Design of a large low maintenance battery pack for a hybrid locomotive
First Claim
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1. A hybrid vehicle, comprising:
- (a) a prime mover for generating electrical energy;
(b) a battery pack for receiving, storing, and providing, as needed, the electrical energy, the battery pack comprising a plurality of battery cells;
(c) at least one motor for consuming the electrical energy;
(d) a rack structure, the rack structure comprising a plurality of vertical and horizontal fire wall members defining a plurality of containment sections, each section receiving a corresponding set of battery cells;
(e) a hood assembly, the hood assembly comprising a chimney vent and hood and wall members respectively defining upper and lower plenums, the upper and lower plenums being in fluid communication with the chimney vent and separated by the wall member, the wall member inhibiting airflow between the upper and lower plenums, and the lower plenum being in fluid communication with and removing heated air from the battery pack; and
(f) a plurality of airflow channels in communication with the lower plenum, a first set of airflow channels being positioned between adjacent battery cells and a second set of airflow channels being positioned between battery cells and the vertical fire wall members, the airflow channels in the first set having a first cross-sectional area normal to the direction of airflow and the airflow channels in the second set having a second cross-sectional area normal to the direction of airflow, and wherein the first cross-sectional area is greater than the second cross-sectional area,wherein heated air in the containment sections, the upper and lower plenums passes. by free convection, through the chimney vent and into the external environment.
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to systems for prolonging battery life, such as maintaining battery cell temperatures in battery packs within specified limits, providing vibration and shock resistance, and/or electrically isolating groups of batteries from nearby conductive surfaces.
244 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A hybrid vehicle, comprising:
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(a) a prime mover for generating electrical energy; (b) a battery pack for receiving, storing, and providing, as needed, the electrical energy, the battery pack comprising a plurality of battery cells; (c) at least one motor for consuming the electrical energy; (d) a rack structure, the rack structure comprising a plurality of vertical and horizontal fire wall members defining a plurality of containment sections, each section receiving a corresponding set of battery cells; (e) a hood assembly, the hood assembly comprising a chimney vent and hood and wall members respectively defining upper and lower plenums, the upper and lower plenums being in fluid communication with the chimney vent and separated by the wall member, the wall member inhibiting airflow between the upper and lower plenums, and the lower plenum being in fluid communication with and removing heated air from the battery pack; and (f) a plurality of airflow channels in communication with the lower plenum, a first set of airflow channels being positioned between adjacent battery cells and a second set of airflow channels being positioned between battery cells and the vertical fire wall members, the airflow channels in the first set having a first cross-sectional area normal to the direction of airflow and the airflow channels in the second set having a second cross-sectional area normal to the direction of airflow, and wherein the first cross-sectional area is greater than the second cross-sectional area, wherein heated air in the containment sections, the upper and lower plenums passes. by free convection, through the chimney vent and into the external environment. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for operating a hybrid vehicle, comprising:
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(a) generating, by a prime mover, electrical energy; (b) receiving, storing, and providing, as needed and by a battery pack, the electrical energy, the battery pack comprising a plurality of battery cells; (c) providing to at least one motor the electrical energy; (d) providing a rack structure, the rack structure comprising a plurality of vertical and horizontal fire wall members defining a plurality of containment sections, each section receiving a corresponding set of battery cells, (e) passing heated air by free convection through upper and/or lower plenums and through a chimney vent into the ambient atmosphere, wherein a hood assembly comprises the chimney vent and hood and wall members respectively defining the upper and lower plenums, the upper and lower plenums being in fluid communication with the chimney vent and separated by the wall member, the wall member inhibiting airflow between the upper and lower plenums, and the lower plenum being in fluid communication with and removing heated air from the battery pack; and (f) passing heated air by free convention through a plurality of airflow channels in communication with the lower plenum, a first set of airflow channels being positioned between adjacent battery cells and a second set of airflow channels being positioned between battery cells and the wall member, the airflow channels in the first set having a first cross-sectional area normal to the direction of airflow and the airflow channels in the second set having a second cross-sectional area normal to the direction of airflow, and wherein the first cross-sectional area is greater than the second cross-sectional area. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification