Title of Invention: Battery module, battery pack and power storage device including same
technical field
[One]
The present invention relates to a battery module, a battery pack including the same, and a power storage device.
[2]
This application is a priority claim application for Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0080194, filed on July 03, 2019, and all contents disclosed in the specification and drawings of the application are incorporated herein by reference.
background
[3]
Secondary batteries that are easy to apply according to product groups and have electrical characteristics such as high energy density are not only portable devices, but also electric vehicles (EVs) or hybrid vehicles (HEVs) driven by an electric drive source. It is universally applied. These secondary batteries are attracting attention as a new energy source for improving eco-friendliness and energy efficiency in that not only the primary advantage of being able to dramatically reduce the use of fossil fuels but also the fact that no by-products are generated from the use of energy.
[4]
The types of secondary batteries currently widely used include a lithium ion battery, a lithium polymer battery, a nickel cadmium battery, a nickel hydride battery, a nickel zinc battery, and the like. The unit secondary battery cell, that is, the operating voltage of the unit battery cell is about 2.5V ~ 4.5V. Accordingly, when a higher output voltage is required, a plurality of battery cells are connected in series to form a battery pack. In addition, a plurality of battery cells may be connected in parallel to form a battery pack according to the charge/discharge capacity required for the battery pack. Accordingly, the number of battery cells included in the battery pack may be variously set according to a required output voltage or charge/discharge capacity.
[5]
On the other hand, when configuring a battery pack by connecting a plurality of battery cells in series/parallel, a battery module including at least one battery cell is first configured, and other components are added using the at least one battery module. A method of configuring the battery pack is common. Here, a battery pack including at least one battery module may constitute at least a power storage device according to various voltage and capacity requirements.
[6]
In the case of a battery module constituting a conventional power storage device, in order to cope with the risk of fire due to overheating that may occur due to overheating that may occur in a container accommodating battery packs including a plurality of battery modules due to the characteristics of the battery cell, a firefighting facility structure this is provided
[7]
However, when a fire starts in the battery module, there is a problem in that it is difficult to quickly extinguish the fire. If the fire in the battery module is not quickly extinguished or the time for the spread of the fire is not delayed, there is a problem in that the fire transfer to the surrounding battery modules is accelerated. Accordingly, there is a problem in that there is a high possibility that the fire-fighting facility structure in the rack container is more likely to be damaged after the damage that is difficult to recover has already occurred at the time of operation.
[8]
Therefore, when a fire situation occurs, it is necessary to quickly extinguish the fire, and in particular, a countermeasure to prevent an accident by detecting a danger in advance before a fire occurs is required. That is, it is required to prevent a chain thermal runaway phenomenon due to heat propagation to adjacent battery cells due to self-heating of at least one battery cell in which a dangerous situation has occurred due to an internal short circuit or the like.
[9]
To this end, it is required to find a way to ultimately suppress heat propagation and thermal runaway rather than simply delaying the thermal runaway time when an abnormal situation occurs in at least one battery cell in the battery module unit.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
technical challenge
[10]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a battery module capable of suppressing heat propagation and thermal runaway when an abnormal condition occurs in at least one battery cell, a battery pack including the same, and a power storage device.
means of solving the problem
[11]
In order to solve the above object, the present invention provides a battery module, comprising: a plurality of battery cell assemblies including a plurality of battery cells stacked on each other; and at least one cooling unit provided between the plurality of battery cell assemblies, filled with a predetermined cooling water, and having at least one membrane member at one end that opens and closes according to a change in internal pressure. A battery module is provided.
[12]
The at least one membrane member may be opened to communicate the inside of the at least one cooling unit with the outside when the internal pressure is greater than or equal to a predetermined pressure.
[13]
The at least one cooling unit may include: the cooling water; a main case filled with the coolant; a cover case surrounding the main case; and the at least one membrane member provided on at least one of the cover case and the main case and exposed outside the cover case.
[14]
The at least one membrane member may include: a membrane hole provided at an upper end of the main case; and a membrane filter provided at a position corresponding to the membrane hole and operably provided in the cover case according to a change in the internal pressure.
[15]
The membrane member may be provided in plurality, and the plurality of membrane members may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.
[16]
The at least one membrane member may seal the interior of the main case when the internal pressure is less than a predetermined pressure, and communicate the interior of the main case with the exterior of the cover case when the internal pressure is greater than or equal to a predetermined pressure.
