BATTERY HEATING SYSTEM AND METHODS OF HEATING

• US 20080292945A1
• Filed: 05/23/2007
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Kumar, Ajith Kuttannair, Butine, John
• Application Number:
  US11/752,635
• Publication Number:
  US 20080292945A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/52
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/39 working at high temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/615 Heating or keeping warm
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6557 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6568 characterised by flow circuits, e.g. loops, located externally to the cells or cell casings
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6571 Resistive heaters arrangements for heating the battery by its resistance to the internal current H01M10/637
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/658 by thermal insulation or shielding
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/663 the system being an air-conditioner or an engine
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/204 Racks, modules or packs for multiple batteries or multiple cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/249 specially adapted for aircraft or vehicles, e.g. cars or trains constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles B60L50/64
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/291 characterised by their shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/293 characterised by the material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/507 comprising an arrangement of two or more busbars within a container structure, e.g. busbar modules
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/42 Grouping of primary cells into batteries H01M6/40 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A battery includes a plurality of insulated cells electrically interconnected to each other and a heat exchanger disposed above the plurality of cells to heat the battery. A system for transferring energy between a waste heat source and the battery and a method for controlling the temperature of the battery are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A battery, comprising:

a plurality of insulated cells electrically interconnected to each other; and

a heat exchanger disposed above the plurality of cells to heat the battery.

2. The battery according to claim 1, wherein a fraction of the energy to raise a temperature of the battery to an operating level is provided from a waste heat source.

3. The battery according to claim 2, wherein the fraction of energy is transferred to the battery through the heat exchanger.

4. The battery according the claim 3, wherein the heat exchanger is a liquid-circulating heat exchanger.

5. The battery according to claim 4, further comprising a plurality of liquid-circulating cooling plates, the plurality of insulated cells being disposed between the plurality of liquid-circulating cooling plates.

6. The battery according to claim 2, further comprising:

an electric heater configured to provide a balance of the energy to raise the temperature of the battery to the operating level; and

an inner casing enclosing the plurality of insulated cells and the heat exchanger, wherein the electric heater is disposed between the inner casing and the plurality of cells.

7. The battery according to claim 2, wherein the waste heat source is selected from the group consisting of water from a radiator of an engine of a vehicle comprising the battery, oil from the engine, heat from a block of the engine, exhaust gas from the engine, dynamic braking from the vehicle, and combinations thereof.

8. A system for transferring energy to or from at least one battery, the system comprising:

a first heat exchanger having first and second inlets in flow communication with corresponding first and second outlets, a first heat source in flow communication with the second inlet and the second outlet of the first heat exchanger;

a second heat exchanger having first and second inlets in flow communication with corresponding first and second outlets, an outlet of a heat exchanger of the at least one battery in flow communication with the first outlets of the first and second heat exchangers, a second heat source in flow communication with the second inlet and the second outlet of the second heat exchanger;

a pump having an inlet in flow communication with an outlet of the heat exchanger of the at least one battery; and

a diverter valve connected to an outlet of the pump, the diverter valve being configured to selectively direct flow from the outlet of the pump to either the first inlet of the first heat exchanger or the first inlet of the second heat exchanger.

9. The system according to claim 8, the at least one battery, comprising:

a plurality of insulated cells electrically interconnected to each other, wherein the heat exchanger is disposed above the plurality of cells to heat the at least one battery.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the diverter valve directs flow to the first inlet of the second heat exchanger, and energy from the second heat source is transferred to the at least one battery through the second heat exchanger to heat the at least one battery through the heat exchanger thereof.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the diverter valve directs flow to the first inlet of the first heat exchanger, and energy from the at least one battery is transferred to the first heat source through the first heat exchanger to cool the at least one battery through the heat exchanger thereof.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the diverter valve directs flow to the first inlet of the first heat exchanger, and energy from the first heat source is transferred to the at least one battery through the first heat exchanger to heat the at least one battery through the heat exchanger thereof.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein the second heat source comprises an exhaust gas from a vehicle that includes the at least one battery.

14. The system according to claim 8, wherein the second heat source comprises an electric heater powered by dynamic braking of a vehicle that includes the at least one battery.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the first heat source is selected from the group consisting of water from a radiator of an engine of a vehicle that includes the at least one battery, oil from the engine, heat from a block of the engine, and combinations thereof and the second heat source is selected from the group consisting of exhaust gas from the engine, dynamic braking from the vehicle, and combinations thereof.

16. The system according to claim 10, wherein the second heat source is selected from the group consisting of exhaust gas from the engine, dynamic braking from the vehicle, and combinations thereof.

17. The system according to claim 11, wherein the first heat source is selected from the group consisting of water from a radiator of an engine of a vehicle that includes the at least one battery, oil from the engine, heat from a block of the engine, and combinations thereof.

18. The system according to claim 11, wherein the heat exchanger comprises a plurality of liquid-circulating cooling plates within the battery.

19. The system according to claim 15, wherein a fraction of the energy to raise a temperature of the battery to an operating level is provided from the first heat source or the second heat source and a balance of the energy is provided by an electric heater within the battery.

20. A battery, comprising:

a plurality of cooling plates;

a plurality of cells disposed between the plurality of cooling plates;

a button sheet having a plurality of buttons to support the plurality of cells;

a plurality of insulating sheets disposed between the plurality of cells;

a plurality of bus bars, the plurality of cells being electrically interconnected by the plurality of bus bars; and

means for heating the battery.

21. A method for controlling the temperature of a battery, the method comprising:

transferring heat to the battery from a first heat source so that the temperature of the battery increases from an initial temperature to a first threshold value, the first threshold value being lower than an operating temperature range; and

transferring heat to the battery from a second heat source until the temperature of the battery is within the operating temperature range.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising:

transferring heat from the battery to the first heat source when the temperature of the battery is above the operating temperature range.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the first heat source is selected from the group consisting of water from a radiator of an engine of a vehicle that includes the battery, oil from the engine, heat from a block of the engine, exhaust gas from the engine, dynamic braking from the vehicle, and combinations thereof.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the second heat source comprises an electric heater.

25. The method according to claim 21, wherein the transferring heat to the battery from the first heat source comprises flowing a liquid through a liquid-circulating heat exchanger within the battery.

26. The method according to claim 22, wherein the transferring heat from the battery to the first heat source when the temperature of the battery is above the operating temperature range comprises flowing a liquid through a plurality of liquid-circulating cooling plates within the battery.