Patent Description:
Meanwhile, when a plurality of battery cells are connected in series or in parallel to configure a battery pack, it is common to configure a battery module including at least one battery cell first, and then configure a battery pack or a battery rack by using at least one battery module and adding other components. Here, according to various voltage and capacity requirements, an energy storage system may be configured to include at least one battery rack that includes at least one battery module.

In the battery rack of the conventional energy storage system, when an abnormal situation occurs in at least one battery module among a plurality of battery modules inside the rack case, ignition may occur at the battery module where the abnormal situation occurs.

In the case where ignition occurs in any one battery module, if flame and heat propagate to adjacent battery modules, it may lead to additional ignition, resulting in serious property damage or great personal injury.

Therefore, there is a need to find a way to provide an energy storage system that may more quickly prevent propagation of flame and heat to adjacent battery modules when ignition occurs in at least one battery module among battery modules. <CIT> disclosed an energy storage system having battery management system that sends to each cold plate, control signal to control valve of cold plate in accordance with target flow rate.

The present disclosure is directed to providing an energy storage system, which may more quickly prevent propagation of flame and heat to adjacent battery modules when ignition occurs in at least one battery module among battery modules.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an energy storage system, comprising: a rack container having a predetermined accommodation space; a plurality of battery racks disposed in the rack container and respectively having a coolant tank in which a predetermined coolant is contained; and at least one flux supplement unit configured to connect the coolant tanks of the plurality of battery racks.

Each of the plurality of battery racks may include a plurality of battery modules stacked on each other along an upper and lower direction of the battery rack and respectively having at least one battery cell; a rack case configured to accommodate the plurality of battery modules; the coolant tank provided to an upper side of the rack case; a pipe unit configured to connect the coolant tank and the plurality of battery modules; and a valve unit provided between the pipe unit and the coolant tank and configured to be opened when at least one battery module has a temperature over a predetermined temperature among the plurality of battery modules to discharge the coolant of the coolant tank to the pipe unit so that the coolant is supplied to the battery module over the predetermined temperature.

When the valve unit is opened, the at least one flux supplement unit may supply the coolant to the coolant tank connected to the opened valve unit so as to prevent the flux of the coolant input to the battery module over the predetermined temperature from decreasing as the amount of the coolant in the coolant tank is reduced.

The at least one flux supplement unit may have an internal flow path for the flow of the coolant and connect the coolant tank of the battery rack to the coolant tank of at least one battery rack adjacent thereto.

The at least one flux supplement unit may include a connection pipe having the internal flow path and formed in a predetermined length; and at least one flow valve provided to the connection pipe to open or close the internal flow path.

Each of the plurality of battery racks may include at least one temperature sensor provided to the rack case to sense the temperature of the plurality of battery modules.

Each of the plurality of battery racks may include a control unit electrically connected to the at least one temperature sensor, the valve unit and the at least one flux supplement unit to control operations of the valve unit and the flux supplement unit.

The flux supplement unit may be provided in plural to connect the coolant tanks of the plurality of battery racks.

The plurality of flux supplement units may be disposed along at least one direction of the plurality of battery racks.

The pipe unit may include a main pipe connected to the valve unit; and a plurality of module pipes connected to the main pipe and respectively connected to the battery modules.

According to various embodiments as above, it is possible to provide an energy storage system, which may more quickly prevent propagation of flame and heat to adjacent battery modules when ignition occurs in at least one of battery modules.

<FIG> is a diagram for illustrating an energy storage system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, <FIG> is a diagram for illustrating a battery rack of the energy storage system of <FIG>, <FIG> is a diagram for illustrating a pipe unit of the battery rack of the energy storage system of <FIG>, <FIG> is a partially sectioned view showing the pipe unit of <FIG>, <FIG> is a sectioned view showing the pipe unit of <FIG>, taken along the line A-A', <FIG> are diagrams for illustrating hydraulic pressure adjusting units according to various embodiments of the pipe unit of <FIG>, <FIG> is a diagram for illustrating a valve unit of the battery rack of <FIG>, <FIG> is a diagram for illustrating a flux supplement unit of the energy storage system of <FIG>, and <FIG> are diagrams for illustrating various connection patterns of the flux supplement unit of the energy storage system of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, an energy storage system <NUM> is an energy source and may be used for home or industrial use. The energy storage system <NUM> may include a plurality of battery racks <NUM>, a rack container <NUM>, and a flux supplement unit <NUM>.

