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Stationary battery systems are becoming more prevalent around the world, with both the quantity and capacity of installations growing at the same time. Large battery installations and uninterruptible power supply can generate a significant amount of heat during operation; while this is widely understood, current thermal management methods have not kept up with the increase of stationary battery installations. Active cooling has long been the default approach of thermal management for stationary batteries; however, there is no academic research or comparative studies available for this technology. The present work presents assessment of different active cooling methods through an experimentally validated computational fluid dynamics simulation. Following model validation, several cooling system configurations were analyzed, including effects from implementing either a perforated vent plate or vortex generators. The vent plate was observed to greatly increase cooling performance while simultaneously promoting temperature uniformity between batteries. Vortex generators were shown to marginally increase cooling performance, yet, future research is recommended to study the effects and improvement of the design. The average battery temperature for the vented model is reduced by approximately 5.2 °C, while the average temperature differential among the batteries was only 2.7 °C, less than the recommend value (3 °C) by ASHRAE/IEEE Standards.

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Abstract-This study explores the effect of incorporating an Open-Ended Design Experience (OEDE) into an undergraduate materials science laboratory taken by third-year mechanical engineering students. The focus of the OEDE was carbon fiber reinforced plastics and sandwich structures. The results indicate that the incorporation of OEDEs in laboratory courses produces significant benefits in terms of student engagement, participation, and perception of competence. In addition, the OEDE was found to enhance students' ability to apply related concepts as compared to non-OEDE lab activities. The authors conclude that the incorporation of OEDEs can increase the effectiveness of engineering laboratory courses.