Simulation Study on Thermal Characteristics and Temperature Distribution of Lithium-Ion Battery Pack in Electric Trike

Abstract

The lithium-ion batteries (LIB) frequently being used in the electric vehicle due to high energy density, high power density, and fairly long-life cycles. In this paper, LIB applied to electric trike which becoming very popular recently. Performance and life cycles of LIB sensitive to temperature, so it is necessary to maintain the temperature condition in the range of -20oC to 40oC. Temperature significantly affects the performance of the LIB battery and also limits the applications of the LIB battery. To be able to maintain the temperature of LIB at optimum temperature, the temperature distribution inside the LIB pack should be investigated first. This paper study the temperature distribution of the LIB pack used in the electric trike. Pack geometry, as well as the surrounding condition, first build in Solidworks. The geometry model then imported to Comsol Multiphysics to study phenomena of mass transport and heat transfer within the LIB pack and surrounding area. The main objective of this study is to lay the foundation to design the battery thermal management system (BTMS) in the LIB pack for the electric trike.