbar may assist in facilitating a series connection between the multiple battery cells. The battery cells may also be arranged in parallel such that similar terminals (positive and positive or negative and negative) are adjacent to one another. For example, two battery cells may be arranged with positive terminals adjacent to one another, and the next two cells may be arranged with negative terminals adjacent to one another. In this example, the busbar may contact terminals of all four cells. The
traction battery 24 may be heated and/or cooled using a liquid thermal management system, an air thermal management system, or other method as known in the art. - The
traction battery 24 may be heated and/or cooled using a liquid thermal management system, an air thermal management system, or other method as known in the art. In one example of a liquid thermal management system and now referring toFIG. 2 , thetraction battery 24 may include abattery cell array 88 shown supported by athermal plate 90 to be heated and/or cooled by a thermal management system. Thebattery cell array 88 may include a plurality ofbattery cells 92 positioned adjacent to one another and structural components. The DC/DC converter module 28 and/or theBECM 33 may also require cooling and/or heating under certain operating conditions. Athermal plate 91 may support the DC/DC converter module 28 andBECM 33 and assist in thermal management thereof. For example, the DC/DC converter module 28 may generate heat during voltage conversion which may need to be dissipated. Alternatively,thermal plates - In one example, the
battery cell array 88 may be mounted to thethermal plate 90 such that only one surface, of each of thebattery cells 92, such as a bottom surface, is in contact with thethermal plate 90. Thethermal plate 90 andindividual battery cells 92 may transfer heat between one another to assist in managing the thermal conditioning of thebattery cells 92 within thebattery cell array 88 during vehicle operations. Uniform thermal fluid distribution and high heat transfer capability are twothermal plate 90 considerations for providing effective thermal management of thebattery cells 92 within thebattery cell arrays 88 and other surrounding components. Since heat transfers betweenthermal plate 90 and thermal fluid via conduction and convection, the surface area in a thermal fluid flow field is important for effective heat transfer, both for removing heat and for heating thebattery cells 92 at cold temperatures. For example, charging and discharging the battery cells generates heat which may negatively impact performance and life of thebattery cell array 88 if not removed. Alternatively, thethermal plate 90 may also provide heat to thebattery cell array 88 when subjected to cold temperatures. - The
thermal plate 90 may include one ormore channels 93 and/or a cavity to distribute thermal fluid through thethermal plate 90. For example, thethermal plate 90 may include aninlet port 94 and anoutlet port 96 that may be in communication with thechannels 93 for providing and circulating the thermal fluid. Positioning of theinlet port 94 andoutlet port 96 relative to thebattery cell arrays 88 may vary. For example and as shown inFIG. 2 , theinlet port 94 andoutlet port 96 may be centrally positioned relative to thebattery cell arrays 88. Theinlet port 94 andoutlet port 96 may also be positioned to the side of thebattery cell arrays 88. Alternatively, thethermal plate 90 may define a cavity (not shown) in communication with theinlet port 94 andoutlet port 96 for providing and circulating the thermal fluid. Thethermal plate 91 may include aninlet port 95 and anoutlet port 97 to deliver and remove thermal fluid. Optionally, a sheet of thermal interface material (not shown) may be applied to thethermal plate 90 and/or 91 below thebattery cell array 88 and/or the DC/DC converter module 28 andBECM 33, respectively. The sheet of thermal interface material may enhance heat transfer between thebattery cell array 88 and thethermal plate 90 by filling, for example, voids and/or air gaps between thebattery cells 92 and thethermal plate 90. The thermal interface material may also provide electrical insulation between thebattery cell array 88 and thethermal plate 90. Abattery tray 98 may support thethermal plate 90, thethermal plate 91, thebattery cell array 88, and other components. Thebattery tray 98 may include one or more recesses to receive thermal plates. - Different battery pack configurations may be available to address individual vehicle variables including packaging constraints and power requirements. The
battery cell array 88 may be contained within a cover or housing (not shown) to protect and enclose thebattery cell array 88 and other surrounding components, such as the DC/DC converter module 28 and theBECM 33. Thebattery cell array 88 may be positioned at several different locations including below a front seat, below a rear seat, or behind the rear seat of the vehicle, for example. However, it is contemplated thebattery cell arrays 88 may be positioned at any suitable location in thevehicle 12. - As described above, electrified vehicles utilize HV battery systems. The HV battery systems benefit from uniform temperature conditions of the battery cells within the HV battery system. Coolant is typically pumped through a closed loop path in liquid cooled HV battery systems. The coolant may accumulate heat from the battery cells and other components as the coolant flows through the closed loop path. Battery cells of the HV battery system may age differently due to varying temperatures of the battery cells during operation of the electrified vehicle. This varied aging between the battery cells may result in performance degradation of the HV battery system and the electrified vehicle. Thermal plates which assist in cooling the battery cells may often include channel configurations to distribute the coolant throughout the thermal plate to manage thermal conditions of the battery cells. The thermal plates may be formed in various fashions, but costs to produce the thermal plates may increase due to complexities of the channel configurations.