The plurality of battery racks <NUM> may be disposed in a rack container <NUM>, explained later. The plurality of battery racks <NUM> may include two or more battery racks.

Each of the plurality of battery racks <NUM> may include a battery module <NUM>, a rack case <NUM>, a coolant tank <NUM>, a pipe unit <NUM>, a valve unit <NUM>, a temperature sensor <NUM>, and a control unit <NUM>.

The battery module <NUM> may be provided in plural. The plurality of battery modules <NUM> may be stacked on each other along an upper and lower direction of the battery rack <NUM>. Each of the plurality of battery modules <NUM> may include at least one battery cell <NUM>. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, each of the plurality of battery modules <NUM> will be described as including a plurality of battery cells <NUM>.

The plurality of battery cells <NUM> may be provided as secondary batteries, respectively. Specifically, the plurality of battery cells <NUM> may include at least one of pouch-type secondary batteries, rectangular secondary batteries, and cylindrical secondary batteries. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, it will be described that the plurality of battery cells <NUM> are pouch-type secondary batteries.

The rack case <NUM> may accommodate the plurality of battery modules <NUM>. The rack case <NUM> may accommodate the plurality of battery modules <NUM> to be stacked on each other in an upper and lower direction.

The coolant tank <NUM> may be provided to an upper side of the rack case <NUM>. The coolant tank <NUM> may contain a predetermined coolant therein. Accordingly, an accommodation space capable of accommodating the coolant may be provided in the coolant tank <NUM>. Here, the coolant may be provided as a liquid coolant. As an example, the coolant may be water. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the coolant will be described as water.

The pipe unit <NUM> may connect the coolant tank <NUM> and the plurality of battery modules <NUM>. The pipe unit <NUM> may guide the coolant of the coolant tank <NUM>, namely the water, to be supplied to the plurality of battery modules <NUM>.

The pipe unit <NUM> may include a main pipe <NUM>, a module pipe <NUM>, and a hydraulic pressure adjusting unit <NUM>.

The main pipe <NUM> is connected to a valve unit <NUM>, explained later, and may be elongated to have a predetermined length along an upper and lower direction of the rack case <NUM>. The main pipe <NUM> may be spaced apart from the rack case <NUM> by a predetermined interval.

The module pipe <NUM> is connected to the main pipe <NUM> and may be disposed in a horizontal direction from the main pipe <NUM>. The module pipe <NUM> is provided in plural, and the plurality of module pipes <NUM> may be connected to the battery modules <NUM>, respectively.

The plurality of module pipes <NUM> may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance along the upper and lower direction of the rack case <NUM>. The plurality of module pipes <NUM> may connect the main pipe <NUM> and the plurality of battery modules <NUM> to each other.

Each of the plurality of module pipes <NUM> may include a module valve <NUM>.

The module valve <NUM> may be provided to an internal flow path of each module pipe <NUM> to opened and closed. The module valve <NUM> may be electrically connected to a control unit <NUM>, explained later. Each module valve <NUM> may be operated to open or close the internal flow path of the module pipe <NUM> according to the control of the control unit <NUM>, explained later.

Meanwhile, the module valve <NUM> may also be configured to be opened or closed in a manner other than the control of the control unit <NUM>. As an example, the module valve <NUM> may be provided as a member that is melted down or cut off at a preset temperature or above to open the internal flow path of the module pipe <NUM> when the battery module <NUM> is abnormally heated, in a state of being mounted in the module pipe <NUM> to close the internal flow path of the module pipe <NUM>.

The hydraulic pressure adjusting unit <NUM> is for adjusting a hydraulic pressure according to the height of the main pipe <NUM>, and may be provided to an inner wall of the main pipe <NUM>. Specifically, the hydraulic pressure adjusting unit <NUM> may be provided in plural, and the plurality of hydraulic pressure adjusting units <NUM> may be disposed between the plurality of module pipes <NUM>, respectively, in the upper and lower direction of the main pipe <NUM>.

