Have you ever wondered how the temperature of an electric battery in a hybrid vehicle is kept within the right margins without sacrificing performance or safety?
Today we want to share a success story from Rogers Corporation, a leader in technical foams and high-performance solutions for the automotive industry, and show how at ZFoam, as official distributors and converters of their materials, we provide manufacturers and suppliers with the most advanced battery thermal management.
The challenge: keeping the battery´s temperature in the optimal range
In a hybrid vehicle, controlling the temperature of the battery is vital to extend its useful life and ensure efficient performance.. Lithium-ion cells expand and contract with each charge and discharge cycle, while suffering extreme thermal variations: from very low temperatures in winter to the intense heat of the engine compartment.
- Risks due to overheating or excessive cooling: Loss of autonomy and possible reduction of the battery’s useful life.
- Vibrations and changes in volume: Potential damage to the cells which, if not managed, can lead to safety issues.
With these challenges in mind, Rogers designed a solution that integrates a foam separator with very specific properties to ensure ideal thermal management of the batteries.
A foam separator that acts as a spring is the solution provided
Rogers’ innovation centres on a foam separator that sits between the battery cells and the cooling fins. This achieves:
- Constant contact:.
The foam ensures that the aluminium cooling fins remain in contact with the pouches containing the lithium-ion chemistry. - Uniform pressure:.
By acting as a spring, the foam compensates for the expansion and contraction of the cells, always keeping them at the optimum distance from the cooling fins. - Efficient thermal management:.
With this direct contact, heat is dissipated evenly, reducing overheating and protecting the battery from excessive temperatures.
Soft, fast-recovery foam
For the separator to fulfil its purpose, the choice of foam is crucial:
- Deflection by compression force (softness): This determines how ‘soft’ or ‘hard’ the foam is when compressed, and how it behaves at different pressures.
- Ideal compression curve: The shape of the compression curve must adapt to the expansion range of the cells, without exerting excessive pressure or falling short.
- Fast recovery: After being compressed, the foam quickly returns to its original shape, guaranteeing continuous and reliable operation.
ZFoam is an official distributor and processor for Rogers Corporation
At ZFoam, we collaborate with the best raw material suppliers to develop technical foam solutions that meet the strictest requirements. In the case at hand, we are official distributors and transformers for Rogers Corporation, making this cutting-edge battery thermal management technology available to manufacturers and suppliers in the automotive industry.
Our role focuses on:
- Materials supply: We offer the foams designed by Rogers, guaranteeing availability and local support.
- Conversion and adaptation: We cut, die-cut or shape to size so that the foam pieces fit perfectly in each automotive project.
- Application advice: We share our knowledge on how to integrate the foam separator in the different battery formats (prismatic, pouch, etc.), always in line with Rogers’ guidelines.
- Commitment to quality: We operate in environments with high standards of cleanliness and traceability, meeting the demands of the automotive sector.
In this way, we facilitate the agile and personalised delivery of this innovation to your production lines, offering the possibility of improving the efficiency and safety of hybrid vehicles.
Do you want to enhance the thermal efficiency of your hybrid batteries?
Thermal management is a critical aspect in the evolution of hybrid vehicles, and at ZFoam we know that technical foams play an essential role.
We are ready to help you throughout the process of acquisition, transformation and application of this technology.
If you would like to optimise the thermal performance of your batteries or improve the reliability of your hybrid system, please contact us.
We will be with you every step of the way to ensure your projects achieve maximum performance and reliability!