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FIG. 3 shows an example of a portion of a thermal management system for an HV battery system which may use a magnetic valve assembly to control a flow of coolant having magnetic particles. Athermal plate 100 may include afirst wall 104 and asecond wall 106. Aninlet 108 may delivercoolant 109 to a flow field defined by thefirst wall 104 and thesecond wall 106. Anoutlet 110 may remove coolant from the flow field. A magnetic valve assembly may assist in controlling coolant flow within thethermal plate 100. For example, thecoolant 109 may includemagnetic particles 114 that may be magnetically optimizable. Magnetorheological (MR) fluid and ferrofluid are two examples of magnetically optimizable liquids which may be used for thecoolant 109. When MR fluid or ferrofluid is exposed to a magnetic field, a viscosity of the fluid may be tuned to selectively inhibit or promote flow. For example, the magnetic field may influence a position or movement of the magnetic particles. Various ratios of magnetic particles and fluid are available to provide multiple options for a composition of thecoolant 109. A size and type of the magnetic particle are two factors which may influence selection of the composition of thecoolant 109. - In
FIG. 3 , thecoolant 109 is shown with themagnetic particles 114 in a normal or random configuration. For example, in the case of MR fluids, distribution of themagnetic particles 114 is driven bycoolant 109 flow, whereas in the case of ferrofluids, distribution of themagnetic particles 114 is driven by Brownian motion. Magnetic particles in both MR fluids and ferrofluids experience a magnetic force parallel to the line of magnetic flux created by an electromagnet. The applied magnetic field is anisotropic, with regions of greater and lesser magnetic flux due to magnetic pole location. Themagnetic particles 114 may be oriented in specific configurations to promote or inhibitcoolant 109 flow by selectively placing single or multiple electromagnets adjacent to thecoolant 109. The electromagnets may also be configured to pulse the output of the magnetic field such that thecoolant 109 reaches an intermediate condition in whichlaminar coolant 109 flow is induced to become more turbulent to increase heat transfer properties of thecoolant 109. -
FIG. 4 shows an example in which themagnetic particles 114 are reconfigured due to output of amagnetic field 118 generated byelectromagnets 120. Theelectromagnets 120 may be placed adjacent the flow field of thethermal plate 100 to selectively control flow of thecoolant 109 by exerting a force against themagnetic particles 114. In this example, theelectromagnet 120 is activated to output themagnetic field 118 as represented by directional arrows. Themagnetic field 118 exerts the force on themagnetic particles 114 such that a positioning of themagnetic particles 114 may be reconfigured. In this example, themagnetic particles 114 are shown realigned in a substantially liner configuration in comparison with the normal or random configuration shown inFIG. 3 . InFIG. 4 , the fourelectromagnets 120 are shown to create four columns of themagnetic particles 114 being driven toward thewall 104 by the magnetic force of themagnetic field 118. The applied magnetic force in this example is perpendicular to the direction ofcoolant 109 flow and by causing motion of themagnetic particles 114 into thewall 104 it is possible to increase the local viscosity of thecoolant 109 and to increase a contribution of wall shear stress to retard thecoolant 109 flow. -
FIG. 5 shows another example in which themagnetic particles 114 are reconfigured due to output of amagnetic field 122 by an electromagnet 124 which may be located below thethermal plate 150. In this example, the output of themagnetic field 122 travels from below the thermal plate 150 (as represented by a series of directional Xs) and influences themagnetic particles 114 to reconfigure and collect at thewall 104 and thewall 106. Flow of thecoolant 109 may be influenced to travel along a central portion of the flow field defined by thethermal plate 100.FIG. 6 shows another example in which themagnetic particles 114 are reconfigured due to output of magnetic fields 128 byelectromagnets 130 andelectromagnets 132. In this example, the output of the magnetic fields 128 influences themagnetic particles 114 to reconfigure and collect in the central portion of the flow field. Flow of thecoolant 109 may be influenced to travel along outer portions of the flow field defined by thethermal plate 100. The locations of theelectromagnets 130 and theelectromagnets 132 in this example create twosub-coolant paths -
