Lithium-Ion Battery Thermal Management Using Phase Change Material

One of the most promising technologies for the sustainable energy revolution and modern electric vehicles is lithium battery energy storage. However, because lithium batteries generate heat internally, their operating temperature has a considerable impact on their performance and lifespan. Phase change material (PCM) is a viable medium for storing and releasing thermal energy. In this work, a lithium-ion battery surrounded by a PCM layer, which is placed inside a copper container, is explored numerically. The battery module is kept inside a horizontal channel, where cold air is passed. The battery with a charge/discharge rate (C-rate) of 3C and a current of 7.2 A is considered a heated source and is fully wrapped using PCM. To make the study more realistic and practical, a copper barrier of thickness 1 mm is used to hold the PCM. The evolved transport equations are worked out numerically using the finite volume method (FVM). The thermal performance of the module is analyzed for five different aspect ratios (AR) of PCM layer thickness under different air inlet velocities. The case of no-PCM is also analyzed for the comparison. The results show that the temperature of the battery remains lower when the aspect ratio (AR) decreases and PCM thickness increases. The temperature of the battery stays cooler upon increasing the velocity of air when there is no PCM. The AR of 0.3 showed the best efficacy for battery thermal performance of lithium-ion batteries, where the chances of a thermal runway are minimal. The inclusion of a copper barrier enhances the overall heat transfer rate and makes the present study more realistic. The analysis also shows that the temperatures of the PCM, battery module, and air outlet are much lower with PCM compared to no PCM. Therefore, the outcome of the study will enrich the knowledge of the enhanced battery thermal management system.