Conformal Fluid-Cooled Heat Exchanger For Battery

A heat exchanger for exchanging thermal energy with battery modules, comprising:

• a plurality of heat exchanger plates each defining an internal fluid flow passageway for a heat exchanger fluid and arranged in a stack in which adjacent heat exchanger plates are spaced apart from each other, the adjacent heat exchanger plates being compliantly connected to each other by fittings that allow heat exchanger fluid to flow between the plates and which are compliant to allow compression of the adjacent heat exchanger plates towards each other after insertion of battery modules between the heat exchanger plates;
• wherein at least some of the heat exchanger plates comprise a pair of the fittings extending from a first side of the heat exchanger plate and a pair of the fittings extending from a second side of the heat exchanger plate, the fittings each defining a respective flow channel in communication with the internal flow passage, wherein for each of the intermediate plates in the stack the pair of fittings extending from the first side of the heat exchanger plate are secured to the pair of fittings extending from a second side of an adjacent heat exchanger plate, the connected fittings of the stack forming inlet and outlet manifolds for the heat exchanger fluid;
• wherein the fittings each include a first annular wall, a second annular wall having a diameter larger than that of the first annular wall, and a radial shoulder region joining the first annular wall and the second annular wall, the radial shoulder region being compliant so as to permit an extending end of the fitting to be partially compressed towards the heat exchanger plate.