Coolable Battery System, Method for Cooling a Battery and Automobile Comprising a Coolable Battery System

• US 20130255918A1
• Filed: 07/25/2011
• Published: 10/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vitesco Technologies GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Wetzel, Guido, Murla, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 9,865,886 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 165/104.11
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• 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 10/6567 Liquids
• 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 10/663 the system being an air-conditioner or an engine
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/5038 Heating or cooling of cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery includes at least one integrated first heat exchanger element that forms an integral part of the battery and is formed in one piece with the battery. The heat exchanger element can end flush with the surface of the battery, but it can also protrude from or be recessed into the surface of the battery. A coolable battery system includes at least one such battery and a second heat exchanger element for each battery that can be reversibly brought into thermal operative contact with the first heat exchanger element. A method for cooling such a battery in the coolable battery system, in which the first heat exchanger element of the at least one battery is brought in thermal operative connection with the second heat exchanger element, includes maintaining the second heat exchanger element at a lower temperature level than the first heat exchanger element.

Claims

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. A battery, comprising:

at least one integrated heat exchanger element configured for dissipating thermal energy from the battery;

said heat exchanger element forming at least a portion of a surface of the battery.

16. The battery according to claim 15, further comprising an integrated coolant circuit configured to enable thermal energy to be exchanged between the battery and said heat exchanger element.

17. The battery according to claim 16, wherein said coolant circuit comprises a pump integrated in the battery or disposed as a separate external component for causing a coolant contained in said coolant circuit to circulate.

18. The battery according to claim 15, wherein said heat exchanger element has a structured surface.

19. The battery according to claim 15, wherein said heat exchanger element consists of a material having a thermal conductivity λ

of at least 50 W/(m·

K).

20. The battery according to claim 19, wherein said material of said heat exchanger element is selected from the group consisting of iron, steel, copper, silver, gold, brass, and metallic materials.

21. A coolable battery system, comprising:

at least one battery according to claim 15, wherein said heat exchanger element (3.1) is a first heat exchanger element;

a second heat exchanger element for each of said at least one battery, said second heat exchanger element being disposed to be reversibly brought into thermal operative connection with said first heat exchanger element.

22. The battery system according to claim 21, wherein said second heat exchanger element consists of a material having a thermal conductivity λ

of at least 50 W/(m·

K).

23. The battery system according to claim 22, wherein said material of said second heat exchanger element is selected from the group consisting of iron, steel, copper, silver, gold, brass, and metallic materials.

26. The battery system according to claim 21, wherein said second heat exchanger element is integrated in a device having a connection possibility for supplying electrical energy to a pump of a cooling circuit of said first heat exchanger element.

27. A method of cooling a battery, the method comprising:

providing a coolable battery system according to claim 21;

bringing the first heat exchanger element of the at least one battery into thermal contact with the second heat exchanger element; and

maintaining the second heat exchanger element at a lower temperature level than a temperature level of the first heat exchanger element.

28. The method according to claim 27, which comprises providing a cooling circuit and supplying heat energy transferred from the first heat exchanger element to the second heat exchanger element via the second cooling circuit to at least one device for dissipating thermal energy to the environment and dissipating the thermal energy to the environment.

29. An automobile, comprising a coolable battery system according to claim 21.

30. The automobile according to claim 29, wherein said device for dissipating thermal energy is the vehicle coolant circuit of the automobile.

24. The battery system according to clam 21, which further comprises a coolant circuit and said second heat exchanger element is in operative thermal contact with said coolant circuit.

25. The battery system according to claim 24, wherein said coolant circuit includes at least one device for dissipating thermal energy to the environment.