[17]
The main case may be made of a metal material.
[18]
The cover case may be made of a heat insulating material.
[19]
And, the present invention, as a battery pack, at least one battery module according to the above-described embodiments; and a pack case for packaging the at least one battery module.
[20]
In addition, the present invention provides a power storage device comprising a; at least one battery pack according to the above-described embodiment as a power storage device.
Effects of the Invention
[21]
According to various embodiments as described above, it is possible to provide a battery module capable of suppressing heat propagation and thermal runaway when an abnormal situation occurs in at least one battery cell, a battery pack including the same, and a power storage device.
Brief description of the drawing
[22]
The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, and serve to further understand the technical spirit of the present invention together with the detailed description of the present invention to be described later, so that the present invention is described in such drawings should not be construed as being limited only to
[23]
1 is a view for explaining a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[24]
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the battery module of FIG. 1 .
[25]
3 is an enlarged view of a main part of the battery module of FIG. 2 .
[26]
FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a membrane member of the cooling unit of the battery module of FIG. 3 .
[27]
5 to 7 are diagrams for explaining an operation when the internal pressure of the cooling unit of the battery module of FIG. 1 is increased.
[28]
8 is a view for explaining a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[29]
9 is a view for explaining a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[30]
10 is a diagram for explaining a power storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Modes for carrying out the invention
[31]
The present invention will become more apparent by describing preferred embodiments of the present invention in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the embodiments described herein are illustratively shown to aid understanding of the invention, and the present invention may be implemented with various modifications different from the embodiments described herein. In addition, in order to help the understanding of the invention, the accompanying drawings are not drawn to scale, but dimensions of some components may be exaggerated.
[32]
Figure 1 is a view for explaining a battery module according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the battery module of Figure 1, Figure 3 is an enlarged view of the main part of the battery module of Figure 2, Figure 4 is It is a view for explaining the membrane member of the cooling unit of the battery module of FIG. 3 .
[33]
1 to 4 , the battery module 10 may include a battery cell assembly 100 and a cooling unit 200 .
[34]
The battery cell assembly 100 may be provided in at least one or a plurality. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, the battery cell assembly 100 will be described as being provided in plurality.
[35]
The plurality of battery cell assemblies 100 may each include a battery cell 110 and a cooling plate 130 .
[36]
The battery cell 110 is a secondary battery, and may be provided as a pouch-type secondary battery, a prismatic secondary battery, or a cylindrical secondary battery. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the battery cell 110 will be described by limiting it to a pouch-type secondary battery. The battery cell 110 may be provided in plurality. The plurality of battery cells 110 may be stacked to be electrically connected to each other.
[37]
The cooling plate 130 may be provided in plurality. The plurality of cooling plates 130 may be disposed between the plurality of battery cells 110 . The plurality of cooling plates 130 may be made of a material having high thermal conductivity. Meanwhile, each of the plurality of cooling plates 130 may include at least one air space capable of cooling the battery cells 110 in an air-cooling manner.
[38]
The cooling unit 200 cools the plurality of battery cell assemblies 100 and suppresses heat propagation and thermal runaway according to an abnormal situation, and is provided in at least one or a plurality of the plurality of battery cells. It may be provided between the assemblies 100 .
[39]
Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the cooling unit 200 will be described by limiting it to being provided in plurality.
[40]
Each of the plurality of cooling units 200 may include a cooling water 210 , a main case 230 , a cover case 250 , and a membrane member 270 .
[41]
The cooling water 210 may be filled in a predetermined amount in the inside of the cooling unit 200 , specifically, in the main case 230 , which will be described later. The cooling water 210 may be provided with water. The plurality of cooling units 200 according to the present embodiment may prevent thermal runaway of the battery cell assembly 100 according to an abnormal situation through the cooling water 210 composed of the water. Specifically, the self-heating of the battery cell assembly 100 is absorbed using the latent heat of evaporation of the cooling water 210 composed of the water, and the temperature of the adjacent battery cell assembly 100 is set to a thermal runaway temperature (generally about 200 degrees or more). temperature) can be maintained below
[42]
The main case 230 is for filling the cooling water 210 in a predetermined amount, and may be made of a metal material. In this embodiment, the main case 230 may be made of an aluminum material.
[43]
The inside of the main case 230 may be filled with the coolant 210 in a predetermined amount. Here, a predetermined empty space may be formed in the inner upper end of the main case 230 without being filled with the coolant 210 .
