BATTERY SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COOLING A BATTERY CELL ASSEMBLY

• US 20140147709A1
• Filed: 11/27/2012
• Published: 05/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Ketkar, Satish, Merriman, Robert, Nielson, Michael, Isayev, Igor
• Granted Patent: US 9,083,066 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/50
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 1/00 Compression machines, plants or systems with non-reversible cycle F25B3/00, F25B5/00, F25B6/00, F25B7/00, F25B9/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2600/111 of condenser fans
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2700/2117 of an evaporator
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6557 arranged between the cells
• 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: Y02B 30/70 Efficient control or regulation technologies, e.g. for control of refrigerant flow, motor or heating
• 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 system having first and second battery cells and a cooling fin disposed between the first and second battery cells is provided. The cooling fin receives heat energy from the first and second battery cells and transitions a two-phase refrigerant into a gaseous refrigerant within an internal flow path. The compressor pumps the gaseous refrigerant into a condenser. The condenser transitions the gaseous refrigerant into the liquid refrigerant by extracting heat energy from the gaseous refrigerant.

Claims

1. A battery system, comprising:

a battery cell assembly having first and second battery cells and a cooling fin disposed between the first and second battery cells;

the cooling fin having an inlet port, an outlet port, and an internal flow path disposed between the inlet port and the outlet port, the cooling fin configured to receive a two-phase refrigerant in the inlet port, the cooling fin further configured to receive heat energy from the first and second battery cells and to transition the two-phase refrigerant into a gaseous refrigerant within the internal flow path utilizing the heat energy;

a compressor fluidly coupled to the outlet port and configured to pump the gaseous refrigerant into a condenser; and

the condenser fluidly coupled to the compressor and configured to receive the gaseous refrigerant from the compressor, the condenser further configured to transition the gaseous refrigerant into a liquid refrigerant by extracting heat energy from the gaseous refrigerant; and

an expansion valve fluidly coupled between the condenser and the inlet port of the cooling fin, the expansion valve configured to receive the liquid refrigerant from the condenser and to decrease a pressure level of the liquid refrigerant to obtain the two-phase refrigerant, the two-phase refrigerant being routed from the expansion valve to the inlet port of the cooling fin.

2. The battery system of claim 1, wherein the cooling fin has a generally rectangular-shaped plate and a tube;

the generally rectangular-shaped plate having a first side and a second side;

the tube coupled to the first side of the generally rectangular-shaped plate and extending on at least first, second, and third peripheral edge portions of the generally rectangular-shaped plate, the tube defining the internal flow path therein.

3. The battery system of claim 2, wherein the generally rectangular-shaped plate is constructed of aluminum and the tube is constructed of aluminum.

4. The battery system of claim 2, wherein the generally rectangular-shaped plate is sized to cover substantially all of a generally rectangular-shaped side surface of the first battery cell.

5. The battery cell assembly of claim 2, wherein the first, second, and third peripheral edge portions of the generally rectangular-shaped aluminum plate define an arcuate-shaped groove configured to receive the tube thereon.

6. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, wherein the tube is configured to transfer at least a portion of the heat energy to the two-phase refrigerant flowing in the tube.

7. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, further comprising first and second rectangular ring-shaped frame members, the cooling fin and the first and second battery cells being disposed between the first and second rectangular ring-shaped frame members.

8. A method for cooling a battery cell assembly, the battery cell assembly having first and second battery cells and a cooling fin disposed between the first and second battery cells, the cooling fin having an inlet port, an outlet port, and an internal flow path disposed between the inlet port and the outlet port, the method comprising:

receiving a two-phase refrigerant in the inlet port of the cooling fin;

receiving heat energy in the cooling fin from the first and second battery cells disposed on opposite sides of the cooling fin and transitioning the two-phase refrigerant into a gaseous refrigerant within the internal flow path of the cooling fin utilizing the heat energy;

routing the gaseous refrigerant from the outlet port to a compressor;

pumping the gaseous refrigerant from the compressor to a condenser utilizing the compressor;

transitioning the gaseous refrigerant received by the condenser into a liquid refrigerant by extracting heat energy from the gaseous refrigerant utilizing the condenser;

pumping the liquid refrigerant from the condenser to an expansion valve and decreasing a pressure level of the liquid refrigerant to obtain the two-phase refrigerant utilizing the expansion valve; and

routing the two-phase refrigerant from the expansion valve to the inlet port of the cooling fin.