Cooling of lithium‐ion battery pack using different configurations of flexible baffled channels

Abstract

The rated temperature and its uniformity of lithium‐ion (Li‐ion) battery (LIB) pack are the main demands for safe and efficient operation. This paper investigates an air cooling system of a pack of five prismatic LIB's generating considerable heat through discharging energy. The cooling system is a three‐dimensional channel with flexible baffles of different arrangements installed on the walls of the channel to lower and regulate the temperature of the batteries. Three arrangements of these baffles are studied, transverse; L‐shaped and staggered. The study is formulated as turbulent fluid–structure interaction and solved numerically using the finite elements method. The study was conducted for five spaces between batteries, S = 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 mm and three different inlet air velocities, Uin = 0.5, 1 and 2 m/s. It was found that the flexible baffles guide the coolant towards the batteries smoothly with less pressure drop and this significantly improves the performance of the battery thermal management system due to the reduction of the maximum temperature and temperature variation as well. The staggered arrangement of the baffles shows the most effective configuration, where the maximum temperature difference between batteries is only 1.85°C for S = 1 mm and Uin = 2 m/s.

Fluid‐structure interaction study of an oscillating heat source effect on the natural convection flow

“…33 Additionally, the study intends to explore the promising prospects of nanofluids in enhancing existing thermal processes by manipulating fluid and flow parameters. 34 To regulate temperatures in batteries, a study conducted by Lazim and Ismael 35 investigates the cooling system of a three-dimensional channel equipped with flexible baffles installed on its walls. The results demonstrate that these flexible deflectors effectively direct the coolant towards the batteries, thereby reducing the maximum temperature.…”