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DE-102019207136-B4 - Cooler for a battery, use of plastic tubes in a cooler, and battery with at least one cooler

DE102019207136B4DE 102019207136 B4DE102019207136 B4DE 102019207136B4DE-102019207136-B4

Abstract

A cooler for a battery, in particular of a vehicle, comprising several plastic tubes (12) which run substantially parallel to each other and are connected to at least one collector (20), wherein the collector (20) is formed by at least one frame part (16), characterized in that at least two rubber plates (14) are provided in the area of the connection between the collector (20) and the plastic tubes (12), wherein the plastic tubes (12) are layered between the at least two rubber plates (14) and pressure is exerted on the at least two rubber plates (14) by the plastic tubes (12) and the at least one frame part (16).

Inventors

  • Ján Gregus-Kollár
  • Josef Lapcik

Assignees

  • HANON SYSTEMS

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20190516

Claims (10)

  1. A cooler for a battery, in particular of a vehicle, comprising several plastic tubes (12) which run substantially parallel to each other and are connected to at least one collector (20), wherein the collector (20) is formed by at least one frame part (16), characterized in that at least two rubber plates (14) are provided in the area of the connection between the collector (20) and the plastic tubes (12), wherein the plastic tubes (12) are layered between the at least two rubber plates (14). are and on which at least two rubber plates (14) pressure is exerted by the plastic tubes (12) and at least one frame part (16).
  2. Cooler for a battery after Claim 1 , characterized in that the plastic tubes (12) have an outer diameter (D) of 0.3 to 1.2 mm, in particular 0.4 to 1.0 mm.
  3. Cooler for a battery according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plastic tubes (12) have a wall thickness (A) of 0.04 to 0.12 mm, in particular 0.05 to 0.1 mm.
  4. Cooler for a battery according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plastic tubes (12) are made of a polymer such as polypropylene, polycarbonate or polytetrafluoroethylene and/or extruded.
  5. Cooler for a battery according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the plastic tubes (12) are integrated with their ends into a frame, preferably made of plastic.
  6. Use of plastic tubes (12) in a cooler for a battery, according to at least one of the Claims 1 until 5 , especially a vehicle.
  7. Battery, especially of a vehicle, with at least one cooler after at least one of the Claims 1 until 5 .
  8. Battery after Claim 7 , characterized in that the plastic tubes (12) are in contact with a surface of a battery or a battery cell (10) thereof.
  9. Battery after Claim 7 or 8 , characterized in that battery cells (10) are stacked therein, and plastic tubes (12) are located between the battery cells (10).
  10. Battery after one of the Claims 7 until 9 , characterized in that frame parts (16) of the battery are screwed together and thereby fastened to one another.

Description

TECHNICAL AREA The invention relates to a cooler for a battery, the use of plastic tubes in a cooler for a battery, and a battery with at least one such cooler. Batteries or accumulators, such as those used in electric or hybrid vehicles, heat up under certain conditions, such as during charging. They therefore need to be cooled. STATE OF THE ART From the EP 0 596 778 A1 This results in a battery with lateral chambers through which coolant can flow. A cooler for a battery is also known from the DE 10 2012 217 876 A1 , the DE 10 2012 217 870 A1 and the US 2013/0 171 491 A1 . PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION The invention is based on the objective of providing measures for improved cooling of batteries. This problem is solved, firstly, by the cooler described in claim 1. Consequently, it features several plastic tubes which, as described in more detail below, are comparatively thin and/or have a comparatively thin wall thickness. It should be mentioned that initial publications from BRNO University of Technology (for example) Raudenský, M., Astrouski, I., & Bozova, T. (2016). Polymeric holofiber heat exchangers. WIT Transactions on Engineering Sciences, 106, 95. https://doi.org/10.2495/HT160101, ISBN 978-1-78466-109-0 ) with regard to the use of such tubes in radiators for the engine coolant of vehicles. However, this area of application differs considerably from that of the present invention, in which thin plastic tubes or hoses are used for cooling a battery, in particular individual cells thereof. Such tubes are particularly advantageous in the context of the invention because they require comparatively little space and simultaneously have a particularly large contact area, thus enabling particularly good cooling. Furthermore, the elasticity of the plastic tubes can be used to great advantage in connection with the invention, since batteries and their cells change in size when heated, especially during charging, and these dimensional changes can be accommodated by the elasticity of the plastic tubes. In other words, the plastic tubes participate in the dimensional changes, and no impairment of function is to be feared even with repeated dimensional changes. Furthermore, the invention offers the advantage that impurities, particularly electrically conductive impurities such as metal particles or particles from other materials, which can occur during the manufacture of conventional metal heat exchangers, can be reliably avoided in the cooling fluid, especially cooling water, circuit. This is particularly advantageous for applications such as those in fuel cell vehicles. High demands are placed on purity and low electrical conductivity in these applications, which cannot be guaranteed by conventional coolers made of soldered aluminum components. In particular, no electrical insulation measures are required. Compared to these known coolers, the invention also offers the advantage of significantly simplifying both the assembly of a cooled battery and, if necessary, its disassembly and/or dismantling. Moreover, the cooler according to the invention has a comparatively low weight. The plastic tubes are arranged essentially parallel to each other to define a specific flow direction. When "the plastic tubes" are mentioned above and below, it should be understood that the measures described preferably apply to all plastic tubes; however, the stated advantages are also achieved if the measures are applied to the majority of the plastic tubes, some of them, or, in extreme cases, at least one plastic tube. In particular, applications are also conceivable in which several plastic tubes are arranged in a grid-like pattern, i.e., intersecting each other. Good cooling performance is also expected in this case. To supply the numerous plastic tubes with cooling fluid, they are connected to at least one collector, which is preferably formed by at least one frame part. For sealing purposes, it has proven advantageous to use a seal at the joint between two yards. The ends of the tubes should be fitted with at least one, preferably two, rubber plates. Preferred embodiments of the cooler according to the invention are described in the further claims. With regard to the dimensions of the plastic tubes, an outer diameter of 0.3 to 1.2 mm, especially 0.4 to 1.0 mm, is currently considered advantageous. This applies equally to a wall thickness of 0.04 to 0.12 mm, in particular 0.05 to 0.1 mm, which ensures sufficient heat transfer. The plastic tubes can be made from a polymer such as polypropylene, polycarbonate or polytetrafluoroethylene and produced by extrusion. It should be noted that this type of connection between numerous plastic tubes and a collector, namely mounted between rubber plates, is independent of the use of the cooler or heat exchanger according to the invention for cooling a battery. In other words, such a connection for any heat exchanger is to be considered the subject of the present disclosure. As already evident f