Conformal fluid-cooled heat exchanger for battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10811737-B2
Application number	US-201715851972-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2017
Priority date	Oct 4, 2010
Publication date	Oct 20, 2020
Grant date	Oct 20, 2020

Abstract

A heat exchanger for a battery unit having at least a first battery module and a second battery module is disclosed wherein the first and second battery modules each include a plurality of battery cell containers each housing at least one battery cell. The first and second battery modules are spaced apart from each other with the heat exchanger being arranged between the spaced apart first and second battery modules. The heat exchanger is a laminated plate structure defining a plurality of fluid flow chambers each located within a respective fluid flow region for transmitting a heat exchanger fluid. Each of the fluid flow regions is dimensionally compliant independent of the other fluid flow regions to conform to the spacing of the respective battery cell containers in the first and second modules between which the specific fluid flow region is positioned when arranged between the first and second battery modules.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A heat exchanger for a battery unit, the heat exchanger comprising:
first and second inner core plates, each inner core plate comprising:
a generally planar plate portion; and
a serpentine boss formed in and extending out of the generally planar plate portion, the serpentine boss being made up of a plurality of generally parallel inner core plate regions interconnected by U-shaped regions and extending between an inlet end and an outlet end;

wherein said first and second inner core plates are arranged in mating relationship, with one plate being inverted with respect to the other such that the serpentine boss of one plate is spaced apart from the serpentine boss of the other plate so as to form an internal fluid flow passage therebetween that extends from said inlet end to said outlet out;
a fluid inlet in fluid communication with said inlet end of said internal fluid flow passage for inletting a heat exchange fluid into said heat exchanger;
a fluid outlet in fluid communication with said outlet end of said internal fluid flow passage for discharging said heat exchange fluid from said heat exchanger; and
first and second compliant plate structures, wherein said first compliant plate structure is arranged on and secured to the first inner core plate and said second compliant plate structure is arranged on and secured to the second inner core plate;
wherein said first and second compliant plate structures are resiliently deformable so as to compress under pressure and to return to normal shape upon removal of said pressure.

2. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said first compliant plate structure comprises:
a first outer core plate arranged on and secured to said first inner core plate; and
a first cover plate arranged on and secured to said first outer core plate;
said second compliant plate structure comprises:
a second outer core plate arranged on and secured to said second inner core plate; and
a second cover plate arranged on and secured to said second outer core plate;

wherein said first and second compliant plate structures each define at least one enclosed channel between the first outer core plate and first cover plate and between the second outer core plate and second cover plate; and
wherein at least said first and second outer core plates are resiliently deformable with respect to said first and second cover plates, and the first and second outer core plates forming compliant chambers which are individually deformable to a spacing between a first battery module and second battery module.

3. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 2 , wherein:
said first and second inner core plates each further comprise a slot formed in said serpentine boss and extending between said inlet end and said outlet end, and the slots connecting a first channel formed by the first cover plate and first outer core plate, a second channel formed by the second cover plate and second outer core plate, and a third channel formed by the first and second inner core plates,
said first and second outer core plates are each in the form of a serpentine member defining an open serpentine channel having side walls that extend away from the serpentine bosses formed in the first and second inner core plates, the serpentine channel therefore being oppositely disposed with respect to said serpentine bosses, and a serpentine slot formed at a base portion of said serpentine channel, the serpentine slot of said serpentine channel being aligned with said slot formed in said first and second inner core plates;
said first and second cover plates each comprise a plurality of generally parallel cover plate regions interconnected by U-shaped portions so as to conform to the shape of the internal fluid flow passage, wherein said first and second cover plates sealingly enclose the open serpentine channel formed by said first and second outer core plates; and
wherein the side walls of the serpentine channel formed by said first and second outer core plates are resiliently conformable so as to compress under pressure and return to normal shape upon removal of said pressure.

4. The heat exchanger as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said first and second outer core plates and said first and second cover plates are substantially identical, each plate comprising:
a generally planar portion surrounded by a peripheral sealing flange;
a plurality of generally parallel bosses formed in and extending out of the generally planar portion of the inner core plates, said generally parallel bosses being spaced apart and separated from each other by planar strips;
wherein said first and second cover plates are oppositely disposed with respect to said first and second outer core plates such that the peripheral sealing flange of said respective first and second cover plates seals against the peripheral sealing flange of the corresponding first and second outer core plates thereby spacing apart the respective generally parallel bosses forming enclosed channels therebetween.

5. A battery unit, comprising:
a first battery module comprising a plurality of battery cell containers each housing at least one battery cell;
a second battery module comprising a plurality of battery cell containers each housing at least one battery cell;
a heat exchanger disposed in a space between the first battery module and the second battery module such that a first side of the heat exchanger is in contact with, or substantially in contact with, the plurality of battery cell containers of the first battery module and a second side of the heat exchanger is in contact with, or substantially in contact with, the plurality of battery cell containers of the second battery module, wherein the heat exchanger includes:
first and second inner core plates, each inner core plate comprising:
a generally planar plate portion; and
a serpentine boss formed in and extending out of the generally planar plate portion, the serpentine boss being made up of a plurality of generally parallel inner core plate regions interconnected by U-shaped regions and extending between an inlet end and an outlet end;

wherein said first and second inner core plates are arranged in mating relationship, with one plate being inverted with respect to the other such that the serpentine boss of one plate extends out of the generally planar portion in a first direction while the serpentine boss of the other one of the first and second plates extends out of the generally planar portion in a second direction opposite to the first direction such that while the first and second inner core plates are disposed in their mating relationship the oppositely disposed serpentine bosses define an internal fluid flow passage therebetween that extends from said inlet end to said outlet end;
a fluid inlet in fluid communication with said inlet end of said internal fluid flow passage for inletting a heat exchange fluid into said heat exchanger;
a fluid outlet in fluid communication with said outlet end of said internal fluid flow passage for discharging said heat exchange fluid from said heat exchanger; and
a first compliant plate structure disposed on and secured to the first inner core plate and defining the first side of the heat exchanger;
a second compliant plate structure disposed on and secured to the second inner core plate and defining the second side of the heat exchanger;
wherein said first and second compliant plate structures are resiliently deformable so as to compress to a first position in response to a first spacing between the first and the second battery modules and to expand to a second position in response to a second spacing between the first and the second battery modules.

6. The battery unit of claim 5 , wherein the first and second compliant pl

Assignees

• Dana Canada Corp

Inventors

• Palanchon Hervé

Classifications

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• F28D2021/0043

  for fuel cells · CPC title

• F28D1/0341

  with U-flow or serpentine-flow inside the conduits · CPC title

• H01M10/6567

  Liquids · CPC title

• H01M10/6555

  arranged between the cells · CPC title