BATTERY PACK, AND ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM AND VEHICLE INCLUDING THE BATTERY PACK

Abstract

A battery pack has improved safety. The battery pack includes a battery module having at least one battery cell; and a thermal runaway suppression unit mounted to one side of the battery module and configured to form a positive pressure inside the battery module when an abnormal situation occurs in any one battery cell.

Claims

1. A battery pack comprising: at least one battery module having at least one battery cell; and a thermal runaway suppressor mounted to one side of the at least one battery module and configured to form a positive pressure inside the at least one battery module when an abnormal situation occurs in the at least one battery cell.

2. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the thermal runaway suppressor injects a fire extinguishing agent into the at least one battery module in case of the abnormal situation.

3. The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein the thermal runaway suppressor keeps a pressure at a center in the at least one battery module higher than a pressure at an edge in the at least one battery module in the event of an abnormal situation by injecting the fire extinguishing agent.

4. The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein the thermal runaway suppressor includes: a fire extinguishing tank for supplying the fire extinguishing agent; and a fire extinguishing agent supply line configured to connect the fire extinguishing tank and the at least one battery module and installed through one side of the at least one battery module.

5. The battery pack according to claim 4, wherein the fire extinguishing agent supply line is installed through an upper side of the at least one battery module.

6. The battery pack according to claim 5, wherein the fire extinguishing agent supply line is installed through a center part of the upper side of the at least one battery module.

7. The battery pack according to claim 4, wherein the fire extinguishing agent supply line includes: a connection line connected to the fire extinguishing tank and provided with a predetermined length; and an injection nozzle provided on the connection line to penetrate the at least one battery module.

8. The battery pack according to claim 7, wherein the fire extinguishing agent supply line includes a line cover covering the connection line.

9. The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein the fire extinguishing agent is a fire extinguishing gas having cooling properties.

10. An energy storage system, comprising the battery pack according to claim 1.

11. A vehicle, comprising the battery pack according to claim 1.

12. The battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the at least one battery module is a plurality of battery modules stacked in a first direction, and wherein the thermal runaway suppressor includes: a fire extinguishing tank for supplying the fire extinguishing agent; and a fire extinguishing agent supply line configured to connect to the fire extinguishing tank and extending in the first direction.

13. The battery pack according to claim 12, wherein the fire extinguishing agent supply line has a plurality of injection nozzles respectively connected to the plurality of battery modules.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0031] The accompanying drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure and together with the foregoing disclosure, serve to provide further understanding of the technical features of the present disclosure, and thus, the present disclosure is not construed as being limited to the drawing.

[0032] FIG. 1 is a view for describing a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0033] FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the battery pack of FIG. 1.

[0034] FIG. 3 is a view for describing a fire extinguishing agent supply line of a thermal runaway suppression unit of the battery pack of FIG. 2.

[0035] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing one battery module included in the battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of a form in which some components of FIG. 4 are separated or removed.

[0037] FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the inside of a battery module in the battery pack of FIG. 1.

[0038] FIGS. 7 to 9 are views for describing the operation of a thermal runaway suppression unit in an abnormal situation occurs in any one battery module of the battery pack of FIG. 1.

BEST MODE

[0039] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to the description, it should be understood that the terms used in the specification and the appended claims should not be construed as limited to general and dictionary meanings, but interpreted based on the meanings and concepts corresponding to technical aspects of the present disclosure on the basis of the principle that the inventor is allowed to define terms appropriately for the best explanation.

[0040] Therefore, the description proposed herein is just a preferable example for the purpose of illustrations only, not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure, so it should be understood that other equivalents and modifications could be made thereto without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0041] Meanwhile, in the present specification, terms indicating directions such as up, down, left, right, front, and back may be used, but these terms are only for convenience of description, and it is obvious to those skilled in the art that they may vary depending on the location of the target object or the location of the observer.

[0042] FIG. 1 is a view for describing a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the battery pack of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a view for describing a fire extinguishing agent supply line of a thermal runaway suppression unit of the battery pack of FIG. 2.

[0043] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a battery pack may include a battery module 100 and a thermal runaway suppression unit 300.

[0044] The battery module 100 may include at least one battery cell (110, see FIG. 5) to store and release energy. Here, each battery cell 110 may mean a secondary battery.

