Among a lot of energy storage solutions, liquid-cooled energy storage systems are the first choices for users due to efficient heat dissipation, a compact design, and excellent reliability. This paper will analyze core technical advantages, market prospects, and meaning for the development of an industry concerning liquid-cooled energy storage systems. Let’s have a look at this.
Liquid-Cooled Energy Storage System: What is it?
Liquid-cooled energy storage system means that the liquid cooling medium is used for energy storage equipment cooling technology solutions. Compared to the traditional air-cooling method, the liquid cooling technology has higher heat transfer efficiency, which can effectively improve the operational stability and service life of the battery system.
Core advantages:
1. Efficient heat dissipation performance
Liquid cooling technology increases the heat dissipation efficiency by more than 30% and prevents overheating from degrading the performance of the battery.
2. Higher space utilization:
Compact system design greatly reduces footprint and is fit for deployment in complex environments.
3. Adaptation to a variety of scenarios：
It can be applied to different energy storage systems, including lithium batteries, sodium sulfur batteries, etc. It is also widely used in industrial and commercial, micro-grid, and remote areas.
Outdoor liquid-cooled energy storage cabinets developed by Huijue Group reflect the comprehensive technical level of the industry; integrated design and intelligent management functions are standard in setting up liquid-cooled energy storage technology.
Principle of liquid-cooling energy storage system
The main components of a liquid-cooling energy storage system include:
Water-cooling system: cools through coolant circulation effectively;
Refrigeration circulating system: adjusts the temperature of the coolant and dissipates excessive heat;
Control system: works with a BMS and EMS in harmony for precision regulation of operational parameters;
The water distribution piping system：Is used to ensure effective coolant distribution and stable operation of the system.
This kind of mechanism for dissipating heat enables the liquid-cooled energy storage system to maintain excellent operational performance in high-temperature environments.
With the integration of the battery, PCS, power distribution, temperature control, and fire protection systems, the liquid-cooled energy storage cabinet not only greatly simplifies the system layout but also massively improves the efficiency of the whole operation and maintenance, fully controls the status and risks of system operation, and provides users with highly safe and reliable energy storage solutions.
Liquid Cooling and Air Cooling
Liquid-cooled, it is impossible not to remember air-cooled, then, what exactly is the difference between the two? How to choose? Let’s explore together.
Air-cooled Energy Storage Systems
Air-cooling technology is a kind of cooling method that takes the use of airflow to cool down the battery. According to the power source of airflow, air cooling can be divided into natural air cooling and forced air cooling.
Natural air cooling relies on the natural flow of air to dissipate heat. As the air in the vicinity of the battery is heated, the temperature rises, the density decreases, and the hot air rises to create a pressure difference that allows cold air to naturally flow to the battery. However, natural air cooling has a small airflow, limited heat dissipation, and low energy utilization efficiency.
On the contrary, the forced air cooling method makes cold air force towards the battery via a fan to enhance its heat dissipation efficiency. Large heat dissipation areas or increasing airflow rates can optimize cooling performance. Research has indicated that adopting reasonable airflow organization, intelligent ventilation, and other technologies for forced air-cooled energy storage devices can reduce about 20% energy consumption.
Comprehensive comparison of air-cooled and liquid-cooled energy storage systems
Liquid-cooled and air-cooled energy storage systems have their own advantages and disadvantages. Liquid-cooled systems efficiently remove heat through liquid circulation, with excellent heat dissipation and high stability, suitable for high-power and high-density energy storage equipment, especially in scenarios with high battery energy density, fast charging and discharging, and large fluctuations in ambient temperature.
However, liquid cooling system design is complex, the initial investment and maintenance cost are high, and there is a risk of liquid leakage and corrosion, which requires high-quality materials and strict sealing design. Air-cooled systems are dependent on the flow of air for heat dissipation; thus, it has a simpler structure, low cost, easy maintenance, and do not have any potential risk for liquid leakage, thus much safer. It also has a drawback: its heat-dissipation effect is deeply influenced by the temperature and air circulation in the ambiance so it cannot dissipate enough heat if in high-temperature or confined spaces.
Besides, the air-cooled system should increase the number of radiators or enhance the speed of the fan to make the cooling effect better, which means more noise will be produced and more space occupied.
Generally, air-cooled systems cost less in investment and maintenance than liquid-cooled systems. Besides, the maintenance is relatively simple, which makes them more suitable for the thermal management needs of small residential or commercial batteries. Liquid-cooled systems have gradually become the mainstream battery cooling method for large-capacity and high-energy-density ground power stations and other fields.
Market Demand Promotes the Development of Liquid-Cooled Energy Storage Technology
The rapid development of the new energy field places higher demands on energy storage technologies. In general, because of its overall technical and performance merits, liquid cooling has become an important means for energy storage systems and is presently the first choice for this market.
Policy-Driven
By 2025, according to a plan by the National Energy Administration, more than 30 GW of new capacity will be installed in the energy storage field to give huge room for development in the technology of liquid-cooled energy storage.
Increased demand for new energy
The scale of renewable energy generation is being increasingly expanded, and peak shifting, valley filling, and backup power become crucial functions developed for energy storage technologies. Liquid-cooled energy storage systems are already applied in quite a lot of situations-from different kinds of wind parks to ground photovoltaic power stations due to their ability for adaptation and efficiency.
The liquid-cooled energy storage cabinets from Huijue support modular capacity expansion to meet different application scenarios. The functional components, such as the photovoltaic charging module, grid-connected and off-grid switching module, etc., can be chosen based on the requirement for meeting diversified business needs.
Environmental Adaptability
The stable performance of liquid-cooled energy storage systems under extreme climatic conditions makes them perfectly adapted to outdoor or high-altitude working conditions.
The outdoor liquid-cooled energy storage cabinet of Huijue Group is designed with patented outdoor protection, and the heat dissipation air duct is optimized to effectively prevent sand, dust, and rain. In addition, a front and rear double-door maintenance structure is adopted, which allows multiple cabinets to be arranged side by side, greatly reducing floor space. This design improves the applicability of liquid-cooled energy storage technology in practical applications.
Liquid-cooled energy storage systems represent a new stage in technological development within the energy storage industry. In the future, liquid-cooled energy storage technology will continue to drive the energy storage industry towards intelligence and greening. If you are interested in Huijue Group’s outdoor liquid-cooled energy storage cabinets, please visit our website for more product details and solutions.