Environmental control system for use with a battery cabinet and method of operating a fan therein

• US 6,936,372 B1
• Filed: 08/15/2002
• Issued: 08/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acleap Power Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Tyco Electronics Power Systems Incorporated (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Patel, Jayesh R., Ng, Patrick K., Jagota, Anurag
• Primary Examiner(s): Ryan, Patrick Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Parsons, Thomas H.
• Application Number:
  US10/219,713
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: 429/50, 429/62, 429/120
• US Class Current: 429/50
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/627 Stationary installations, e.g. power plant buffering or backup power supplies
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/633 characterised by algorithms, flow charts, software details or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6563 with forced flow, e.g. by blowers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/209 adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells H01M50/216 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

The present invention is directed to an environmental control system for use with a battery cabinet having at least one battery and a fan employable to circulate air through the battery cabinet, and method of operating the fan to circulate air through the battery cabinet. In one embodiment, the environmental control system includes a voltage sensor that monitors a voltage associated with the battery, and a battery temperature sensor that monitors a temperature of the battery. The environmental control system also includes a fan control subsystem, coupled to the voltage and battery temperature sensors, that activates the fan upon an occurrence of one of: the temperature of the battery exceeding a predetermined temperature, and the voltage associated with the battery exceeding a predetermined voltage.

Claims

1. For use with a battery cabinet having a plurality of batteries and a fan employable to circulate air through said battery cabinet, an environmental control system, comprising:

a voltage sensor configured to monitor a voltage associated with said plurality of batteries;

a plurality of battery temperature sensors configured to monitor a temperature of each of said plurality of batteries; and

a fan control subsystem, coupled to said voltage and battery temperature sensors, configured to activate said fan when;

any one of said temperatures of said plurality of batteries exceeds a predetermined temperature, or

said voltage associated with said plurality of batteries exceeds a predetermined voltage.

2. The environmental control system as recited in claim 1 wherein said predetermined temperature is about 40°

C.

3. The environmental control system as recited in claim 1 wherein said predetermined voltage is about 28.25 volts for 24 volt systems and about 56.5 volts for 48 volt systems.

4. The environmental control system as recited in claim 1 wherein said environmental control system is configured to monitor a temperature of each of said plurality of batteries, said fan control subsystem being configured to deactivate said fan when said temperature of each of said plurality of batteries is less than a nominal temperature.

5. The environmental control system as recited in claim 4 wherein said nominal temperature is about 25°

C.

6. The environmental control system as recited in claim 1 further comprising an outside air temperature sensor configured to monitor a temperature of air surrounding said battery cabinet, said fan control subsystem being configured to activate said fan when:

any one of said temperatures of said plurality of batteries exceeds a nominal temperature, and

said temperature of said air surrounding said battery cabinet is less than a differential value below said any one of said temperatures of said plurality of batteries.

7. The environmental control system as recited in claim 6 wherein said differential value is about 3°

C.

8. A method of operating a fan to circulate air through a battery cabinet having a plurality of batteries, comprising:

monitoring a voltage associated with said plurality of batteries;

monitoring a temperature of each of said plurality of batteries; and

activating said fan when;

any one of said temperatures of said plurality of batteries exceeds a predetermined temperature, or

said voltage associated with said plurality of batteries exceeds a predetermined voltage.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein said predetermined temperature is about 40°

C.

10. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein said predetermined voltage is about 28.25 volts for 24 volt systems and about 56.5 volts for 48 volt systems.

11. The method as recited in claim 8 further comprising:

monitoring a temperature of each of said plurality of batteries; and

deactivating said fan when said temperature of each of said plurality of batteries is less than a nominal temperature.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 wherein said nominal temperature is about 25°

C.

13. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

monitoring a temperature of air surrounding said battery cabinet; and

activating said fan when;

any one of said temperatures of said plurality of batteries exceeds a nominal temperature, and

said temperature of said air surrounding said battery cabinet is less than a differential value below said any one of said temperatures of said plurality of batteries.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein said differential value is about 3°

C.

15. A battery cabinet, comprising:

a plurality of shelves;

a plurality of batteries located on said plurality of shelves;

at least one air inlet louver located in a bottom section of said battery cabinet;

at least one air outlet louver located in a top section of said battery cabinet;

a fan that circulates air from said at least one air inlet louver to said at least one air outlet louver through said battery cabinet; and

an environmental control system, including;

a voltage sensor that monitors a voltage associated with said plurality of batteries,

a plurality of battery temperature sensors that monitor a temperature of a corresponding one of said plurality of batteries, and

a fan control subsystem, coupled to said voltage and battery temperature sensors, that activates said fan when;

said temperature of at least one of said plurality of batteries exceeds a predetermined temperature, or

said voltage exceeds a predetermined voltage.

16. The battery cabinet as recited in claim 15 wherein said predetermined temperature is about 40°

C.

17. The battery cabinet as recited in claim 15 wherein said predetermined voltage is about 28.25 volts for 24 volt systems and about 56.5 volts for 48 volt systems.

18. The battery cabinet as recited in claim 15 wherein said fan control subsystem deactivates said fan when said temperature of each of said plurality of batteries is less than a nominal temperature.

19. The battery cabinet as recited in claim 18 wherein said nominal temperature is about 25°

C.

20. The battery cabinet as recited in claim 15 wherein said environmental control system further comprises an outside air temperature sensor that monitors a temperature of air surrounding said battery cabinet, said fan control subsystem activating said fan when:

said temperature of at least one of said plurality of batteries exceeds a nominal temperature; and

said temperature of said air surrounding said battery cabinet is less than a differential value below said temperature of at least one of said plurality of batteries.

21. The battery cabinet as recited in claim 20 wherein said differential value is about 3°

C.