Optimal Design of Minichannel Cold Plate for the Thermal Management of Cylindrical Battery Modules

Abstract

The application of the minichannel cold plate in a cylindrical battery module encounters the problem of poor heat transfer capability as it cannot match well with the curved surfaces of the cylindrical batteries. Herein, design optimization of a minichannel cold plate is performed to enhance its heat dissipation performance in the cylindrical battery module. In‐depth analyses are made on the thermal behavior of a cylindrical battery module with minichannel cold plates. Influences of different cold plate design parameters, including the size and position of the heat transfer interface between the batteries and the cold plates, the cold plate material, and the cold plate thickness, are examined and compared under various coolant velocities. The results highlight the significance of cold plate design in achieving a high‐performance cooling system for the cylindrical battery module. Based on the results, some general rules are set for the design of minichannel cold plates in the cylindrical battery module, which can provide useful guidance for the future development of minichannel cold plates.

Simulation Study on Thermal Performance of an Indirect Boiling Cooling Cylindrical Battery System with Two‐Phase Coolant R141b

“…Both the height and contact angle of block directly determine the contact area between blocks and cylindrical batteries, thus influencing the flow boiling heat transfer. [ 70 ] Due to the complexity of module design and installation process caused by changes in contact angle, only the height ( h ) was chosen as the influencing factor in this study. h is taken as 46, 52, 58, 64, and 70 mm.…”

Investigation of Heat Transfer Enhancement Techniques on a Scalable Novel Hybrid Thermal Management Strategy for Lithium-Ion Battery Packs

“…Xiong et al [46] developed a novel liquidcooling bionic flow channel in the shape of a spider web, and the results were compared with honeycomb and helical flow channels. Ling et al [47] designed various configurations of minichannel cold plates and optimized the designs. It can be seen from Figure 19 that the maximum temperature of the scaled battery pack at a 7 C discharge rate is similar to the results obtained in the studies in the open literature with a smaller battery module and discharge rates up to 3 C. Moreover, the temperature uniformity of 1.14 °C of the scaled battery pack is higher compared to the studies in the open literature.…”

“…Xiong et al [46] developed a novel liquid-cooling bionic flow channel in the shape of a spider web, and the results were compared with honeycomb and helical flow channels. Ling et al [47] designed various configurations of minichannel cold plates and optimized the designs.…”

Experimental and Simulation Studies on the Thermal Characteristics of Large‐Capacity Square Lithium‐Ion Batteries with Low‐Temperature Discharge

“…The electrochemical reaction rate in the SEI layer is modeled through the Butler–Volmer equation, [ 32 ] as shown in Equation (1). In the following formulas: c l is lithium‐ion concentration in electrolyte; C dl is electrical double‐layer capacitance; c p is thermal capacitance; D s is diffusion coefficient of lithium in the solid phase; D l is diffusion coefficient of electrolyte; l is thickness of; f avg is average molar activity coefficient; F is Faraday's constant; i app is applied working current density of the battery; i s is electronic current density in solid phase; i l is electronic current density in electrolyte; i N is normal inward current density through electrode‐CC interfaces; I 0 is exchange current density; I n is local charge transfer current density; q rea is reversible entropy heat generation; q irr is irreversible electrochemical reaction heat generation; q tot is total heat generation; R is gas constant; A s,p is specific surface area of positive electrode; A s,n is specific surface area of negative electrode; t is time; t + is transferring number of Li + ; T is temperature; U s is overpotential of solid phase; U l is overpotential of liquid phase; α a is anodic charge transfer coefficient; α c is cathodic charge transfer coefficient; ε l is liquid volume fraction; φ s is solid phase potential; φ l is liquid phase potential; φ cc,n is negative current collector potential; φ cc,p is positive current collector potential; σ cc is electronic conductivity of solid matrix; σ l is ionic conductivity of electrolyte; η is local surface overpotential; ρ is density; λ is thermal conductivity; eff is effective value; i is index of electrodes.…”

“…Sun et al [24] experimentally investigated the characteristics of LiFePO 4 battery degradation caused by overcharging at 10 °C and below. In terms of battery thermal management system, Ping, Leng, Mousavi, Yazici, Verma, Zhuang, Ambekar, and Lorenzo et al [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] greatly improved the energy consumption and efficiency of battery management through simulation and experiment studies, using methods such as coupling of phase change materials and liquid tubes.…”