FIGS. 7 and 8 show an example of anotherthermal plate 150 which may utilize a magnetic valve assembly to control a flow of coolant having magnetic particles therein. Thethermal plate 150 may include aninlet 154 and anoutlet 156. A plurality of battery cells may be supported by thethermal plate 150 and/or in thermal communication therewith. A flow field for coolant is included between theinlet 154 and theoutlet 156. For example, thethermal plate 150 may include awall 160 to define the flow field therebetween. In other examples, thethermal plate 150 may define one or more extrusions within the flow field to distribute the coolant throughout thethermal plate 150. Battery cells 164 and 166 are shown spaced apart in one example of a battery cell configuration. - A magnetic valve assembly may assist in controlling the flow of coolant within the
thermal plate 150. For example, the magnetic valve assembly may include one or more electromagnets as shown inFIG. 8 . Afirst valve zone 170 may correspond to afirst electromagnet 180. Asecond valve zone 172 may correspond to asecond electromagnet 184. Athird valve zone 174 may correspond to athird electromagnet 186. The valve zones are shown with directional arrows to represent an example of a direction of magnetic fields output by the electromagnets. A control system may direct operation of the magnetic valve assembly based on operating conditions of the battery cells. For example, a controller (not shown) may direct operation of thefirst electromagnet 180, thesecond electromagnet 184, and thethird electromagnet 186. One or more sensors (not shown) may be located proximate to or integrated with the battery cells 164 and 166. The one or more sensors may measure temperature conditions of the battery cells. The one or more sensors may be in communication with the controller and configured to send one or more signals thereto. For example, the one or more sensors may include the measured temperature conditions in the one or more signals sent to the controller. The controller may be configured to, in response to receiving the one or more signals from the one or more sensors including the measured temperature of the battery cells, direct one or more of the electromagnets to adjust an output of a magnetic field such that the coolant flow is altered based on the measured temperature of the battery cells. - For example, the controller may receive a signal from one of the sensors indicating that battery cells proximate the
first electromagnet 180 are operating at a temperature above a predetermined threshold. The predetermined threshold may be, for example, a battery cell temperature at which the battery cell may decrease in performance. The controller may direct thesecond electromagnet 184 and thethird electromagnet 186 to output a magnetic field such that coolant is prohibited or limited from flowing through thesecond valve zone 172 and thethird valve zone 174. As such, coolant may be directed toward the battery cells which are operating at a temperature above the predetermined threshold to assist in cooling the battery cells. In another example, the controller may receive a signal from one of the sensors indicating that battery cells proximate thesecond electromagnet 184 are operating at a temperature above the predetermined threshold. The controller may direct thefirst electromagnet 180 and thethird electromagnet 186 to output a magnetic field such that coolant is prohibited or limited from flowing through thefirst valve zone 170 and thethird valve zone 174. This magnetic valve assembly configuration provides a capability to control coolant flow within the thermal plate and without utilizing mechanical valves or mechanical components within thethermal plate 150. It is contemplated that other combinations of magnetic field outputs from thefirst electromagnet 180, thesecond electromagnet 184, and thethird electromagnet 186 may alter a flow of the coolant within thethermal plate 150. Further, more or fewer electromagnets may be utilized to provide additional coolant flow control options. -