[44]
The cover case 250 may surround the main case 230 . The cover case 250 may be made of a heat insulating material. For example, the cover case 250 may be provided with expanded polypropylene (EPP) foam. The present invention is not limited thereto, and the cover case 250 may be made of other known heat insulators.
[45]
The cover case 250 prevents premature phase change of the coolant 210 inside the main case 230 when the battery cell 110 of the battery cell assembly 100 heats up or heats from the outside before thermal runaway. and a smooth phase change can be guided during the thermal runaway.
[46]
The membrane member 270 may be opened and closed according to a change in internal pressure of one end of the cooling unit 200 , specifically, an upper end of the main case 230 . The membrane member 270 may be opened when the internal pressure is greater than or equal to a predetermined pressure, and the inside of the at least one cooling unit 200, specifically, the inside of the main case 230, may communicate with the outside. . More specifically, the membrane member 270 seals the inside of the main case 230 when the internal pressure is less than a predetermined pressure, and closes the inside of the main case 230 when the internal pressure is greater than or equal to a predetermined pressure. (250) It can communicate with the outside.
[47]
The membrane member 270 is provided in at least one of the cover case 250 and the main case 230 , and may be exposed outside the cover case 250 .
[48]
At least one membrane member 270 may be provided in plurality. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, the description is limited to a plurality of the membrane member 270 being provided. The plurality of membrane members 270 may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.
[49]
Hereinafter, the plurality of membrane members 270 will be described in more detail.
[50]
Each of the plurality of membrane members 270 may include a membrane hole 272 and a membrane filter 276 .
[51]
The membrane hole 272 may be provided at an upper end of the main case 230 . The membrane hole 272 may be disposed to face a membrane filter 276 to be described later.
[52]
The membrane filter 276 may be provided at a position corresponding to the membrane hole. The membrane filter 276 may be provided in the cover case 250 , and may be provided in the cover case 250 to be opened and closed according to a change in the internal pressure. Accordingly, the cover case 250 may have a predetermined hole in which the membrane filter 276 is mounted to be opened and closed.
[53]
When the membrane filter 276 is opened, the upper end of the main case 230 may be exposed outside the cover case 250 through the membrane hole 272 . Meanwhile, the membrane filter 276 may be provided in the main case 230 to enable opening and closing of the membrane hole 272 . In this case, an opening may be provided in the cover case 250 to expose the membrane hole 272 to the outside of the cover case 250 without interfering with the membrane filter 276 when the membrane filter 276 is opened. can
[54]
Hereinafter, a detailed operation when the internal pressure of the cooling unit 200 is increased according to the present embodiment will be described in more detail.
[55]
5 to 7 are diagrams for explaining an operation when the internal pressure of the cooling unit of the battery module of FIG. 1 is increased.
[56]
5 to 7 , in the battery module 10 , when an abnormal situation occurs due to an internal short circuit in at least one battery cell 110 of the battery cell assembly 100 , The temperature may rise. As the temperature rises, the temperature of the cooling water 210 inside the main case 230 of the cooling unit 200 may increase so that the cooling water 210 may be phase-changed into water vapor (G).
[57]
When a certain amount of the water vapor G is generated, the internal pressure of the main case 230 increases. When the internal pressure rises above the predetermined pressure, the membrane filter 276 of the membrane member 270 is opened. can be
[58]
Through the opening of the membrane filter 276 , the water vapor G inside the main case 230 may be discharged out of the cover case 250 through the membrane hole 272 . Through the membrane member 270 , it is possible to prevent an excessive increase in pressure inside the cooling unit 200 when the abnormal situation occurs.
[59]
In addition, the discharged water vapor G can minimize propagation of venting gas, sparks, flames, etc. that may be generated in the battery cell assembly 100 due to the occurrence of an abnormal situation to the adjacent battery cell assembly 100 .
[60]
In this embodiment, through the cooling unit 200, which is a structure filled with the cooling water 210 provided with the water, an effective cooling system is operated by natural convection heat transfer and phase change without additional equipment such as a separate sensor and controller. can do it
[61]
Accordingly, in the present embodiment, heat propagation and thermal runaway that may be caused when an abnormal situation occurs in the at least one battery cell 110 of the battery cell assembly 100 through the cooling unit 200 is more efficiently prevented. can be suppressed, and the risk of heat propagation and thermal runaway can be blocked more effectively in advance.
