BATTERY PACK THERMAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20090023056A1
• Filed: 07/18/2007
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tesla Motors Incorporated (Tesla Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tesla Motors Incorporated (Tesla Inc.)
• Inventors: Simpson, Andrew, Hebert, Arthur, Colson, Thomas Everett, Lyons, David, Straubel, Jeffrey Brian, Mendez, Noel Jason, Adams, Daniel T., Kohn, Scott, Berdichevsky, Gene, West, Dorian
• Application Number:
  US11/779,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20090023056A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/120
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/25 by controlling the electric load
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 1/0478 the conduits having a non-circular cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0525 Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/643 Cylindrical cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6557 arranged between the cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6563 with forced flow, e.g. by blowers
• 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 50/213 adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49359 Cooling apparatus making, e.g., air conditioner, refrigerator

Abstract

A battery pack thermal management system for use in an electric car. The battery pack thermal management system includes a plurality of thermistors connected to a plurality of cells of a battery pack. A battery monitor board is connected to the thermistors. The system also includes a manifold and a plurality of cooling tubes connected to the manifold. A tube seal plug is arranged over an end of the cooling tube and an end fitting is arranged on an end of the cooling tube. The thermal management system will cool the battery pack to predetermined temperatures to increase the longevity of the battery pack within the electric vehicle.

Claims

1. A battery pack thermal management system, said system including:

a manifold;

a plurality of temperature monitoring devices attached to a plurality of cells of the battery packs;

a battery monitor board connected to said temperature monitoring devices;

a plurality of cooling tubes connected to said manifold;

a tube seal plug arranged over an end of said cooling tube; and

an end fitting arranged on said end of said cooling tube.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said manifold having a first and second cylinder arranged adjacent to one another, said first cylinder is an input side and said second cylinder is an output side.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said cylinders are made of an extruded aluminum material.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said cooling tubes are an extruded aluminum material bent into a predetermined shape, said bent shape results in both ends of said cooling tube being adjacent to one another.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein both ends of said cooling tube are arranged within said tube seal plug.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said cooling tube having four channels therein.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said cooling tube having at least one dividing rib and at least one supporting rib.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said dividing rib arranged at an approximate mid point of said cooling tube and a first supporting rib arranged between said dividing rib and a side surface of said cooling tube and a second supporting rib arranged between said dividing rib and another side surface of said cooling tube.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said cooling tube is electronically isolated from said cells.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said cooling tube is coated with a dielectric material.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said dielectric material is an epoxy resin.

12. The system of claim 1 further including a tube seal boot secured to said tube seal plug.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein said end fitting having a first and second nipple extending from an end thereof.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein a counter flow architecture is used through said cooling tubes.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said counter flow architecture has coolant pumped into one of the nipples on one end of said cooling tube and into an opposite nipple on the other end of said cooling tube.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said coolant leaves said cooling tube via said other two nipples.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein said cells and said cooling tube are thermally connected to each other with a thermally conductive and electronically insulative material.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said material is a potting compound epoxy, foam or paste.

19. A thermal management system for use with an energy storage system in an electric vehicle, the energy storage system having a plurality of cells arranged into a plurality of sheets, wherein the sheets are housed inside an ESS enclosure, said thermal management system including:

a coolant thermally controlled by an HVAC system;

a temperature monitoring device attached to a predetermined cell in each sheet;

a battery monitor board connected to said temperature monitoring device;

a manifold secured to an exterior surface of the ESS enclosure;

a cooling tube arranged within each sheet, said cooling tube connected to said manifold;

a tube seal plug arranged over both ends of said cooling tube; and

an end fitting arranged on each end of said cooling tube.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein said manifold including a first and second cylinder, said cylinders having a plurality of nozzle members extending from a surface, said first cylinder is an input side and said second cylinder is an output side of the system.

21. The system of claim 19 wherein said manifold is an aluminum material.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein said cylinders having a predetermined diameter to distribute said coolant evenly among all of said cooling tubes.

23. The system of claim 19 wherein said cooling tubes are an extruded material bent into a predetermined shape that allows for said cells to be in thermal contact with said cooling tubes, said bent shape having said ends of said cooling tube adjacent to one another.

24. The system of claim 19 wherein said cooling tube having a plurality of channels therein.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein said cooling tube having at least one dividing rib and at least one supporting rib.

26. The system of claim 19 wherein said cooling tube is coated with a material to electronically isolate said cooling tube from said cells.

27. The system of claim 26 wherein said material is an epoxy resin that provides a continuous dielectric coating.

28. The system of claim 19 further including a tube seal boot secured to said tube seal plug and a surface of the ESS enclosure.

29. The system of claim 24 wherein said end fittings having a first and second nipple extending from an end thereof.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the thermal management system uses a counter flow architecture through said cooling tube.

31. The system of claim 27 further including a hose arranged between said end fitting and said manifold, said manifold connected to said HVAC system to provide a path for said coolant to travel in a closed loop cooling or heating system.

32. The system of claim 30 wherein a pair of adjacent said channels in said cooling tube are in communication with one of said nipples of said end fitting.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein said counter flow architecture has said coolant pumped into one of said nipples on one end of said cooling tube and into an opposite nipple on the other end of said cooling tube.

34. The system of claim 33 wherein said coolant leaves said cooling tube via said two other remaining nipples.

35. The system of claim 23 wherein said thermal contact occurs via a thermally conductive and electrically insulative material.

36. The system of claim 35 wherein said material is an epoxy, foam or paste.

37. The system of claim 35 wherein said thermal connection of said cells to said cooling tube reduces thermal impedance between said cells and a thermal mass of said energy storage system is increased thus slowing any temperature rise therein.

38. The system of claim 19 wherein said HVAC system is operated prior to use of the electric vehicle to precool the cells to a predetermined temperature.

39. A method of controlling the temperature of a battery pack in an electric vehicle, said method including the steps of:

installing a predetermined number of thermistors on a predetermined number of cells of the battery pack;

installing a cooling tube in the battery pack to provide for a thermal connection between said cells and said cooling tube; and

moving a coolant through said cooling tube in a counter flow architecture to provide a uniform cooling over the entire battery pack.