A Comparison of Battery Thermal Management Systems for Li-Ion Batteries in Electric Vehicles

Thermal management of electric vehicle batteries is essential for the performance and safety of the overall system. Maintaining required battery temperature and its uniformity must be the targets of the battery management system. The goal of the present study is to analyze different methods of battery thermal management, based on its effectiveness in attaining the desired conditions. A battery module of 20 cells was designed with a discharge rate of the cell at 2C. Simulation and experimental analysis were performed on the model by maintaining the ambient temperature at around 27–30 ℃. The system was analyzed (i) without cooling, (ii) with water cooling through integrated aluminum channel on either side of the battery pack and (iii) cooled by using PCM encapsulated around the cells. Paraffin wax was used as the PCM for the current analysis. From the simulation results, the temperature was found to be lowered by 13.27 ℃ when PCM is incorporated into the cell arrangement, whereas the temperature was lowered by 14.42 ℃ with the usage of an aluminum cooling channel of U-type cross-section, inlet velocity of water being 0.1 m/s. In the experimental analysis of the PCM-embedded system, it was observed to have reasonable temperature uniformity. Both methods of cooling were found to be effective in bringing down the temperature of the system, which is crucial for maintaining the optimal conditions for Li-ion battery packs to work effectively in the long run.