[0045] Also, a plurality of battery modules 100 may be included in a battery pack. In particular, in order to improve the capacity and/or output of the battery pack, a plurality of battery modules 100 may be included in the battery pack as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In this case, the plurality of battery modules 100 may be stacked in at least one direction. As an example, FIGS. 1 and 2 show a form in which eight battery modules 100 are arranged in an X-axis direction (left and right direction).

[0046] An example of a more specific configuration of the battery module 100 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0047] The thermal runaway suppression unit 300 is mounted to one side of the battery module 100, and may be configured to form a positive pressure inside the battery module 100 when an abnormal situation occurs in any one battery cell 110.

[0048] In this embodiment, in this abnormal situation, since the thermal runaway suppression unit 300, which forms a positive pressure inside the battery module 100, suppresses an external air, specifically oxygen, from entering the inside of the battery module 100 where the abnormal situation occurs, it is possible to delay the thermal runaway situation from increasing as much as possible inside the battery module 100 in which the abnormal situation occurs.

[0049] Hereinafter, the thermal runaway suppression unit 300 will be described in more detail.

[0050] The thermal runaway suppression unit 300 may inject a fire extinguishing agent (R, see FIG. 8) into the battery module 100 in the event of the abnormal situation. Accordingly, the thermal runaway suppression unit 300 may directly suppress the abnormal situation such as a fire inside the battery module 100 where the abnormal situation occurs by injecting the fire extinguishing agent R.

[0051] Here, the fire extinguishing agent R may be provided as a fire extinguishing gas having cooling performance. For example, the fire extinguishing agent R may include a material having no reactivity and having a suffocating and cooling effect such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide.

[0052] Accordingly, in this embodiment, in the case of the abnormal situation, it is possible to promote faster and more rapid suppression of a fire situation through direct suffocating and cooling fire extinguishment inside the battery module 100 in which the abnormal situation has occurred.

[0053] Through the injection of the fire extinguishing agent R, the thermal runaway suppression unit 300 may keep the pressure (P1, see FIG. 9) at the center in the battery module 100 higher than the pressure at the edge (P2, see FIG. 9) in the battery module 100.

[0054] Accordingly, in this embodiment, through the thermal runaway suppression unit 300, the positive pressure inside the battery module 100 may be more effectively formed and maintained. Here, the injection of the fire extinguishing agent R may be performed up to about 10 minutes after the occurrence of an approximately abnormal situation is detected and the fire extinguishing agent R is injected.

[0055] Therefore, in this embodiment, a positive pressure is formed inside the battery module 100 where the abnormal situation occurs continuously for approximately 2 to 10 minutes by injecting the fire extinguishing agent R into the battery module 100 where the abnormal situation occurs, so that the inflow of an external air such as oxygen into the high-temperature battery module 100 where the abnormal situation occurs may be effectively blocked, and thus it is possible to suppress the heat transfer to adjacent battery modules 100 as much as possible while suppressing the internal situation of the battery module 100 in which the abnormal situation has occurred.

[0056] The thermal runaway suppression unit 300 may include a fire extinguishing tank 310 and a fire extinguishing agent supply line 330.

[0057] The fire extinguishing tank 310 is for supplying the fire extinguishing agent R, and may be provided outside the battery pack or mounted to one side of the battery pack. A storage space for storing the fire extinguishing agent R may be provided in the fire extinguishing tank 310.

[0058] The fire extinguishing agent supply line 330 connects the fire extinguishing tank 310 and the battery module 100, and may be installed through one side of the battery module 100. Specifically, the fire extinguishing agent supply line 330 is connected to each of the plurality of battery modules 100 and may connect the plurality of battery modules 100 to the fire extinguishing tank 310.

[0059] The fire extinguishing agent supply line 330 may be installed through the upper side of the battery module 100. Specifically, the fire extinguishing agent supply line 330 may be installed through the upper side of each of the plurality of battery modules 100. More specifically, the fire extinguishing agent supply line 330 may be installed through a center part of the upper side of each battery module 100 of the plurality of battery modules 100.

[0060] The fire extinguishing agent supply line 330 may include a connection line 332 and an injection nozzle 336.

