Numerical Simulation of Lithium-ion Battery Cooling Techniques for Electric Vehicles

Abstract

Various strategies were developed for battery cooling including air cooling, liquid cooling, fin cooling, phase change material cooling (PCM), and heat pipes. The objective of this study was to identify an appropriate cooling technique for lithium-ion batteries utilized in electric vehicles. A three-dimensional unsteady numerical model was developed using ANSYS software to conduct simulations to assess the cooling efficiency of each approach. The numerical results indicate that the air-cooling technique yielded a peak temperature of 32.928 °C and a maximum total heat flow of 11456 W/m². The fin cooling technique had a peak total heat flow of 0.014476 W/m² and reached a maximum temperature of 35.17 °C. The liquid cooling technique exhibited a peak temperature of 31.773 °C and a maximum total heat flux of 10642 W/m². Additionally, a changed battery pack was planned with extra air outlets to upgrade the convection cycle of the air-cooling technique. Based on the numerical findings, the modified battery pack for air-cooling technique resulted in a peak temperature of 31.214 °C and a maximum total heat flow of 12272 W/m². PCM and heat pipe method had a maximum temperature of 54.85 °C and a maximum total heat flow of 554.69 W/m². According to the results obtained, the liquid cooling method demonstrated the lowest maximum temperature. The simulations indicate that this approach offers the most effective thermal management, with a maximum temperature value of 31.773 °C.