Investigation on Thermal Performance of a Battery Pack Cooled by Refrigerant R134a in Ribbed Cooling Channels

Tieyu Gao (), Jiadian Wang, Haonan Sha, Hao Yang, Chenguang Lai, Xiaojin Fu, Guangtao Zhai and Junxiong Zeng ()
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Tieyu Gao: School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Jiadian Wang: School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Haonan Sha: The 703 Research Institute of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, Harbin 150010, China
Hao Yang: Vehicle Engineering Institute, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing 400054, China
Chenguang Lai: Vehicle Engineering Institute, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing 400054, China
Xiaojin Fu: Vehicle Engineering Institute, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing 400054, China
Guangtao Zhai: Vehicle Engineering Institute, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing 400054, China
Junxiong Zeng: Vehicle Engineering Institute, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing 400054, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 4, 1-27

Abstract: This study numerically investigates the thermal performance of a refrigerant-based battery thermal management system (BTMS) under various operating conditions. A validated numerical model is used to examine the effects of cooling channel rib configurations (rib spacing and rib angles) and refrigerant parameters (mass flow rate and saturation temperature) on battery thermal behavior. Additionally, the impact of discharge C-rates is analyzed. The results show that a rib spacing of 11 mm and a rib angle of 60° reduce the maximum battery temperature by 0.8 °C (cooling rate of 2%) and improve temperature uniformity, though at the cost of a 130% increase in pressure drop. Increasing the refrigerant mass flow rate lowers the maximum temperature by up to 10%, but its effect on temperature uniformity diminishes beyond 20 kg/h. A lower saturation temperature enhances cooling but increases internal temperature gradients, while a higher saturation temperature improves uniformity at the expense of a slightly higher maximum temperature. Under high discharge rates (12C), the system’s cooling capacity becomes limited, leading to significant temperature rises. These findings provide insights that can aid in optimizing BTMS design to balance cooling performance, energy efficiency, and temperature uniformity.

Keywords: electric vehicles; lithium-ion battery pack; battery thermal management system; refrigerant cooling; ribbed cooling channels; thermal performance (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: 2025
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