The plurality of hydraulic pressure adjusting units <NUM> may be formed to protrude by a predetermined length from the inner wall of the main pipe <NUM> toward a central portion of the main pipe <NUM>. The inner diameter of the main pipe <NUM> having the plurality of hydraulic pressure adjusting units <NUM> may be relatively reduced smaller than the inner diameter of the main pipe <NUM> not having the plurality of hydraulic pressure adjusting units <NUM>. Accordingly, a pipe loss may occur in the space of the main pipe <NUM> having the plurality of hydraulic pressure adjusting units <NUM> between the plurality of module pipes <NUM>. When the water flows through the main pipe <NUM>, this pipe loss offsets the pressure increased by gravity, so that the water may be supplied more evenly regardless of the height at any place of the plurality of module pipes <NUM>.

That is, since the hydraulic pressure is adjusted according to the height of the main pipe <NUM> by means of the plurality of hydraulic pressure adjusting units <NUM>, when the water is supplied, the water may be fed evenly at any place of the plurality of battery modules <NUM>, including an upper side, a lower side and a center side of the plurality of battery modules <NUM>. Consequently, the plurality of hydraulic pressure adjusting units <NUM> may guide the water to be input with a uniform flux regardless of the height of the battery modules <NUM>.

Meanwhile, the plurality of hydraulic pressure adjusting units <NUM> may also have other structures capable of causing a piping loss of the main pipe <NUM>. That is, as shown in <FIG>, a plurality of hydraulic pressure adjusting units <NUM> may be provided as a plurality of ribs that protrude from the inner wall of the main pipe <NUM> toward the center of the main pipe <NUM> in a radial direction, and, as shown in <FIG>, a plurality of hydraulic pressure adjusting units <NUM> may be provided in a disk shape in which a plurality of holes are formed.

The valve unit <NUM> is provided between the pipe unit <NUM> and the coolant tank <NUM>, and when at least one battery module <NUM> among the plurality of battery modules <NUM> has a predetermined temperature or above, the valve unit <NUM> may be opened to feed the water in the coolant tank <NUM> to the pipe unit <NUM> so that the water is supplied to the plurality of battery modules <NUM>.

The valve unit <NUM> may include a valve body <NUM> and an opening/closing valve <NUM>.

The valve body <NUM> may connect the coolant tank <NUM> and the pipe unit <NUM>. A valve flow path <NUM> for the flow of the water may be provided inside the valve body <NUM>.

The opening/closing valve <NUM> is provided to be opened and closed in the valve body <NUM>, and may be disposed near the coolant tank <NUM>. The opening/closing valve <NUM> may close the valve flow path <NUM> when the temperature of the plurality of battery modules <NUM> is lower than a predetermined temperature, and open the valve flow path <NUM> when the temperature of at least one battery module <NUM> among the plurality of battery modules <NUM> is higher than the predetermined temperature.

The temperature sensor <NUM> is provided to the rack case <NUM>, and may sense the temperature of the plurality of battery modules <NUM>. The temperature sensor <NUM> may be provided in plural. The plurality of temperature sensors <NUM> may be disposed close to the battery modules <NUM>, respectively.

The control unit <NUM> may be electrically connected to various the plurality of battery modules <NUM>, the coolant tank <NUM>, the plurality of temperature sensors <NUM>, the module valve <NUM>, the valve unit <NUM>, a flow valve <NUM> of the flux supplement unit <NUM>, explained later, and various electric components of the battery rack <NUM> to control the operations of the battery rack <NUM> and the flux supplement unit <NUM>. For example, when a fire occurs due to abnormal heat generation of at least one battery module <NUM> among the plurality of battery modules <NUM>, the control unit <NUM> may control the operation of the opening/closing valve <NUM> of the valve unit <NUM>, the operation of the module valve <NUM> of the module pipe <NUM> connected to the at least one battery module <NUM> at which the abnormal heat generation occurs, and the operation of the flow valve <NUM> of the flux supplement unit <NUM>.

Seeing the configuration of the energy storage system <NUM> again, the rack container <NUM> may accommodate the plurality of battery racks <NUM>. To this end, the rack container <NUM> may have a predetermined accommodation space capable of accommodating the plurality of battery racks <NUM>.

The flux supplement unit <NUM> may connect the coolant tanks <NUM> of the plurality of battery racks <NUM> to each other. When the valve unit <NUM> of the at least one battery rack <NUM> is opened, the flux supplement unit <NUM> may guide the water to be supplied to the coolant tank <NUM> connected to the opened valve unit <NUM>, in order to prevent the flux of water flowing into the battery module <NUM> at the predetermined temperature or above from decreasing as the water in the coolant tank <NUM> of the at least one battery rack <NUM> where the valve unit <NUM> is opened is reduced.

