Patent ID: 8920951

Claim:
A battery module, including: a housing; at least one battery disposed in the housing; at least one inlet opening for introducing a compressed cooling fluid into the housing, the compressed cooling fluid being compressed by a compressor; and at least one outlet opening for carrying the compressed cooling fluid out of the housing, wherein the housing is configured to conduct the compressed cooling fluid from the at least one inlet opening to the at least one outlet opening past the at least one battery, and wherein the at least one battery is exposed to and contacted by the compressed cooling fluid such that the compressed cooling fluid absorbs heat from the at least one battery as the compressed cooling fluid is conducted from the at least one inlet to the at least one outlet, and wherein the battery module includes a relief device fluidly connected to the at least one outlet opening and configured to expand the cooling fluid discharged from the at least one outlet opening so as to reduce a pressure of the discharged cooling fluid.