VEHICLE BATTERY TEMPERATURE CONTROL SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20120003516A1
• Filed: 06/30/2010
• Published: 01/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Technical Center North America Incorporated (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Eisenhour, Ronald S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,574,734 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/62
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/617 for achieving uniformity or desired distribution of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• 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 10/6569 Fluids undergoing a liquid-gas phase change or transition, e.g. evaporation or condensation heat pipes H01M10/6552
• 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 10/663 the system being an air-conditioner or an engine
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A vehicle battery temperature control system includes a battery, a heating device, a housing, a heat exchanger and a sensor. The battery has a heat sink that transfers thermal energy to the battery. The heating device is selectively operable to provide thermal energy. The housing includes a chamber that contains the battery and a saturated liquid coolant that substantially immerses the heat sink, and the coolant receives the thermal energy from the heating device to cause a phase change of the coolant from liquid to vapor to heat the heat sink which heats the battery. The heat exchanger removes thermal energy from the vapor to change the vapor to liquid and returns the liquid to the chamber. The sensor detects a characteristic of the vapor and signals operation of the heating device to provide the thermal energy based on a relationship between the characteristic and a threshold.

Claims

1. A vehicle battery temperature control system comprising:

a battery having a heat sink configured to transfer thermal energy to the battery;

a heating device selectively operable to provide thermal energy,

a housing having a chamber formed therein that is configured to receive the battery and contain a saturated liquid coolant that substantially immerses the heat sink so that the coolant receives the thermal energy from the heating device to cause a phase change of the coolant from a liquid phase to a vapor phase to heat the heat sink to enable the heat sink to heat the battery;

a heat exchanger configured to receive vapor phase coolant from the chamber and remove thermal energy from the vapor phase coolant to change the coolant from the vapor phase to the liquid phase, and being further configured to return the liquid phase coolant to the chamber; and

a sensor operable to detect a characteristic of the vapor phase coolant and to signal operation of the heating device to provide the thermal energy based on a relationship between the characteristic of the vapor phase coolant and a threshold.

2. The vehicle battery temperature control system according to claim 1, wherein

the heating device includes a resistive heater.

3. The vehicle battery temperature control system according to claim 1, wherein

the heating device includes a second heat exchanger.

4. The vehicle battery temperature control system according to claim 3, wherein

the heating device further comprises a thermoelectric device configured to transfer thermal energy to the coolant.

5. The vehicle battery temperature control system according to claim 3, wherein

wherein second heat exchanger is configured to receive heated liquid from a heat source.

6. The vehicle battery temperature control system according to claim 5, further comprising

a valve that is configured to operate when the characteristic of the vapor phase coolant is above the threshold to provide the heated liquid to the second heat exchanger.

7. The vehicle battery temperature control system according to claim 6, further comprising

a controller configured to control the valve to operate to provide the heated liquid to the second heat exchanger when the characteristic of the coolant is below the threshold.

8. The vehicle battery temperature control system according to claim 1, further comprising

a fan that is configured to operate when the sensor detects that the characteristic of the vapor phase coolant is above the threshold to increase the removal of thermal energy from the vapor phase coolant by the heat exchanger.

9. The vehicle battery temperature control system according to claim 1, wherein

the sensor includes a temperature sensor operable to sense a temperature of the coolant as the characteristic.

10. The vehicle battery temperature control system according to claim 1, wherein

the sensor includes a pressure sensor operable to sense a pressure in the chamber as the characteristic.

11. The vehicle battery temperature control system according to claim 1, wherein

the heat exchanger includes a condenser that is positioned substantially above a level of the liquid coolant in the chamber, with the condenser being fluidly coupled to receive the vapor phase coolant, the condenser being operable to remove heat from the vapor phase coolant to create the liquid phase coolant, and being fluidly coupled to return the liquid phase coolant to the chamber.

12. The vehicle battery temperature control system according to claim 1, further comprising

an insulation member configured to substantially enclose the housing.

13. The vehicle battery temperature control system according to claim 1, wherein

the chamber is configured such that the saturated liquid coolant in the chamber completely immerses the heat sink.

14. The vehicle battery temperature control system according to claim 1, wherein

the saturated liquid coolant includes one of 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane and 2,3,3,3-Tetrafluoroprop-1-ene.

15. A vehicle battery temperature control method comprising:

operating a heat exchanger to receive vapor phase coolant from a chamber that is formed in a housing and configured to contain a battery having a heat sink and a saturated liquid coolant that substantially immerses the heat sink, the operating of the heat exchanger removes thermal energy from the vapor phase coolant to change the coolant from the vapor phase to liquid phase and returns liquid phase coolant to the chamber;

detecting a characteristic of the vapor phase coolant; and

operating a heating device to provide thermal energy based on a relationship between the characteristic of the vapor phase coolant and a threshold, so that the coolant receives the thermal energy from the heating device to cause a phase change of the coolant from the liquid phase to the vapor phase to heat the heat sink which transfers thermal energy to the battery.

16. The vehicle battery temperature control method according to claim 15, wherein

the operating of the heating device includes operating a resistive heater.

17. The vehicle battery temperature control method according to claim 15, wherein

the operating of the heating device includes operating a second heat exchanger to receive heated liquid from a heat source.

18. The vehicle battery temperature control method according to claim 15, further comprising

operating a fan when the characteristic of the vapor phase coolant is above the threshold to increase the removal of thermal energy from the vapor phase coolant during the operation of the heat exchanger.

19. The vehicle battery temperature control method according to claim 15, wherein

the detecting includes detecting a temperature of the coolant as the characteristic.

20. The vehicle battery temperature control method according to claim 15, wherein

the detecting includes detecting a pressure in the chamber as the characteristic.