Cooling device for a traction battery of a vehicle

A cooling device for cooling a traction battery of a vehicle via a fluid, the cooling device comprising:

• an evaporation device for installing in a housing body of the traction battery,
• at least one condensation device for installing on the vehicle outside of the housing body of the traction battery, and
• connection lines which conduct fluid evaporated in the evaporation device to the at least one condensation device and condensed fluid from the at least one condensation device back to the evaporation device,
• wherein the evaporation device, the at least one condensation device and the connection lines form a first cooling circuit,
• wherein said first cooling circuit causes a natural circulation, with circulation of the fluid through the first cooling circuit including a process of transporting gaseous fluid from the evaporation device to the at least one condensation device and of liquid fluid from the at least one condensation device back to the evaporation device and, during circulation, the circulation is based on:
• a difference in density between the evaporated fluid and the liquid fluid condensed in the at least one condensation device, and
• a difference in height of the at least one condensation device and the evaporation device,
• wherein the evaporation device is configured as an immersion evaporator and comprises at least one evaporation element, in which:
• microchannels are formed in the at least one evaporation element, or
• the at least one evaporation element comprises microchannel structures for forming microchannels together with battery cells of the traction battery, or
• microchannel structures are formed between a plurality of evaporation elements to form microchannels between the evaporation elements and together with the battery cells of the traction battery,
• wherein the evaporation elements are arranged in such a way that the liquid fluid evaporates in the microchannels while absorbing heat from the battery cells, and
• wherein the microchannels are adapted so that the liquid fluid is entrained by the evaporation of the fluid in the microchannels so that the microchannels are wetted inside.