The flux supplement unit <NUM> may connect the coolant tank <NUM> of at least one battery rack <NUM> among the plurality of battery racks <NUM> and the coolant tank <NUM> of at least one other battery rack <NUM> adjacent to the coolant tank <NUM> of the at least one battery rack <NUM> to each other.

Here, the flux supplement unit <NUM> may be connected to a lower end of the coolant tanks <NUM> of the battery rack <NUM>. Accordingly, when the flux supplement unit <NUM> is opened, the flow of water from one coolant tank <NUM> to another coolant tank <NUM> may be naturally performed by potential energy due to gravity.

At least one flux supplement unit <NUM> or a plurality of flux supplement units <NUM> may be provided. Hereinafter, in this embodiment, the flux supplement unit <NUM> will be described as being provided in plural.

The plurality of flux supplement units <NUM> may be provided to connect the coolant tanks <NUM> of the plurality of battery racks <NUM>, and may be disposed along at least one direction. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the plurality of flux supplement units <NUM> may be arranged in a one-dimensional shape along one direction of the plurality of battery racks <NUM>, namely the upper and lower direction. Meanwhile, as shown in <FIG>, the plurality of flux supplement units <NUM> may also be arranged in a two-dimensional shape in an upper and lower direction and a left and right direction according to the arrangement shape of the plurality of battery racks <NUM>. This is merely an example, and the plurality of flux supplement units <NUM> may be arranged in more diverse and flexible patterns according to the arrangement shape of the plurality of battery racks <NUM>.

Hereinafter, the plurality of flux supplement units <NUM> will be described in more detail.

Each of the plurality of flux supplement units <NUM> may include a connection pipe <NUM> and a flow valve <NUM>.

The connection pipe <NUM> is formed with a predetermined length and may have an internal flow path <NUM> for the flow of the water. The connection pipe <NUM> may be connected to the coolant tanks <NUM> of adjacent battery racks <NUM> to communicate therewith.

At least one flow valve <NUM> may be provided, and the at least one flow valve <NUM> may be provided to the connection pipe <NUM> to open and close the internal flow path <NUM>. The flow valve <NUM> may be electrically connected to the control unit <NUM>, and may be opened and closed according to the control of the control unit <NUM>.

Hereinafter, the operation of the energy storage system <NUM> when at least one battery module <NUM> of the battery racks <NUM> of the energy storage system <NUM> according to this embodiment is abnormally heated will be described in more detail.

<FIG> are diagrams for illustrating an operation of the energy storage system when at least one battery module of the battery rack of the energy storage system of <FIG> is abnormally heated.

Referring to <FIG>, in the energy storage system <NUM>, temperature may increase rapidly due to abnormal heat generation in at least one battery module <NUM> among the plurality of battery modules <NUM> of the plurality of battery racks <NUM>. When a fire occurs in the battery module <NUM> that is abnormally heated, if the fire is transferred to adjacent battery modules <NUM>, a greater risk such as explosion of the entire battery racks <NUM> may occur, so it is needed to rapidly block the transfer of the fire. That is, when at least one of the battery modules <NUM> ignites, it is necessary to more quickly block the propagation of flame and heat toward adjacent battery modules <NUM>.

In this embodiment, when the temperature rises due to abnormal heat generation in at least one battery module <NUM> among the plurality of battery modules <NUM> of the battery rack <NUM>, first, the temperature sensor <NUM> near the battery module <NUM> whose temperature rises due to abnormal heat generation or the like may sense the temperature rise. After that, if the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor <NUM> is higher than a preset predetermined temperature, the control unit <NUM> may open the opening/closing valve <NUM> of the valve unit <NUM> and the module valve <NUM> of the module pipe <NUM> connected to the battery module <NUM> that is heated over the preset predetermined temperature.

As the opening/closing valve <NUM> of the valve unit <NUM> is opened, the water W contained in the coolant tank <NUM> may be supplied to the pipe unit <NUM> along the valve flow path <NUM> of the valve body <NUM> of the valve unit <NUM>.

After that, the water W supplied to the main pipe <NUM> of the pipe unit <NUM> may flow toward the module pipe <NUM> at which the module valve <NUM> is opened, among the plurality of module pipes <NUM>, and be supplied to the battery module <NUM> that is heated abnormally.