FIG. 9 shows another example of athermal plate 220 which may utilize a magnetic valve assembly to assist in managing thermal conditions of an array ofbattery cells 224. Thebattery cells 224 may be in thermal communication with thethermal plate 220. In this example, coolant may enter and exit thethermal plate 220 via aplate inlet 230 and aplate outlet 234, respectively. Thethermal plate 220 may define a plurality of multi-pass channels, such as a firstmulti-pass channel 226 a, a secondmulti-pass channel 226 b, a thirdmulti-pass channel 226 c, and a fourthmulti-pass channel 226 d (collectively referred to as “multi-pass channels 226” herein). Coolant may flow through the multi-pass channels 226 to assist in managing thermal conditions of thebattery cells 224. One or more electromagnets may be arranged with the multi-pass channels 226 to assist in managing coolant flow within thethermal plate 220. For example, afirst electromagnet 250 may be arranged with the firstmulti-pass channel 226 a such that a magnetic field output of thefirst electromagnet 250 may influence magnetic particles of the coolant flowing toward or within the firstmulti-pass channel 226 a. The influence of the magnetic field may be such that the magnetic particles are reconfigured to prohibit, limit, or alter coolant flow as described above. Similarly, asecond electromagnet 252, athird electromagnet 254, and a fourth electromagnet 256 may influence magnetic particles of the coolant flowing toward or within the respective secondmulti-pass channel 226 b, the thirdmulti-pass channel 226 c, and the fourthmulti-pass channel 226 d. In this example, the electromagnets are located above thebattery cells 224. - While various embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms encompassed by the claims. The words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. As previously described, the features of various embodiments can be combined to form further embodiments of the disclosure that may not be explicitly described or illustrated. While various embodiments could have been described as providing advantages or being preferred over other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more desired characteristics, those of ordinary skill in the art recognize that one or more features or characteristics can be compromised to achieve desired overall system attributes, which depend on the specific application and implementation. These attributes can include, but are not limited to marketability, appearance, consistency, robustness, customer acceptability, reliability, accuracy, etc. As such, embodiments described as less desirable than other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more characteristics are not outside the scope of the disclosure and can be desirable for particular applications.
Claims (12)
1. A vehicle traction battery assembly comprising:
an array of battery cells;
a thermal plate in thermal communication with the array and defining a flow field therein; and
a magnetic valve assembly to selectively output a magnetic field to tune a viscosity of magnetic coolant within a vicinity of the magnetic field and flowing within the flow field to promote or inhibit the flowing within the flow field.
2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the flow field includes first and second channels and wherein the magnetic valve assembly selectively outputs the magnetic field to tune the viscosity such that the magnetic coolant flows through the second channel and not the first channel.
3. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the thermal plate defines a plurality of valve zones, wherein the magnetic valve assembly includes an electromagnet positioned proximate to each of the valve zones, and wherein the magnetic valve assembly operates the electromagnet to selectively control the flowing of magnetic coolant within each of the valve zones.
4. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic valve assembly selectively outputs the magnetic field based on a temperature of the battery cells.
5. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic valve assembly selectively outputs the magnetic field to promote the flowing within portions of the flow field adjacent to the battery cells having a temperature exceeding a threshold value.
6. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic coolant is a magnetorheological fluid or ferrofluid.
7. A vehicle comprising:
an array of battery cells;
a thermal plate in thermal communication with the array and defining a flow field;
coolant distributed within the flow field and having magnetic particles therein; and
an electromagnetic valve assembly arranged proximate to and outside of the flow field to selectively output a magnetic field to influence configurations of the particles to alter a flow of the coolant through the flow field.
