Effect of lithium-ion batteries on heating a residential building using PCM: Changing the horizontal distance between batteries

Abstract

Plate batteries are widely utilized in electronics and telecommunications. Due to the broad application of these batteries, the cooling of two lithium-ion batteries located in an air duct is examined in this article numerically using COMSOL software. Batteries are surrounded by a phase change material (PCM). This study is performed in 10 min by changing the distance between batteries from 2 to 4 cm. The outlet air can be used to heat a building. The finite element method is employed to solve the equations. The findings show a reduction in temperature and a reduction in the quantity of molten PCM (MOP) with an increase in the distance between the batteries from 2 to 3 cm. But when the distance between the batteries is increased by another 4 cm, their temperatures rise and their volume of MOP increases. The minimum and maximum outlet air temperatures correspond to a distance of 2 cm and 3.5 cm, respectively. Most of the energy that can be extracted from the battery cooling system is related to a distance of 3.5 cm between the batteries.