Accordingly, the water is supplied to the battery module <NUM> that is abnormally heated, so that the battery module <NUM> having the abnormal heat may be cooled more quickly. That is, in this embodiment, by using the water in the coolant tank <NUM>, when a situation such as abnormal heat occurs, emergency cooling may be implemented by supplying the water to the battery module <NUM> that is abnormally heated. Thus, when at least one of the battery modules <NUM> ignites, the propagation of flame and heat to adjacent battery modules <NUM> may be prevented more quickly.

Meanwhile, when the water is supplied, the plurality of hydraulic pressure adjusting units <NUM> provided to the main pipe <NUM> may adjust the hydraulic pressure according to the height of the main pipe <NUM> so that the is supplied with the same flux at any place of the plurality of battery modules <NUM>. That is, in this embodiment, it is possible to guide the water W to be input evenly regardless of the height of the stacked battery modules <NUM> by means of the plurality of hydraulic pressure adjusting units <NUM>.

In other words, when supplying water for cooling the abnormally heated battery module <NUM>, the water may be guided to be input with a uniform flux by means of the hydraulic pressure adjusting units <NUM> regardless of the stack height, even though the stack height is different, for example in a case where a battery module <NUM> at an upper side is abnormally heated among the stacked battery modules <NUM>, in a case where a battery module <NUM> at a lower side is abnormally heated, in a case where a battery module <NUM> at the center is abnormally heated, or the like.

By using the plurality of hydraulic pressure adjusting units <NUM> as described above, the water supplied when the battery module <NUM> stacked at an upper side is abnormally heated, the water supplied when the battery module <NUM> stacked at a lower side is abnormally heated, and the water supplied when the battery module <NUM> stacked at the center may be supplied with a uniform flux.

Referring to <FIG>, when the water W is supplied to the battery module <NUM> that is abnormally heated, the amount of the water W inside the coolant tank <NUM> that supplies the water W may be reduced.

When of emergency cooling is performed to the battery module <NUM> that is abnormally heated, it is important that the water is input with the same flux for a certain period of time in order to maintain the cooling performance. If the amount of water contained in the coolant tank <NUM> that supplies the water W decreases, the hydraulic pressure decreases and the flux of water supplied to the abnormally heated battery module <NUM> may also decrease.

In this embodiment, in this case, the control unit <NUM> may detect the amount of water W in the coolant tank <NUM> that supplies the water W. If the amount of water W in the coolant tank <NUM> that supplies the water W to the abnormally heated battery module <NUM> is less than a preset predetermined amount, water W may be supplied from the coolant tank <NUM> of an adjacent battery rack <NUM> to the coolant tank <NUM> in which the amount of water is less than the preset predetermined amount.

Specifically, the control unit <NUM> may open the flow valve <NUM> of the flux supplement unit <NUM> to communicate the coolant tank <NUM> in which the amount of water is less than the preset predetermined amount with an adjacent coolant tank <NUM>. Accordingly, the water W of the adjacent coolant tank <NUM> may flow along the internal flow path <NUM> of the connection pipe <NUM> of the flux supplement unit <NUM> and be supplied to the coolant tank <NUM> in which the amount of water is less than the preset predetermined amount.

Accordingly, the coolant tank <NUM>, which discharges the water W for emergency cooling, may be supplemented with the water W from the adjacent coolant tank <NUM> through the flux supplement unit <NUM>, so that the water W may be continuously supplied to the abnormally heated battery module <NUM> for a certain period of time with the same flux.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when emergency cooling is performed to the battery module <NUM> that is abnormally heated, water may be input with the same flux for a certain period of time by means of the flux supplement unit <NUM>, so the cooling performance may be maintained for a certain time during the emergency cooling.

According to various embodiments as above, it is possible to provide an energy storage system <NUM>, which may more quickly prevent propagation of flame and heat to adjacent battery modules <NUM> when ignition occurs in at least one of battery modules <NUM>.

Claim 1:
An energy storage system (<NUM>), comprising:
a rack container (<NUM>) having a predetermined accommodation space; characterized by
a plurality of battery racks (<NUM>) disposed in the rack container (<NUM>) and respectively having a coolant tank (<NUM>) in which a predetermined coolant is contained; and
at least one flux supplement unit (<NUM>, <NUM>) configured to connect the coolant tanks (<NUM>) of the plurality of battery racks (<NUM>).