[62]
8 is a view for explaining a battery module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[63]
Since the battery pack 20 according to the present embodiment is similar to the battery pack 10 according to the previous embodiment, redundant descriptions of components substantially the same as or similar to those of the previous embodiment will be omitted, and hereinafter, the previous embodiment The difference between and will be explained.
[64]
Referring to FIG. 8 , the battery pack 20 may include a battery cell assembly 100 and a cooling unit 205 .
[65]
Since the battery cell assembly 100 is substantially the same as or similar to the previous embodiment, a redundant description will be omitted below.
[66]
A plurality of grooves 290 having a predetermined length in at least one of a longitudinal direction and a height direction of the cooling unit 205 may be formed on an outer surface of the cooling unit 205 . The cooling unit 290 according to the present embodiment may further secure an outer surface area of ​​the cooling unit 205 through the plurality of grooves 290 .
[67]
9 is a view for explaining a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[68]
Referring to FIG. 9 , the battery pack 1 includes at least one battery module 10 and 20 and a pack case 50 for packaging the at least one battery module 10 and 20 according to the previous embodiment. may include
[69]
The battery pack 1 may be provided in the vehicle as a fuel source for the vehicle. By way of example, the battery pack 1 may be provided in an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, and any other manner in which the battery pack 1 may be used as a fuel source in the vehicle. In addition, of course, the battery pack 1 may be provided in other devices, instruments and facilities, such as an energy storage system using a secondary battery, in addition to the vehicle.
[70]
As such, the battery pack 1 according to the present embodiment includes the battery modules 10 and 20 described above, and the battery pack 1 having all the advantages of the battery modules 10 and 20 described above. ) can be implemented.
[71]
10 is a diagram for explaining a power storage device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[72]
Referring to FIG. 10 , the power storage device E may be used as an energy source for home or industrial use. The power storage device E may include at least one of the previous embodiments, in the present embodiment, a plurality of battery packs 1 and a container C accommodating the plurality of battery packs 1 .
[73]
The power storage device E according to this embodiment includes the battery pack 1 of the previous embodiment, so a power storage device E including all the advantages of the battery pack 1 of the previous embodiment. can provide
[74]
According to various embodiments as described above, when an abnormal situation occurs in at least one battery cell 110 , the battery module 10 capable of suppressing heat propagation and thermal runaway, the battery pack 1 including the same, and power storage A device (E) may be provided.
[75]
As a result, in the present embodiment, through the cooling unit 200, when an abnormal condition occurs in at least one battery cell 110, heat propagation and thermal runaway can be more effectively and fundamentally suppressed in the battery module 10 unit. there is.
[76]
In the above, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, but the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and it is common in the technical field to which the present invention pertains without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims. Various modifications may be made by those having the knowledge of, of course, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical spirit or perspective of the present invention.
Claims
[Claim 1]
A battery module comprising: a plurality of battery cell assemblies including a plurality of battery cells stacked on each other; and at least one cooling unit provided between the plurality of battery cell assemblies, filled with a predetermined cooling water, and having at least one membrane member at one end that opens and closes according to a change in internal pressure. battery module with
[Claim 2]
The battery module according to claim 1, wherein the at least one membrane member is opened to communicate the inside of the at least one cooling unit with the outside when the internal pressure is greater than or equal to a predetermined pressure.
[Claim 3]
According to claim 1, wherein the at least one cooling unit, The cooling water; a main case filled with the coolant; a cover case surrounding the main case; and the at least one membrane member provided in at least one of the cover case and the main case and exposed outside the cover case.
[Claim 4]
The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one membrane member comprises: a membrane hole provided at an upper end of the main case; and a membrane filter provided at a position corresponding to the membrane hole and opened and closed in the cover case according to a change in the internal pressure.
[Claim 5]
The battery module according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of the membrane members are provided, and the plurality of membrane members are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.
[Claim 6]
The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one membrane member seals the inside of the main case when the internal pressure is less than a predetermined pressure, and communicates the interior of the main case with the exterior of the cover case when the internal pressure is greater than or equal to a predetermined pressure A battery module, characterized in that.
[Claim 7]
The battery module according to claim 3, wherein the main case is made of a metal material.
[Claim 8]
The battery module according to claim 3, wherein the cover case is made of an insulating material.
[Claim 9]
at least one battery module according to claim 1; and a pack case for packaging the at least one battery module.
[Claim 10]
The power storage device comprising a; at least one battery pack according to claim 9.