Flash Cooling System for Increased Battery Safety

• US 20110111269A1
• Filed: 11/10/2010
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atieva, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Atieva, Inc.
• Inventors: Tse, David YuanJei
• Granted Patent: US 8,846,232 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/50
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/00 Arrangement in connection with cooling of propulsion units heating the interior space B60H; cooling internal combustion engines per se F01P
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/005 the electric storage means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/14 responsive to accident or emergency, e.g. deceleration, tilt of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 1/003 to auxiliary motors, e.g. for pumps, compressors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0007 Measures or means for preventing or attenuating collisions
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/22 Balancing the charge of battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/27 by heating
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/42 Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells H01M10/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6563 with forced flow, e.g. by blowers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

In a battery pack having multiple battery cells distributed, for example, between multiple interconnected battery modules, a run-time cooling system is provided to cool (and/or heat) the battery cells during routine charging and discharging of the cells (e.g., powering a load such as a motor within an electric or hybrid-electric vehicle), and an emergency cooling system to cool the battery cells in response to a signal indicating detection of one or more conditions indicating possible thermal runaway within the battery cells or battery modules. The run-time cooling system, which may include a fan, HVAC unit or other fluid pumping device, induces continuous coolant flow within the battery pack (e.g., flow of air or other gaseous or liquid coolant). The emergency cooling system, by contrast, includes a mechanical interface or is otherwise adapted to receive a receptacle containing pressurized coolant or other flash-cooling device.

Claims

1. A battery pack comprising:

a plurality of battery cells;

a first cooling system to cool the battery cells during routine charging and discharging of the battery cells; and

a second cooling system to cool the battery cells in response to a signal indicating detection of one or more conditions indicating possible thermal runaway within the battery cells.

2. The battery pack of claim 1 wherein the first cooling system comprises a device to induce continuous coolant flow within the battery pack, and the second cooling system is adapted to receive a receptacle containing pressurized coolant.

3. The battery pack of claim 2 wherein the second cooling system comprises the receptacle containing pressurized coolant.

4. The battery pack of claim 1 wherein the first cooling system comprises a fluid pumping device.

5. The battery pack of claim 4 wherein the fluid pumping device comprises a fan and wherein a fluid pumped by the fluid pumping device comprises air.

6. The battery pack of claim 1 wherein the plurality of battery cells comprises a plurality of subsets of batteries disposed in respective battery modules, and wherein each battery module includes a frame;

and wherein the second cooling system comprises a plurality of coolant receptacles, each coolant receptacle disposed to release pressurized coolant within a respective one of the battery modules.

7. The battery pack of claim 6 wherein each battery module includes a frame having coolant flow tubes to distribute the pressurized coolant, when released from the corresponding coolant receptacle, throughout the battery module.

8. The battery pack of claim 1 further comprising a battery management system to enable operation of the first cooling system as necessary to maintain the battery pack within an operating temperature range, and to assert the signal indicating detection of one or more conditions indicating possible thermal runaway within the battery cells.

9. The battery pack of claim 8 further comprising one or more sensors disposed within the battery pack to detect the one or more conditions indicating possible thermal runaway and to signal the battery management system when the one or more conditions have been detected.

10. The battery pack of claim 8 wherein the battery management system comprises an interface to a vehicle management system.

11. The battery pack of claim 10 wherein the interface comprises an interface to a controller-area network bus.

12. The battery pack of claim 1 wherein the second cooling system comprises a coolant-release device which, when enabled to release coolant within the battery pack, renders at least a subset of the batteries unavailable for discharging current to a load until the battery pack is serviced.

13. The battery pack of claim 1 wherein the second cooling system comprises a one-time coolant-release device which, after being enabled to release coolant within the battery pack, requires either replacement or coolant refill from a source external to the battery pack to restore the second cooling system device to full operability.

14. A method of operation within a battery pack having a plurality of battery cells, the method comprising:

enabling a first cooling system to cool the battery cells during routine charging and discharging of the battery cells; and

enabling a second cooling system to cool the battery cells in response to detecting conditions indicating possible thermal runaway within the battery cells.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein enabling a first cooling system to cool the battery cells during routine charging and discharging comprises inducing continuous coolant flow within the battery pack during a first interval, and wherein enabling the second cooling system to cool the battery cells comprises releasing coolant from a pressurized receptacle.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein inducing continuous coolant flow within the battery pack comprises switching on a fan.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein releasing coolant from a pressurized receptacle comprises rendering at least a subset of the batteries unavailable for discharging current to a load until the battery pack is serviced.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein releasing coolant from a pressurized receptacle comprises releasing coolant from a one-time coolant-release receptacle that requires either replacement or coolant refill from a source external to the battery pack to restore the second cooling system device to full operability.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein enabling a second cooling system to cool the battery cells in response to detecting possible thermal runaway within the battery cells comprises enabling at least one of a plurality of coolant delivery devices, each coupled to deliver coolant to a respective battery module having a subset of the batteries therein, to deliver coolant to the respective battery module.

20. An apparatus comprising:

battery cells;

means for enabling a first cooling system to cool the battery cells during routine charging and discharging of the battery cells; and

means for enabling a second cooling system to cool the battery cells in response to detecting conditions indicating possible thermal runaway within the battery cells.