Phase Change Materials for Passive Cooling of EV Batteries

Battery module with integrated cooling plates filled with phase change material (PCM) to efficiently cool battery cells while minimizing temperature differences between cells. The module has multiple battery cells sandwiched between heat transfer interface plates. Cooling plates filled with PCM are inserted between adjacent cells to absorb heat from them. These plates contact the interface plates to receive heat. Cooling channels are coupled to the interface plates to transfer the heat to the outside. This allows cooling the cells with minimal weight compared to conventional methods like liquid immersion.

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Semiconductor cooling system for battery modules using phase change materials (PCMs) to improve cooling efficiency while reducing size compared to traditional systems. The cooling system involves arranging a base plate around the battery module sides to create a cavity filled with a PCM. A semiconductor cooling plate is mounted on the base plate with its cooling surface facing the PCM. This allows direct heat transfer between the PCM and the cooling plate. To enhance heat transfer, a U-shaped heat pipe extends into the PCM and connects to the cooling plate. This allows efficient heat transfer between the PCM, cooling plate, and heat pipe. A cover plate surrounds the PCM cavity and contains fins for additional heat dissipation. The fins extend out of the cover plate to directly exchange heat with the environment. The fins also have channels for air circulation. The fins, heat pipe, and PCM all provide efficient cooling without needing external cooling

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Thermal management system for batteries using a low melting point metal phase change material to passively regulate temperature without active cooling. The system has a shell with a cavity to hold the battery, a heat transfer element made of the same low melting point metal, and a storage cavity filled with the phase change material. As the battery heats up, it transfers heat to the heat transfer element which melts the phase change material. As the battery cools, the solidified phase change material absorbs heat. This provides passive thermal management in confined spaces without active cooling.

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A phase change heat transfer device for battery packs that improves heat dissipation without active cooling. The device has a cavity filled with a phase change material like paraffin. The cavity size and material are determined based on pack size and power. The device is attached to the pack surface. During charging, the pack heats the cavity material which absorbs excess heat. This reduces pack temperature rise and power consumption compared to active cooling.

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Battery module, battery pack, and energy storage system design to reduce temperature rise and differences, inhibit high temperatures, and improve cooling efficiency. The design involves a phase-change heat transfer device sandwiched between the battery pack and an interface material. The device has a cavity filled with a phase-change material that absorbs/releases heat. The interface material conducts heat between the pack and device. This reduces thermal resistance and allows the pack to utilize the phase-change material for cooling. It also provides a bonding layer to fix the pack and device together. The pack can have a liquid injection port for filling the device with phase-change material.

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Battery temperature control device for improving battery cooling and uniformity, using two-stage phase change materials (PCMs) and liquid cooling. The device has square batteries stacked with interleaved PCM plates and a liquid cooling plate surrounding them. The PCM plates have separate layers of metal and organic PCMs. This allows the batteries to be sandwiched between PCMs with different melting points. The metal PCM absorbs heat at lower temperatures and the organic PCM absorbs heat at higher temperatures, providing two-stage temperature control. The liquid cooling plate circulates fluid around the batteries to further dissipate heat. This provides additional cooling and helps prevent local hotspots.

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Battery module with improved thermal management that utilizes phase change material to absorb/release heat without requiring extra space. The module has battery core holes and phase change material holes arranged in a regular pattern. The phase change material columns are cylindrical and fit in the same-sized holes as the battery cores. This allows efficient utilization of space while still providing thermal management. The phase change material has a lower melting temperature than the battery cell operating temperature to effectively absorb/release heat.

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Battery module with improved thermal management for preventing overheating. The module has a regular arrangement of phase change material (PCM) holes interspersed between the battery core holes. This allows the PCM to absorb and release heat while making better use of space compared to surrounding the battery with a separate PCM block. The PCM holes can be cylindrical in shape for better packing density.

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Heat conducting member, battery module, battery and electric device with improved pole cooling for batteries. The heat conducting member has a hollow structure with a phase change working fluid filled inside. This allows rapid cooling of the battery pole by utilizing the phase change principle of the fluid. The cooling fluid contacts the pole to quickly absorb and dissipate heat, improving pole cooling efficiency compared to solid heat conductors.

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Battery heat management device for electric vehicles that uses a phase change material (PCM) to improve cooling efficiency and prevent PCM leakage. The battery pack has a heat exchanger with microchannel plates separated by spacers. The PCM is filled between the plates and batteries to transfer heat. This prevents PCM from flowing into the battery cells. The PCM encapsulation adheres to the plates and cells. The pack also has a thermal management system with temperature sensors and a refrigerant loop. The PCM provides internal cooling without external liquid loops. The spacers insulate between cells and the PCM prevents thermal bridging. The PCM protrusions fill gaps between plates. The pack has a flexible case with higher thermal expansion than the batteries/pack for expansion accommodation.

