An experimental investigation of forced convective liquid immersion cooling of a 12-cell li-ion battery module

Abstract

This study details an experimental investigation of forced convective liquid immersion cooling of lithium-ion batteries. Twelve Samsung INR 18650 20S cylindrical cells, each with a nominal voltage of 4.2 V and nominal capacity of 2 Ah, are placed in a 4-in-series, 3-in-parallel arrangement inside a polycarbonate chamber. The cells are immersed in the dielectric fluid SF-33 and are discharged at C rates in the range of 1C to 4C. Temperature sensors placed along the body of each cell near the electrodes monitor their thermal behaviour during experiments. Results show that liquid immersion cooling is an effective method to maintain all cell temperatures within the desired temperature range of 15°C to 35°C for all cases tested, maintaining temperature differences within individual cells to ≤1.5°C, and those between cells to ≤3°C. This research contributes to the understanding of thermal management strategies for lithium-ion batteries, particularly in scenarios involving high discharge rate applications.