Comprehensive investigation of the electro-thermal performance and heat transfer mechanism of battery system under forced flow immersion cooling

Abstract

Efficient cooling during rapid battery charging/discharging necessitates forced circulating flow in immersion cooling systems. However, under forced flow immersion cooling (FFIC), the comprehensive impact on the electrical and thermal performance of battery modules remains inadequately explored. This study constructs an immersion-cooled battery module test platform for experimental research on the evolution of electrical and thermal characteristics. The results show that under FFIC, when the depth of discharge (DOD) during 2C and 3C discharges is below 85 %, the voltage deviation of module (δU,t) remains stable within 1 % and 2 %, respectively. At DOD of 100 %, the maximum δU,t for 2C and 3C are 10 % and 24.5 %, respectively. Furthermore, the analysis of Pearson correlation coefficient under FFIC reveals that the δU,t exhibits a very strong positive correlation with temperature difference of battery module and cell, with correlation coefficients of +0.94 and + 0.87, respectively. Higher flow rates accelerate the recovery of module temperature and facilitate voltage distribution equalization after discharge. Additionally, to elucidate the influence of flow rate on FFIC, module-scale heat transfer characteristics during battery discharge are theoretically analyzed, establishing a fitting relationship between C-rates, flow rates, and the Nusselt number (Nu). This study provides a comprehensive understanding of integrated electro-thermal performance and external heat transfer capability for flow regulation in immersion cooling.