[0061] The connection line 332 is connected to the fire extinguishing tank 310 and may have a predetermined length. The length of the connection line 332 may be designed in consideration of the number of the plurality of battery modules 100, the location of the fire extinguishing tank 310, or the like.

[0062] An inner channel for the flow of the fire extinguishing agent R may be provided in the connection line 332. The inner channel may communicate with the fire extinguishing tank 310 and an injection nozzle 336 to be described later.

[0063] The injection nozzle 336 is provided on the connection line 332 and may penetrate the battery module 100. The injection nozzle 336 may communicate with the inner channel of the connection line 332 to inject the fire extinguishing agent R into the battery module 100.

[0064] The injection nozzle 336 may be provided in plurality. The plurality of injection nozzles 336 are spaced apart from each other at a predetermined distance along the connection line 332 and may be installed through each of the plurality of battery modules 100.

[0065] Meanwhile, the injection nozzle 336 may include a glass bulb. The glass bulb 333 is configured to cover the injection hole of the injection nozzle 336 so as to seal the inner channel of the injection nozzle 336, but may be configured to open the injection hole as at least a portion thereof is damaged when the inside of the battery module 100 is at a predetermined temperature or higher.

[0066] The glass bulb is filled with a predetermined material such as a predetermined liquid or gas. Such a predetermined material may have a property of increasing in volume as the temperature increases.

[0067] Specifically, the glass bulb may be broken, melted, or separated from the injection nozzle 336 by the volume expansion of the predetermined material at a predetermined temperature, for example 70? C. to 100? C. or higher, to open the injection hole, thereby guiding the injection of the fire extinguishing agent R into the battery module 100.

[0068] The fire extinguishing agent supply line 330 may further include a line cover 338.

[0069] The line cover 338 may be provided to cover the connection line 332. Specifically, the line cover 338 may be provided to cover the connection line 332 at one side of the battery modules 100. More specifically, the line cover 338 may be provided to cover a portion of the connection line 332 disposed on the upper side of the battery modules 100.

[0070] The line cover 338 may prevent damage or breakage of the connection line 332 that may be caused by an external shock or the like. In addition, the line cover 338 may prevent the fire extinguishing agent R, which may leak due to damage or breakage of the connection line 332, from leaking to the outside.

[0071] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing one battery module included in the battery pack according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of a form in which some components of FIG. 4 are separated or removed, and FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the inside of a battery module in the battery pack of FIG. 1.

[0072] Referring to FIGS. 4 to 6 and FIGS. 1 to 3 above, the battery module 100 may include a battery cell 110 (secondary battery).

[0073] Here, the battery cell 110 may include an electrode assembly, an electrolyte solution (electrolyte), and a battery case. Although a pouch-type secondary battery is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, other types of secondary batteries, such as cylindrical batteries or prismatic batteries, may be included in the battery module 100.

[0074] Such a secondary battery may be included in plurality. For example, as shown in the drawing, the cell assembly may be configured in a form in which a plurality of pouch-type secondary batteries are stacked in a vertical direction in a state in which the plurality of pouch-type secondary batteries are laid down. At this time, the electrode leads 111 of each battery may be in direct contact with each other or electrically connected through a bus bar or the like.

[0075] In addition, the battery module 100 may include a module terminal 140. For example, in the battery module 100, the electrode leads 111 of each battery cell 110 may be located on the front and/or rear side, and the module terminal 140 may be located in a form electrically connected to the electrode lead 111.

[0076] In particular, the module terminal 140 is located on the front and/or rear side of the battery module 100 and may be configured to protrude forward and/or rearward. Moreover, each battery module 100 may include a positive electrode module terminal (+) and a negative electrode module terminal (?) as the module terminal 140. At this time, the positive electrode module terminal (+) and the negative electrode module terminal (?) may be located on the same side of the battery module 100, for example, on the front (?Y-axis direction) side as shown in the drawing.

[0077] The module terminal 140 may allow the secondary battery (battery cell 110) included in the battery module 100 to be electrically connected to other components outside the battery module 100, such as other battery modules 100.

[0078] The battery module 100 may include a module case 120 and a bus bar assembly 130.

[0079] Here, the module case 120 may be configured to accommodate at least one secondary battery in an inner space. For example, the module case 120 may include an upper plate 121, a lower plate 122, and a side plate 123 as shown in the drawing. In addition, the plurality of plates may be coupled to each other to accommodate the battery assembly in a limited inner space.