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Battery packs, power tools, lighting fixtures, and circuit boards with improved thermal management using composite phase change materials. The devices contain a composite heat absorber made of a combination of a main body phase change material and microcapsules. The composite absorber contacts at least one battery cell, motor, lamp element, or electronic component to absorb heat during operation. This provides localized heat dissipation without needing additional heat sinks or encapsulation. The composite absorber prevents leakage and material loss compared to pure phase change materials.

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Battery design with improved thermal management to prevent overheating and improve performance. The battery has a unique ear-shaped phase change device on the upper cover near the electrode. This device absorbs heat from the electrode during charging and changes phase from solid to liquid. The liquid then vaporizes and transfers the heat to the battery housing through a heat pipe. The vapor chamber provides additional heat transfer area. This isolated ear prevents internal battery heating and allows efficient external heat dissipation.

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Battery heat sink design that prevents flowing composite phase change materials from permeating into the bottom of a battery and reducing heat dissipation efficiency. The heat sink has a battery mounting case with a heat exchange device and encapsulated phase change material. The encapsulated phase change material fills between the heat exchange device and battery cell to transfer heat. This prevents the phase change material from flowing into the battery bottom and reducing heat dissipation.

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Heat management device for lithium batteries in electric vehicles that uses a combination of active and passive cooling techniques to maintain battery temperature within safe operating ranges. The device has a battery case filled with phase change material, which absorbs and releases heat. A fan is also inside the case to actively cool the battery. This combined approach provides efficient and continuous temperature control without relying solely on active or passive cooling methods. A temperature sensor and controller can start/stop the fan based on battery temperature readings.

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Heat sink for battery management systems (BMS) in electric vehicles that improves cooling effectiveness compared to conventional heat sinks. The heat sink has a closed cavity with a phase change material (PCM) filling. The PCM does not exceed 95% of the cavity volume when solid. When the BMS components heat up and reach the PCM's phase change temperature, the PCM melts and absorbs the BMS heat. This prevents BMS overheating and damage. The PCM volume limits prevent overflow and maintain cooling effectiveness. The closed cavity prevents airflow but allows PCM expansion.

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Battery module design that enables cooling of internal electronic components as well as the battery cells to improve performance and longevity. The module has a micro heat sink called a microPCM (micro phase change material) sandwiched between the battery cells and adjacent electronic components like the battery management system. This allows the microPCM to act as a heat sink to absorb and dissipate heat generated by the components and cells. It addresses the issue of nearby components heating the cells and causing imbalance.

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Battery pack design to prevent overheating, fire, and explosion in electric vehicle battery packs. The pack has a cooling medium filled inside, a phase change material (PCM) within the pack walls, and a heat absorbing member on the pack lid. When the pack gets too hot, the PCM changes phase and absorbs heat, while the absorber exchanges heat with the cells. The PCM and absorber also absorb heat from the cells, preventing internal temperatures from rising. The cooling medium circulates internally, aiding cooling. This uniformly cools cells, prevents overheating, suppresses fires/explosions.

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A thermal management system for electric vehicle batteries that uses multiple phase change materials (PCMs) to effectively remove heat from the batteries. The system consists of an array of unit cells, each containing a primary PCM in direct contact with the battery cell and a separate secondary PCM thermally coupled to the primary PCM via a heat bridge. This allows the PCMs to absorb and store a large amount of heat from the battery cells, reducing their operating temperature and improving performance and lifespan.

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Battery design with integrated heat dissipation to prevent thermal runaway propagation. The battery has a heat dissipation portion with a phase change material encapsulated in a shell that protrudes from the battery body. The phase change material absorbs heat rapidly and converts to a gaseous state, allowing it to exhaust to the outside through pressure relief or damaged housing. This absorbs some heat to prevent thermal runaway propagation between batteries.

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Battery pack design to improve temperature management using a phase change material. The battery pack has features like threaded connections between upper and lower cell brackets, and solid phase change material sandwiched between them. This allows the brackets to constrain the phase change material while still allowing it to absorb/release heat. The core cells are between the upper and lower brackets. The phase change material absorbs/releases heat to equalize temperatures between cells. This prevents hot spots and improves pack lifetime. The threaded connections allow the brackets to move slightly to accommodate expansion/contraction of the phase change material during phase changes.

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