Cooled containment compartments for packaged battery cells

• US 10,374,263 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2017
• Issued: 08/06/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Singer, Noah, Torok, John, Schlak, Robert B., Wei, Xiaojin, Zapotoski, Mitchell
• Primary Examiner(s): Harris, Gary D
• Application Number:
  US15/682,578
• Publication Number:
  US 20190067749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 429407
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4207 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/653 characterised by electrically insulating or thermally conductive materials
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6554 Rods or plates
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6556 Solid parts with flow channel passages or pipes for heat exchange closed pipes H01M10/6552
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6557 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6561 Gases
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6563 with forced flow, e.g. by blowers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6566 Means within the gas flow to guide the flow around one or more cells, e.g. manifolds, baffles or other barriers H01M10/6565 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

An air plenum assembly includes a first plenum for cooling, where the first plenum includes an inlet for air intake located at a first side of the first plenum. The air plenum assembly further includes a second plenum for exhausting heated air, where the second plenum includes an outlet for exhausting air located at a first side of the second plenum. The air plenum assembly further includes a first aperture located on a first side of the first plenum for directing air from the inlet at the first side of the first plenum to a first compartment and includes a first vent located on a first side of the second plenum for exhausting air away from the first compartment towards the outlet at the first side of the second plenum. The first compartment is isolated from surrounding battery compartments by at least two thermal separators.

Claims

1. An apparatus for cooling and containing packaged battery cells, the apparatus comprising:

a first plenum enclosed by a first conduit for cooling, wherein the first plenum includes an inlet for air intake located at a first side of the first plenum;

a second plenum enclosed by a second conduit for exhausting heated air, wherein the second plenum includes an outlet for exhausting air located at a first side of the second plenum opposite to the inlet at the first side of the first plenum, wherein a second side of the first plenum is at least partially coupled lengthwise to a second side of the second plenum;

a first aperture located on a third side of the first plenum for directing air from the inlet at the first side of the first plenum to a first compartment, wherein the first compartment includes a first battery cell;

a first vent located on a third side of the second plenum for exhausting air away from the first compartment towards the outlet at the first side of the second plenum;

a third plenum enclosed by a third conduit for exhaust heated air, wherein the third plenum includes an outlet for exhausting air located at a first side of the third plenum; and

a first vent located on a first side of the third plenum for exhausting air away from the first compartment towards the outlet at the first side of the third plenum.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first compartment comprises:

a first printed circuit board assembly electrically coupled to the first battery cell;

a first thermal separator coupled to the first printed circuit board assembly, wherein the first thermal separator aligns with a first side of the first vent and the first printed circuit board aligns with a second side of the first vent; and

a second thermal separator coupled to the first printed circuit board assembly, wherein the second thermal separator aligns with a third side of the first vent.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first compartment further comprises:

a first side of an enclosure located perpendicular to a first side of the first thermal separator and a first side of the second thermal separator, wherein the first of the first thermal separator and the first side of the second thermal separator create a first seal with the first side of the enclosure; and

a second side of the enclosure located perpendicular to a second side of the first thermal separator and a second side of the second thermal separator, wherein the second of the first thermal separator and the second side of the second thermal separator create a second seal with the second side of the enclosure.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first compartment is formed by the first printed circuit board assembly, the first thermal separator, the second thermal separator, the first side of the enclosure, the second side of the enclosure, the first side of the first plenum, and the first side of the second plenum.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein dimensions and shape of the first aperture are based on cooling requirements of the first compartment.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the cooling requirements include a location of the first aperture on the third side of the first plenum for impinging air onto the first battery cell located in the first compartment.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the cooling requirements include a location of the first aperture on the third side of the first plenum for creating a maximum amount of induced air pressure gradient to exhaust air away from the first battery cell in the first compartment.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein dimension and shape of the first vent are based on exhaust requirements for the first compartment.

9. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the first thermal separator and the second thermal separator is an electrically non-conductive heat resistant material and of a higher melting point relative to the first battery cell.

10. The apparatus of claim 5, further comprising:

a third side of the enclosure, wherein the third side of the enclosure includes an inlet for directing air towards a fan located in the enclosure, wherein the third side is located adjacent to the inlet at the first side of the first plenum; and

a fourth side of the enclosure, wherein the fourth side of the enclosure is located opposite the third side of the enclosure, wherein the fourth side of the enclosure is located adjacent to the outlet at the first side of the second plenum.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the outlet at the first side of the third plenum aligns with the outlet at the first side of the second plenum.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the third plenum is at least partially coupled lengthwise to the first plenum, opposite the second plenum.

13. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a second aperture located on the third side of the first plenum for directing air from the inlet at the first side of the first plenum to a second compartment, wherein the second aperture is adjacent to the first aperture; and

a second vent located on the third side of the second plenum for exhausting air away from the second compartment towards the outlet at the first side of the second plenum, wherein the second vent is adjacent to the first vent.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second compartment comprises:

a second battery cell electrically coupled to the first printed circuit board assembly; and

a third thermal separator coupled to the first printed circuit board assembly, wherein the third thermal separator aligns with a first side of the second vent.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first compartment includes a first side of the second thermal separator and the second compartment includes a second side of the second thermal separator.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first plenum tapers towards a fourth side of the first plenum opposite the first side of the first plenum.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second plenum tapers towards a fourth side of the second plenum opposite the first side the second plenum.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the third plenum tapers towards a fourth side of the third plenum opposite the first side of the third plenum.