8. The vehicle of claim 7 , wherein the electromagnetic valve assembly includes at least one electromagnet.
9. The vehicle of claim 7 , wherein the electromagnetic valve assembly varies the output of the magnetic field such that the particles gather in a central region of the flow field or at walls defining the flow field.
10. The vehicle of claim 7 , wherein the flow field includes a plurality of multi-pass channels and wherein the electromagnetic valve assembly selectively outputs the magnetic field to direct the flow of the coolant within some of the multi-pass channels.
11. The vehicle of claim 7 further comprising a controller configured to, in response to temperature data for the battery cells, control operation of the electromagnetic valve assembly.
12. The vehicle of claim 7 , wherein the coolant is magnetorheological fluid or ferrofluid.
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US15/683,253 US20170352932A1 (en) | 2014-11-11 | 2017-08-22 | Magnetically Controlled Traction Battery Thermal Plate |
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US14/538,388 US9786969B2 (en) | 2014-11-11 | 2014-11-11 | Magnetically controlled traction battery thermal plate |
US15/683,253 US20170352932A1 (en) | 2014-11-11 | 2017-08-22 | Magnetically Controlled Traction Battery Thermal Plate |
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US15/683,253 Abandoned US20170352932A1 (en) | 2014-11-11 | 2017-08-22 | Magnetically Controlled Traction Battery Thermal Plate |
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US20120298433A1 (en) * | 2011-05-25 | 2012-11-29 | Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. | Battery module, battery system, electric vehicle, movable body, power storage device, and power supply device |
US20130143093A1 (en) * | 2011-10-21 | 2013-06-06 | Avl North America Inc. | Battery cooling plate and cooling system |
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CN102781713B (en) | 2010-01-21 | 2015-12-02 | 电子能量发动机系统有限责任公司 | Hydrocarbon fuel electric system row mixed propulsion system |
DE102011100602A1 (en) * | 2011-05-05 | 2012-11-08 | Li-Tec Battery Gmbh | Cooling device and method for cooling an electrochemical energy store |
US8730674B2 (en) | 2011-12-12 | 2014-05-20 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. | Magnetic fluid cooling devices and power electronics assemblies |
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2014
- 2014-11-11 US US14/538,388 patent/US9786969B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2015
- 2015-11-09 DE DE102015119200.4A patent/DE102015119200A1/en active Pending
- 2015-11-11 CN CN201510765451.9A patent/CN105591176B/en active Active
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2017
- 2017-08-22 US US15/683,253 patent/US20170352932A1/en not_active Abandoned
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US20090126922A1 (en) * | 2007-10-29 | 2009-05-21 | Jan Vetrovec | Heat transfer device |
US20120257646A1 (en) * | 2011-04-05 | 2012-10-11 | Microsoft Corporation | Thermal management system |
US20120298433A1 (en) * | 2011-05-25 | 2012-11-29 | Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd. | Battery module, battery system, electric vehicle, movable body, power storage device, and power supply device |
US20130143093A1 (en) * | 2011-10-21 | 2013-06-06 | Avl North America Inc. | Battery cooling plate and cooling system |
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US10868344B2 (en) * | 2016-02-25 | 2020-12-15 | Ford Global Technologies, Llc | Entropy driven thermal and electrical management |
WO2020035701A1 (en) * | 2018-08-16 | 2020-02-20 | Hyperdrive Innovation Limited | Method and apparatus |
WO2024132196A1 (en) * | 2022-12-20 | 2024-06-27 | Mercedes-Benz Group AG | Thermal management system for battery with automatic hot spot detection to deliver variable cooling rate |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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CN105591176B (en) | 2020-04-21 |
US9786969B2 (en) | 2017-10-10 |
CN105591176A (en) | 2016-05-18 |
DE102015119200A1 (en) | 2016-05-12 |
US20160133998A1 (en) | 2016-05-12 |
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