Pack-Level Modeling and Thermal Analysis of a Battery Thermal Management System with Phase Change Materials and Liquid Cooling

Jixian Sun, Dan Dan, Mingshan Wei (), Senlin Cai, Yihang Zhao and Edward Wright
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Jixian Sun: School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
Dan Dan: School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
Mingshan Wei: School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
Senlin Cai: China Automotive Engineering Research Institute Co., Ltd., Chongqing 401122, China
Yihang Zhao: School of Mechanical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
Edward Wright: Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 15, 1-16

Abstract: Electric vehicles are seen as the prevailing choice for eco-friendly transportation. In electric vehicles, the thermal management system of battery cells is of great significance, especially under high operating temperatures and continuous discharge conditions. To address this issue, a pack-level battery thermal management system with phase change materials and liquid cooling was discussed in this paper. A dynamic electro-thermal coupled model for cells, the enthalpy–porosity model for phase change materials, and the k - ? model for the coolant flow were used. Various parameters, such as ambient temperatures, discharge rates, components of phase change materials, inlet mass flow rates, and temperatures of the coolant were considered. The results indicated that a battery thermal management system with both phase change materials and liquid cooling is more effective than the one with only liquid cooling. The phase change material with a mass fraction of 10% expanded graphite in paraffin wax had a favorable performance for the battery thermal management system. Additionally, increasing the mass flow rate or decreasing the flow temperature of the coolant can reduce the maximum temperature of the battery pack. However, the former can limit the maximum temperature difference, while the latter will deteriorate the temperature uniformity. The present work may shed light on the design of battery thermal management systems in the electric vehicle industry.

Keywords: pack-level modeling; battery thermal management system; phase change material; liquid cooling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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