[0080] Here, some plates included in the module case 120, such as the lower plate 122 and the side plate 123 (left plate, right plate), may be integrated with each other. In this case, the integrated shape of the lower plate 122 and the side plate 123 may be approximately U-shaped.

[0081] Alternatively, the lower plate 122, the side plate 123, and the upper plate 121 may be configured in a tubular and monoframe form integrated with each other. Each plate of the module case 120 may define an inner space in a state of being coupled to each other. In addition, the cell assembly may be accommodated in this inner space.

[0082] The module case 120 may include a nozzle mounting portion 125 for penetrating mounting of the injection nozzle 336 of the fire extinguishing agent supply line 330. Specifically, the nozzle mounting portion 125 may be provided to the upper plate 121. More specifically, the nozzle mounting portion 125 may be provided at the central of the upper side of the upper plate 121.

[0083] Through this nozzle mounting portion 125, the injection nozzle 336 of the fire extinguishing agent supply line 330 may penetrate the inside of the module case 120 to inject the fire extinguishing agent (R, see FIG. 8) in the event of the abnormal situation.

[0084] The module case 120 may be configured such that at least one side is open. In addition, the electrode lead 111 of the cell assembly may be positioned in this open portion.

[0085] In particular, the battery module 100 may include a bus bar assembly 130 to be coupled to the open portion of the module case 120. For example, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the bus bar assembly 130 may be coupled to front and rear opening portions of the module case 120. The electrode leads 111 of the battery assembly may be located in the front and rear portions of the module case 120.

[0086] In addition, the bus bar assembly 130 may be coupled with the electrode lead 111. As a more specific example, the bus bar assembly 130 may include a bus bar housing 131 and a module bus bar 132 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0087] Here, the bus bar housing 131 may be made of an electrically insulating material, such as a plastic material. In addition, the bus bar housing 131 may be configured such that the module bus bar 132 is seated and fixed.

[0088] Also, the module bus bar 132 may be made of an electrically conductive material, such as a metal material. In addition, the module bus bar 132 may be configured to electrically connect two or more electrode leads 111 or to transmit sensing information to a control unit such as a battery management system (BMS) by being connected to at least one electrode lead 111.

[0089] As such, in the case of the battery module 100 included in the battery pack according to the present disclosure, only a specific portion, for example, the front side and the rear side where the bus bar assembly 130 is located may be opened and the remaining portions may be configured to be sealed.

[0090] In this case, when a venting gas or the like is generated inside the battery module 100, the venting gas may be induced to be discharged only to the open portion of the module case 120, for example, the front side and the rear side where the bus bar assembly 130 is located. In particular, a slit may be formed in the bus bar assembly 130 so that the electrode lead 111 can pass therethrough.

[0091] The pack case 200 may be provided on at least one side of the plurality of battery modules 100. In addition, the pack case 200 may be configured to cover at least a part of the outer side of the battery module 100.

[0092] Moreover, the pack case 200 may be configured to define an inner space and accommodate a plurality of battery module 100 in the inner space. That is, the pack case 200 may be configured to surround at least a part of the outer side of the stack of the battery modules 100.

[0093] For example, the pack case 200 may include a front case 210, a rear case 220, and a side case 230 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. In this case, the pack case 200 is located at the front end, the rear end, and the left side of the stack of the battery modules 100, and may be said to cover the corresponding portions of the stack of the battery modules 100.

[0094] A pack terminal may be provided on at least one side of the pack case 200. Such a pack terminal may function as a terminal capable of exchanging power with an external charging device or discharging device for the battery pack.

[0095] The pack case 200 may be configured to guide gas when gas is generated from at least one battery module 100 among the plurality of battery modules 100 included in the battery pack. In particular, the pack case 200 may guide the discharge direction of the gas by allowing the venting gas to flow along the inner surface.

[0096] In this case, it can be said that at least a part of the pack case 200 functions as a duct in the battery pack. In addition, in the pack case 200, a discharge hole H1 may be formed on at least one side so that the venting gas can be discharged to the outside.

[0097] In this configuration, the pack case 200 may include a melting member configured to be melted by the venting gas discharged from the battery module 100. That is, the venting gas discharged from the battery module 100 may have a high temperature.

