System and method for battery cell thermal management using carbon-based thermal films

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9780418-B2
Application number	US-201414524798-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2014
Priority date	Oct 28, 2013
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to thermal management in battery cells and battery modules. A thermal assembly for a battery cell includes a battery cell having a battery cell packaging and a thermal pouch formed from a continuous carbon-based thermal film. The thermal pouch is configured to contact both the battery cell packaging and one or more thermal management features of a battery module with a first side of the carbon-based thermal film. Accordingly, the first side of the carbon-based thermal film is configured to provide uninterrupted thermal pathways along the first side of the carbon-based thermal film between the battery cell packaging and the one or more thermal management features of the battery module.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A battery module, comprising:
a plurality of lithium ion battery cells disposed within a packaging of the battery module, wherein each respective lithium ion battery cell of the plurality of lithium ion battery cells includes:
a respective metallic battery cell packaging comprising one or more side or end portions; and
a respective carbon-based thermal film formed into a respective thermal pouch that covers substantially all of the one or more side and end portions of the respective metallic battery cell packaging; and

at least one thermal management feature associated with the packaging of the battery module, wherein the plurality of lithium ion battery cells are not in direct contact with the at least one thermal management feature of the battery module, and wherein the thermal management feature is configured to receive heat from the plurality of lithium ion battery cells, via the respective thermal pouches of the plurality of lithium ion battery cells, and to remove the heat from the packaging of the battery module;
wherein each respective thermal pouch comprises a carbon-based thermal film having a first side that directly contacts all of the one or more side and end portions of the respective metallic battery cell packaging, wherein each respective thermal pouch comprises one or more flaps extending from a bottom portion of the respective thermal pouch and directly contacting the at least one thermal management feature of the battery module with the first side of the carbon-based film.

2. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of lithium ion battery cells are in thermal communication with, and electrically isolated from, the at least one thermal management feature of the battery module via the respective thermal pouches.

3. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the at least one thermal management feature comprises a heat sink or a cooling plate.

4. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the battery module does not include phase-change materials or thermal gap pads.

5. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein each respective lithium ion battery cell of the plurality of lithium ion battery cells is a cylindrical lithium ion battery cell having a respective top portion that includes terminals, a respective bottom portion, and a respective round side portion, wherein only the respective round side portion is substantially covered by the respective thermal pouch.

6. The battery module of claim 1 , wherein the battery module is configured to communicatively couple and provide power to an xEV, wherein the xEV is a micro-hybrid or a Stop-Start system that is powered by the battery module.

7. A battery module, comprising:
a lithium ion battery cell comprising a metallic packaging having one or more side or end portions disposed in a thermal pouch formed from a carbon-based thermal film, wherein the carbon-based thermal film includes a side that both contacts and substantially covers all side and end portions of the metallic packaging of the lithium ion battery cell and forms a contact surface of a flap extending from a bottom portion of the thermal pouch, wherein the lithium ion battery cell and the thermal pouch are together disposed inside a packaging of the battery module, and wherein the contact surface of the flap of the thermal pouch is disposed against an internal surface of a thermal management feature associated with the packaging of the battery module, wherein the lithium ion battery cell is not in direct contact with the thermal management feature of the battery module.

8. The battery module of claim 7 , wherein the carbon-based thermal film is a single, continuous sheet that is cut, folded, and/or bent to form the thermal pouch.

9. The battery module of claim 7 , wherein the carbon-based thermal film is conformed to the at least one surface of the packaging of the lithium ion battery cell.

10. The battery module of claim 7 , comprising an adhesive or a thermal paste disposed between the carbon-based thermal film and the packaging of the lithium ion battery cell and disposed between the carbon-based thermal film and the internal surface of the thermal management feature.

11. The battery module of claim 7 , wherein a weld or an adhesive adheres portions of the carbon-based thermal film to other portions of the carbon-based thermal film to form seams of the thermal pouch.

12. The battery module of claim 7 , wherein the contact surface of the flap is conformed to the surface of the internal surface of the thermal management feature.

13. A thermal assembly for a battery cell, comprising:
the battery cell with a metallic battery cell packaging comprising one or more side or end portions; and
a thermal pouch comprising a continuous carbon-based thermal film having a first side, wherein the thermal pouch is configured to contact and substantially cover all side and end portions of the metallic battery cell packaging, and wherein the thermal pouch comprises one or more flaps extending from a bottom portion of the thermal pouch and configured to contact one or more thermal management features of a battery module with the first side of the carbon-based thermal film, wherein the first side of the carbon-based thermal film is configured to provide uninterrupted thermal pathways along the first side of the carbon-based thermal film between the metallic battery cell packaging and the one or more thermal management features of the battery module, and wherein the carbon-based thermal film is configured to physically isolate the metallic battery cell packaging from the one or more thermal management features.

14. The thermal assembly of claim 13 , wherein the carbon-based thermal film comprises one or more of: graphene, graphite, compressed exfoliated graphite, a graphitized polyimide, a graphite-based laminate, or a pyrolytic graphite sheet (PGS).

15. The thermal assembly of claim 13 , wherein the carbon-based thermal film comprises a plurality of layers, and wherein the plurality of layers comprise thermally conductive carbon layers, support layers, adhesive layers, electrically insulating layers, or a combination thereof.

16. The thermal assembly of claim 13 , wherein the thermal conductivity along the plane of the carbon-based thermal film is at least an order of magnitude greater than the thermal conductivity across the thickness of the carbon-based thermal film.

17. The thermal assembly of claim 13 , wherein the carbon-based thermal film is not substantially electrically conductive across the thickness of the carbon-based thermal film.

18. The thermal assembly of claim 13 , wherein the one or more flaps each comprise a bend that is configured to provide a spring force away from the battery cell and toward the one or more thermal management features to maintain contact between the one or more flaps and the one or more thermal management features, respectively, despite thermal expansion or thermal contraction of the thermal pouch, the battery cell, or both.

19. The thermal assembly of claim 13 , wherein one or more dimensions of the one or more flaps correspond to a height of the metallic battery cell packaging.

20. The thermal assembly of claim 13 , wherein the thermal pouch covers all except a top portion of the metallic battery cell packaging that includes terminals of the battery cell.

21. The thermal assembly of claim 13 , wherein the thermal pouch is affixed to the metallic battery cell packaging using an adhesive or a thermal paste.

Assignees

• Johnson Controls Tech Co

Inventors

• Obasih Kem M
• Dekeuster Richard M

Classifications

• H01M50/131

  characterised by physical properties, e.g. gas permeability, size or heat resistance · CPC title

• B60L50/64

  Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles · CPC title

• H01M50/249

  specially adapted for aircraft or vehicles, e.g. cars or trains (constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles B60L50/64) · CPC title

• H01M50/209

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

• H01M50/211

  adapted for pouch cells · CPC title