Numerical investigation on liquid cooling of batteries in phase change materials

Abstract

The primary focus of this study centres on managing the thermal conditions of the battery systems, addressing the various concerns related to external climatic factors on the vehicle’s performance and heat generation during the battery operation. The major objective of this study is to implement a passive thermal management system using the phase-change materials to model and control the temperature of the rechargeable batteries which are influenced mostly by critical temperature rise and external climatic influences. A numerical simulation involving a three-dimensional, single module model of a rechargeable lithium-manganese dioxide battery is involved. The control mechanism involves the application of the phase change materials within a parallelopiped structure with the battery positioned in the central location and cooled by the surrounding convective tubes through which liquid flows. The module is considered an adiabatic medium in nature. The numerical investigation involves three different C-rates for two different phase change materials RT27 and RT31, which are employed using the Finite volume method using the Ansys-Fluent. The detailed analysis of the surface temperature of the battery, liquid fraction fields and the average temperature attained by the battery module is involved using the two PCM materials.