Battery cooling system and battery rack applied to the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8986863-B2
Application number	US-201313858343-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2013
Priority date	May 31, 2011
Publication date	Mar 24, 2015
Grant date	Mar 24, 2015

Abstract

Disclosed is a battery cooling system having a main frame for defining a structure of a battery rack; a space dividing frame for dividing the inside of the main frame into a plurality of levels; a battery module located inside the main frame and supported by the space dividing frame; a pair of refrigerant guide plates respectively installed at the upper and lower ends of the battery module and installed to be inclined in the same direction with predetermined angles with respect to the upper and lower surfaces thereof; and side panels coupled to the sides of the main frame and having a channel slit formed in at least a part thereof.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A battery cooling system comprising:
a main frame for defining a structure of a battery rack;
a space dividing frame for dividing the inside of the main frame into a plurality of levels;
a battery module located inside the main frame and supported by the space dividing frame;
wherein the battery module includes:
a first battery module loaded in a first level among the plurality of levels;
a second battery module loaded in a second level adjacent to the first level and located under the same;
a first refrigerant guide plate provided in the upper portion of the first battery module;
a second refrigerant guide plate provided in the lower portion of the first battery module;
a third refrigerant guide plate provided in the upper portion of the second battery module; and
a fourth refrigerant guide plate provided in the lower portion of the second battery module wherein the first and second refrigerant guide plates are installed to be inclined in the same direction with predetermined angles with respect to the upper and lower surfaces of the first battery module and the third and fourth refrigerant guide plates are installed to be inclined in the same direction with predetermined angles with respect to the upper and lower surfaces of the second battery module; and
side panels coupled to the sides of the main frame and having a channel slit formed in at least a part thereof.

2. The battery cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the battery module has heat-releasing slits formed in at least a part thereof.

3. The battery cooling system according to claim 2 , wherein the heat-releasing slits are formed in at least the upper and lower sides of the battery module.

4. The battery cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second refrigerant guide plates are placed in parallel to each other and the third and fourth refrigerant guide plates are placed in parallel to each other.

5. The battery cooling system according to claim 4 , wherein the second refrigerant guide plate is inclined opposite to the inclination of the third guide plate.

6. The battery cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the first, second, third, and fourth refrigerant guide plates are inclined in the same direction.

7. The battery cooling system according to claim 6 , wherein the first, second, third, and fourth refrigerant guide plates are placed in parallel to each other.

8. The battery cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the channel slits are formed in both sides of the side panels in the width direction thereof.

9. The battery cooling system according to claim 8 , wherein the channel slits include:
a first channel slit formed in an area corresponding to a space between the first refrigerant guide plate and the upper surface of the first battery module;
a second channel slit formed in an area corresponding to a space between the second refrigerant guide plate and the lower surface of the first battery module;
a third channel slit formed in an area corresponding to a space between the third refrigerant guide plate and the upper surface of the second battery module; and
a fourth channel slit formed in an area corresponding to a space between the fourth refrigerant guide plate and the lower surface of the second battery module.

10. The battery cooling system according to claim 9 , further comprising a cooling fan installed to at least one of the areas in which the first and second channel slits are formed, and to at least one of the areas in which the third and fourth channel slits are formed.

11. The battery cooling system according to claim 1 , further comprising an upper panel, a front panel, and a back panel coupled to the upper, front and back portions of the main frame, respectively.

12. The battery cooling system according to claim 11 , wherein the front panel is a door hinged to the main frame.

13. A battery rack having a structure for cooling a battery module installed inside the rack, the rack comprising:
a main frame for defining a structure of the battery rack;
a space dividing frame for dividing the inside of the main frame into a plurality of levels;
a first refrigerant guide plate provided in the upper portion of a first battery module loaded in a first level among the plurality of levels;
a second refrigerant guide plate provided in the lower portion of the first battery module;
a third refrigerant guide plate provided in the upper portion of a second battery module loaded in a second level adjacent to the first level and located under the same; and
a fourth refrigerant guide plate provided in the lower portion of the second battery module wherein the first and second refrigerant guide plates are installed to be inclined in the same direction with predetermined angles with respect to the upper and lower surfaces of the first battery module and the third and fourth refrigerant guide plates are installed to be inclined in the same direction with predetermined angles with respect to the upper and lower surfaces of the second battery module; and
side panels coupled to the sides of the main frame and having a channel slit formed at least in a part thereof.

14. The battery rack according to claim 13 , wherein the first and second refrigerant guide plates are placed in parallel to each other and the third and fourth refrigerant guide plates are placed in parallel to each other.

15. The battery rack according to claim 14 , wherein the second refrigerant guide plate is inclined opposite to the inclination of the third guide plate.

16. The battery rack according to claim 13 , wherein the first, second, third, and fourth refrigerant guide plates are inclined in the same direction.

17. The battery rack according to claim 16 , wherein the first, second, third, and fourth refrigerant guide plates are placed in parallel to each other.

18. The battery rack according to claim 13 , wherein the channel slits are formed on both sides of the side panels in the width direction thereof.

19. The battery rack according to claim 18 , wherein the channel slits include:
a first channel slit formed in an area corresponding to a space between the first refrigerant guide plate and the upper surface of the first battery module;
a second channel slit formed in an area corresponding to a space between the second refrigerant guide plate and the lower surface of the first battery module;
a third channel slit formed in an area corresponding to a space between the third refrigerant guide plate and the upper surface of the second battery module; and
a fourth channel slit formed in an area corresponding to a space between the fourth refrigerant guide plate and the lower surface of the second battery module.

20. The battery rack according to claim 19 , further comprising a cooling fan to be installed to at least one of the areas in which the first and second channel slits are formed, and to at least one of the areas in which the third and fourth channel slits are formed.

21. The battery rack according to claim 13 , further comprising an upper panel, a front panel, and a back side panel coupled to the upper, front and back portions of the main frame, respectively.

Assignees

• Lg Chemical Ltd

Inventors

• Choi Ji-Young
• Chung Chae-Ho
• Lee Bum-Hyun
• Park Won Chan
• Choi Yong-Seok

Classifications

• H01M50/209

  adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells (H01M50/216 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01M10/5004

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01M2/1077

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01M10/5059

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01M6/5038 Primary

  Heating or cooling of cells or batteries · CPC title