[0098] Furthermore, the venting gas discharged from the battery module 100 may include flames, sparks, high-temperature electrodes or active material particles. Therefore, the melting member may be melted by coming into contact with or becoming adjacent to this hot venting gas.

[0099] FIGS. 7 to 9 are views for describing the operation of a thermal runaway suppression unit in an abnormal situation occurs in any one battery module of the battery pack of FIG. 1.

[0100] Referring to FIGS. 7 to 9, a thermal event may occur due to an abnormal situation such as overheating in a specific battery module 100 of the battery pack. At this time, the thermal runaway suppression unit 300 may inject fire extinguishing agent R into the specific battery module 100 in which an abnormal situation has occurred.

[0101] Specifically, the fire extinguishing tank 310 of the thermal runaway suppression unit 300 may supply the fire extinguishing agent R to the fire extinguishing agent supply line 330. Then, the fire extinguishing agent R, which has moved through the inner channel of the connection line 332 of the fire extinguishing agent supply line 330, may be injected into the specific battery module 100 where the abnormal situation has occurred, from the fire extinguishing agent supply line 330 through the injection nozzle 336 mounted through the specific battery module 100 where the abnormal situation has occurred.

[0102] Here, as the injection nozzle 336 is provided at the center of the upper side of the battery module 100, the fire extinguishing agent R may be injected from the center of the upper side of the battery module 100 and move to the lower side and both side edges inside the battery module 100.

[0103] When the fire extinguishing agent R is injected through the injection nozzle 336, inside the battery module 100, the pressure at the center P1 in the battery module 100 equipped with the injection nozzle 336 may be kept higher than the pressure P2 at both side edges in the battery module 100 to form a positive pressure inside the battery module 100.

[0104] Here, the thermal runaway suppression unit 300 can control to form and maintain a positive pressure inside the specific battery module 100 for about 10 minutes from the occurrence or detection of a thermal event in the specific battery module 100 as described above.

[0105] Accordingly, in this embodiment, through the thermal runaway suppression unit 300, it is possible to suppress an external air such as oxygen from entering the inside of the battery module 100 through both side edges of the battery module 100 as much as possible, so that a larger fire or explosion that may be caused through the inflow of oxygen may be suppressed as much as possible.

[0106] In addition, in this embodiment, through the direct injection of the fire extinguishing agent R into the battery module 100, the cooling fire extinguishment inside the battery module 100 in which the abnormal situation has occurred may be is implemented in itself, so that an abnormal situation such as a fire may be more quickly and directly suppressed. Therefore, in this embodiment, through the thermal runaway suppression unit 300, thermal runaway toward battery modules 100 adjacent to the battery module 100 in which the abnormal situation has occurred may be effectively prevented.

[0107] The battery pack according to the present disclosure may further include various other components of the battery pack known at the time of filing the present disclosure. For example, the battery pack according to the present disclosure may further include components such as a battery management system (BMS), a current sensor, and a fuse.

[0108] An energy storage system according to the present disclosure may include one or more battery packs according to the present disclosure. In particular, the energy storage system may include a plurality of battery packs according to the present disclosure in a form electrically connected to each other in order to have a large energy capacity.

[0109] The energy storage system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be an industrial energy storage system, or a residential (building) energy storage system for home or office used to store energy in a house, office, or building.

[0110] In addition, the energy storage system according to the present disclosure may further include various other components of energy storage systems known at the time of filing of this application. Moreover, the energy storage system may be used in various places or devices, such as a smart grid system or an electric charging station.

[0111] Also, a vehicle according to the present disclosure may include at least one battery pack according to the present disclosure. In addition, the vehicle according to the present disclosure may further include various other components included in a vehicle in addition to the battery pack. For example, the vehicle according to the present disclosure may further include a vehicle body, a motor, and a control device such as an electronic control unit (ECU), in addition to the battery pack according to the present disclosure.

[0112] According to various embodiments as described above, it is possible to provide a battery pack capable of preventing thermal runaway in the event of an abnormal situation of a battery module 100, and an energy storage system and a vehicle including the battery pack.

[0113] While the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, various modifications may be made by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from the gist of the present disclosure as defined by the claims, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical feature or prospect of the present disclosure.