A novel bionic lotus leaf channel liquid cooling plate for enhanced thermal management of lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

Battery Thermal Management Systems (BTMS) are pivotal in safeguarding the safety, efficiency, and lifespan of electric vehicles. In this study, we propose a bionic lotus leaf (BLL) channel liquid-cooled plate to mitigate temperature accumulation issues observed during lithium-ion battery (LIB) discharge. The primary objective is to enhance heat dissipation and achieve uniform temperature distribution within LIBs. We investigated the impact of different interior configurations and mass flow rates on individual lithium-ion battery (LIB) temperatures using single-variable analysis. Our findings indicate that higher inlet mass flow rates effectively lower the temperature increase in individual LIBs, albeit at the cost of inducing a significant pressure drop.The optimal parameter combination is determined through orthogonal analysis. Specifically, the channel angle (α) and inlet mass flow rate (M) are found to significantly influence the maximum temperature (Tmax) of LIBs. The number of channels (N) is optimized to enhance temperature distribution and reduce maximum temperature variation (ΔTmax) within LIBs. Furthermore, adjusting the channel width (D) substantially mitigated pressure drop (ΔP) in the BLL channel liquid cooling plate, thereby improving hydraulic pump efficiency. The identified optimal combination (M = 1.0 g s-1, N = 4, D = 2.5 mm, α = 90°) ensures that Tmax remains below 29.732 °C even during a 5C discharge, a critical requirement. Compared to a traditional serpentine channel with equivalent heat transfer area and inlet mass flow, the optimized BLL channel showed a decrease in Tmax by 0.776 °C, ΔTmax reduction by 2.445 °C, and ΔP reduced to only 43.44 % of that in the serpentine channel. The BLL channel proposed in this research can serve as a valuable reference for BTMS.