Objective of task 3.4 is to finalize the CAD design of the battery modules that will be assembled and integrated into the demo vessels “Atatürk” and “Gunnerus”, based on the preliminary design outcoming from task 3.1. Most important point of a module design is the number, interconnection and alignment of single battery cells inside the housing, because this defines the module’s electrical properties and also impacts its space consumption. Therefore, a battery module design must be developed under consideration of room constraints, requirements to the electrical properties of the battery system and safety requirements. Additional to the battery cells, busbars to connect the cell terminals, electronic systems (from task 3.5), BMS (from task 3.7), cooling structures (from task 3.3) and safety systems, are crucial objectives of the battery module design.
Main purpose of the module design is a high level of modularity to ensure easy upscaling and adaption, enabling the assembly of battery systems with different system voltage and capacity demands. Therefore, the module housing must be designed to enable a flexible mechanical integration, independent from the number of modules and their electrical connections between each other. This means, that first the mechanical integration can be optimized and afterwards the battery modules can be connected freely in series or parallel to fulfil the electrical system requirements.
Another important point to consider in a battery module design is the selection of materials, mainly the ones used for the module housing and mechanical structures inside the housing. To enable a maximum flexibility when mechanically integrating the modules into a battery room, it should be possible to stack several modules without using a rack. Therefore, the housing must ideally be able to carry the weight of the whole module stack, a crucial point that impacts the requirements to the materials’ strength and stiffness. Regarding thermal aspects, materials used for heat dissipation, e.g. in the cooling system, should be selected with a focus on their thermal properties, i.e. thermal conductivity. Finally, with the main focus on sustainability, the use of steel or metals in general should be avoided as far as possible.
FLEXSHIP received funding from EU Horizon Europe research and innovation program under Grant Agreement no. 101095863.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program under grant agreement no. 101095863
