Development of a hybrid battery thermal management system coupled with phase change material under fast charging conditions

Abstract

A compact battery thermal management system (BTMS) coupled with a phase change material (PCM) is proposed to improve its performance under fast charging conditions. A battery thermal model and two-phase PCM simulation model were developed and validated through experimental data, and a parametric study was conducted by changing the parameters of the PCM and operating conditions of the liquid cooling system. As a result, in the proposed system, the highest maximum temperature of the battery module was 38.4 °C and maximum temperature difference was 3.9 °C during the charge–discharge cycle, and both of these values were simultaneously maintained within the proper range. The aforementioned values were 13.2 °C and 10.8 °C lower than the corresponding values for the conventional liquid cooling method. In addition, through the optimal operating conditions, sufficient heat dissipation was achieved while shortening the operating time of the liquid cooling system by 12.4 % of the total time. Finally, the heat absorbed by the PCM was dissipated sufficiently during the cycle. Therefore, the proposed BTMS is not only effective in terms of its cooling performance but also sufficiently usable in the continuous cycle.