Conformal fluid-cooled heat exchanger for battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9887437-B2
Application number	US-201113261623-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 3, 2011
Priority date	Oct 4, 2010
Publication date	Feb 6, 2018
Grant date	Feb 6, 2018

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 having a first battery module and a second battery module, the first battery module comprising a plurality of battery cell containers each housing at least one battery cell, each battery cell container defining a pair of side panels, a pair of end panels, a top panel and a bottom panel, wherein each of the side panels extends along a first direction and has a surface area that is larger than the surface area of any of said top panel, bottom panel and end panels, the plurality of battery cell containers being arranged adjacent to each other such that a side panel of one battery cell container is in surface-to-surface contact with the side panel of the adjacent battery cell container in said first battery module; the second battery module comprising a plurality of battery cell containers each housing at least one battery cell, each battery cell container defining a pair of side panels, a pair of end panels, a top panel and a bottom panel, wherein each of the side panels extends along said first direction and has a surface area that is larger than the surface area of any of said top panel, bottom panel and end panels, the plurality of battery cell containers being arranged adjacent to each other such that a side panel of one battery cell container is in surface-to-surface contact with the side panel of the adjacent battery cell container in said second battery module; the first battery module and second battery module being spaced apart with the bottom panels of the plurality of battery cell containers of the first battery module being located in spaced apart opposition to the top panels of the plurality of respective battery cell containers of the second battery module, the heat exchanger being arranged between said bottom panels of the first battery module and the top panels of the second battery module, the heat exchanger having a closed first side contacting and extending across the plurality of bottom panels of the plurality of the battery cell containers in the first battery module and a closed second side contacting and extending across the plurality of top panels of the plurality of battery cell containers of the second battery module, said heat exchanger comprising:
at least one internal fluid flow passage enclosed between the closed first and second sides of the heat exchanger, the at least one internal fluid flow passage having an inlet end and an outlet end for transmitting a heat exchange fluid through said heat exchanger, said at least one internal fluid flow passage having a plurality of generally parallel fluid flow chambers, each said fluid flow chamber extending in said first direction and being located within a respective fluid flow region of said internal fluid flow passage, each of the fluid flow regions extending in said first direction and being positioned entirely between and engaging a respective bottom panel of one of said plurality of battery cell containers forming said first battery module and a respective top panel of one of said plurality of battery cell containers forming said second battery module;

wherein each fluid flow region is dimensionally compliant independently of the other fluid flow regions to conform to variations in spacing between the top and bottom panels of the battery cell containers of the first and second battery modules between which the fluid flow region is positioned;
wherein the plurality of generally parallel fluid flow chambers are serially interconnected such that each fluid flow chamber is joined at one end thereof to an adjacent end of the successive fluid flow chamber so that each fluid flow chamber is in fluid communication with a successive fluid flow chamber to form a serpentine flow passage extending between said inlet end and said outlet end and being enclosed entirely between the closed first and second sides of the heat exchanger; and
wherein the heat exchanger is formed from a plurality of plates laminated together with a first outer plate defining the closed first side of the heat exchanger and being in contact with the plurality of bottom panels of the plurality of the battery cell containers of the first battery module and a second outer plate defining the closed second side of the heat exchanger and being in contact with the plurality of top panels of the plurality of battery cell containers of the second battery module, the first and second outer plates defining said fluid flow regions, each of said fluid flow regions being physically separated from each of the adjacent fluid flow regions along said first direction by an elongate slot formed in said first and second outer plates.

2. The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the first and second outer plates are serpentine plates comprising a plurality of generally parallel cover plate regions that extend along said first direction and are serially joined together by substantially U-shaped portions, with adjacent generally parallel cover plate regions being spaced apart and physically separated from each other by said elongate slots;
wherein each said cover plate region of the first outer plate engages a respective one of said battery cell containers in the first battery module; and
wherein each said cover plate region of the second outer plate engages a respective one of said battery cell containers in the second battery module.

3. The heat exchanger of claim 2 , wherein the heat exchanger comprises opposed mating first and second inner core plates, a first outer core plate secured to the first inner core plate, a second outer core plate secured to the second inner core plate, the fluid flow chambers each being partially defined by the first outer plate and the second outer plate such that the heat exchanger fluid contacts the first outer plate and the second outer plate when flowing between the battery modules.

4. The heat exchanger of claim 3 , wherein the core plates include resiliently compressible physically separated core plate regions each associated with a respective fluid flow region of the heat exchanger.

5. The heat exchanger of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger comprises:
opposed first and second core plates defining the fluid flow chambers therebetween,
a first compliant substantially planar plate structure located between an outer surface of the first core plate and the first battery module, and
a second compliant substantially planar plate structure located between an outer surface of the second core plate and the second battery module.

6. The heat exchanger of claim 5 , wherein the first and second compliant plate structures each include opposed mating plates, each mating plate having a plurality of independently compressible plate regions.

7. The heat exchanger of claim 6 , wherein the opposed mating plates are formed from a thinner material than the first and second core plates.

Assignees

• Palanchon Herve
• Dana Canada Corp

Inventors

• Palanchon Herve

Classifications

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• H01M10/6555

  arranged between the cells · CPC title

• H01M10/0525

  Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries · CPC title

• H01M10/61 Primary

  Types of temperature control · CPC title

• F28F3/12 Primary

  Elements constructed in the shape of a hollow panel, e.g. with channels {(F28D1/02, F28D1/03 take precedence)} · CPC title