Computational Modelling on Lithium-Ion Battery Pack Forced Convection Cooling

Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in cell phones, laptops and battery vehicles. However, during discharge, a huge amount of heat is generated in the cell core. Thermal management of the battery pack is much important, particularly for electric vehicles to reduce fire hazards. In this work, CFD simulations are performed to evaluate the cooling effect of a 4 × 4 Lithium-ion battery pack with different discharge rates and different airflow velocities. From the results it is observed that cells present downstream have a higher temperature as compared to the cells placed upstream irrespective of discharge rate and airflow rate. The two mid-cells in the last row have the highest temperature in any operating condition. When the discharge rate increases, the amount of heat generation in the cells increases. Hence, the temperature of the corresponding cell in each row is relatively higher as compared to the low discharge rate condition. Similarly, with an increase in airflow velocity, the cooling rate of the battery pack is enhanced.