Numerical investigation of liquid-Cooled battery thermal management system configurations for a lithium-ion battery pack with experimental validation

Résumé

Efficient thermal management is crucial for lithium-ion battery safety and longevity in Electric Vehicles (EVs). This study presents a numerical investigation and experimental validation of liquid cooling strategies for NMC lithium-ion battery modules, comparing serpentine (Configuration 1), parallel (Configuration 2), and parallel/counter-flow hybrid (Configuration 3) layouts. A custom-built 4-cell test rig validated against CFD simulations showed close agreement, with relative deviations below 0.6%, confirming model reliability. Under regulated flow conditions, clear differences in thermal and hydraulic behavior were observed. Configuration 1 exhibited the highest thermal stress, with peak temperatures reaching 75.7 [Formula: see text] (cell 7) and 74.1[Formula: see text] (cell 18) due to downstream heat accumulation and limited contact area, alongside the largest temperature difference (ΔT = 11.0 K) and highest pressure drop (27.3 Pa). Configuration 2 reduced peak pack temperature to 70.6 [Formula: see text] at cell 18 (6.7% lower vs. Configuration 1) and 64.7 [Formula: see text] at cell 7 (14.8% lower), achieving the best intra-cell uniformity (σ = 0.47 K, CV = 5.6%) and lowest pressure drop (9.1 Pa). Configuration 3 offered the most balanced cooling, lowering maximum cell temperature by 7.6% compared to Configuration 1 and 0.9% compared to Configuration 2, while the maximum temperature of cell 18 decreased by 11.8%. It achieved the narrowest inter-cell ΔT (4.1 K), a 62.5% and 11% reduction versus Configurations 1 and 2, respectively, with the lowest σ = 1.0 K (CV = 0.32%). Overall, serpentine cooling is simple but thermally inefficient, parallel flow is the most energy-efficient, and the hybrid parallel/counter-flow design delivers the best overall thermal balance while lowering the required pumping power by about 89%, making it the most suitable layout for safe and reliable EV battery operation.

Citer ce document

Accès au document

Texte intégral en lecture en ligne, réservé aux abonnés SPHAERO et aux membres de l'institution. Se connecter

Auteur(s)

Statistiques

Consultations : 1

Téléchargements : 0