Abstract: A battery pack and method of cooling a battery pack. In one form, the battery pack is an assembly made up of numerous battery cells arranged within numerous modules. Cooling channels that receive cooling fluid from a ducted supply are placed between adjacent cells or cooling plates within each of the modules. The ducted supply includes beads or related area-increasing undulations that are designed to improve both the stiffness of the ducting as well as the uniformity of the flow rates of individual cooling channels within each of the modules. In one form, the pressure-enhancing beads are placed in an inlet portion of the ducting that is adjacent a forward portion of one or more of the sequentially-encountered modules in order to promote a more equitable distribution of the cooling fluid between the various cooling channels within each of the modules.

Abstract: A battery pack and method of cooling a battery pack. In one form, the battery pack is an assembly made up of numerous battery cells arranged within numerous modules. Cooling channels that receive cooling fluid from a ducted supply are placed between adjacent cells or cooling plates within each of the modules. The ducted supply includes beads or related area-increasing undulations that are designed to improve both the stiffness of the ducting as well as the uniformity of the flow rates of individual cooling channels within each of the modules. In one form, the pressure-enhancing beads are placed in an inlet portion of the ducting that is adjacent a forward portion of one or more of the sequentially-encountered modules in order to promote a more equitable distribution of the cooling fluid between the various cooling channels within each of the modules.

Abstract: A battery module having a cooling plate assembly made from two non-contiguous cooling plates is provided. Each cooling plate has a side panel contiguous with a base panel, and the cooling plates are disposed opposite one another such that the base panels are coplanar and separated by a gap. An inlet duct runs along an upper edge of each side panel, and a manifold having coolant channels in fluid communication with the inlet duct is located in each side panel. The base panels have an outlet duct in fluid communication with the manifold. The cooling plate is designed to decrease friction loss as coolant flows through the inlet duct, manifold and outlet cut, and coolant channels in the manifold are designed to maintain a uniform flow rate across the manifold. Individual cells are disposed in the assembly such that the cell sides and bottoms are in heat-transfer contact with the plate side and base panels, respectively.

Abstract: A battery module having a cooling plate assembly made from two non-contiguous cooling plates is provided. Each cooling plate has a side panel contiguous with a base panel, and the cooling plates are disposed opposite one another such that the base panels are coplanar and separated by a gap. An inlet duct runs along an upper edge of each side panel, and a manifold having coolant channels in fluid communication with the inlet duct is located in each side panel. The base panels have an outlet duct in fluid communication with the manifold. The cooling plate is designed to decrease friction loss as coolant flows through the inlet duct, manifold and outlet cut, and coolant channels in the manifold are designed to maintain a uniform flow rate across the manifold. Individual cells are disposed in the assembly such that the cell sides and bottoms are in heat-transfer contact with the plate side and base panels, respectively.