Heated/cooled battery

• US 5,356,735 A
• Filed: 05/10/1993
• Issued: 10/18/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Meadows, Clarence A., Bish, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): KALAFUT, STEPHEN J
• Application Number:
  US08/058,187
• Time in Patent Office: 526 Days
• Field of Search: 429/120, 429/148
• US Class Current: 429/120
• 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 10/647 Prismatic or flat cells, e.g. pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6555 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6567 Liquids
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/112 Monobloc comprising multiple compartments
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A temperature controllable electric storage battery having monobloc construction and including thin, planar, heat exchangers placed throughout the battery between the electrode plates thereof. Preferably, the heat exchangers will comprise the intercell partitions of the battery container and the liquid passages therein will have an elongated cross section in a direction transverse the passage so as to provide a wide passage having the majority of the surface defining the passage lying in planes substantially parallel to the external face of the heat exchangers.

Claims

1. In a multicell, electric storage battery comprising a monobloc container having bottom, end and side walls defining a plurality of cell compartments, a cover for said container, a plurality of galvanic cell elements each housed in a separate cell compartment within said container, and an electrically nonconductive intercell partition engaging said side and bottom walls for separating one said cell compartment from the next, the improvement wherein said partition comprises first and second external faces on opposite sides thereof each of said faces confronting a one of said elements in an adjacent cell compartment, at least one liquid flow passage formed in said partition interjacent said faces, inlet means at one end of said passage for supplying liquid to said passage, outlet means at the other end of said passage for exhausting said liquid from said passage, and conduit means connected to said inlet and said outlet means for respectfully supplying and removing said liquid from said passage, whereby liquids can be circulated through said passages to add heat to or extract heat from within the innards of said battery directly through said faces.

2. A battery according to claim 1 wherein, said passage has an elongated cross section in a direction transverse said passage so as to provide a wide passage having the majority of the surface defining the passage lying in planes substantially parallel to said external faces.

3. A battery according to claim 1 wherein said conduit means connects the outlet means of one passage to the inlet means of another passage in the next adjacent partition in said container for flowing said liquid through said passages in series.

4. A battery according to claim 1 wherein said conduit means comprises an inlet manifold connected to a plurality of said inlet means and an exhaust manifold connected to a plurality of said outlet means for flowing said liquid through said passages in parallel.

5. A battery according to claim 1 wherein said inlet and outlet means lie on an edge of said partition.

6. A battery according to claim 5 wherein said manifolds reside in said cover and sealingly mate with said inlet and outlet means at the upper edge of said partition.

7. A battery according to claim 1 wherein said conduit means comprises discrete pieces of tubing connecting said inlet and outlet means.

8. A battery according to claim 1 wherein said partition comprises a pair of plates bonded together.

9. A battery according to claim 8 wherein each of said plates defines one half of said passage.

10. A battery according to claim 9 wherein said one half is molded into one surface of said plate opposite a said face.

11. In a multicell, gas-recombinant, electric storage battery comprising a container, a plurality of galvanic cell elements each housed in a separate cell compartment of said container and comprising a plurality of opposite polarity plates alternately interspersed one with the other and spaced one from the other by an electrolyte-immobilizing mat, and an electrically nonconductive intercell partition separating one said cell compartment from the next, the improvement comprising a thin, substantially planar, liquid-cooled, heat exchanger disposed within each said cell compartment and lying in a plane substantially parallel to said partition, said heat exchanger having at least one external face confronting at least one said plate in said element in said compartment, at least one coolant flow passage disposed within said heat exchanger subjacent said face, inlet means at one end of said passage for supplying coolant to said passage, outlet means at the other end of said passage for exhausting said coolant from said passage, and conduit means connected to said inlet and said outlet means for supplying coolant to and removing coolant from said passages.

12. A battery according to claim 11 wherein, said passage has an elongated cross section in a direction transverse said passage so as to provide a wide passage having the majority of the surface defining the passage lying in planes substantially parallel to said external face.

13. A battery according to claim 12 wherein said heat exchanger is disposed within a said element, comprises first and second external faces on opposite sides thereof confronting adjacent plates of said element, and has said cooling passage interjacent said faces.