Abstract
Stationary battery systems are becoming more prevalent around the world, with both the quantity and capacity of installations growing at the same time. Large battery installations and uninterruptible power supply can generate a significant amount of heat during operation; while this is widely understood, current thermal management methods have not kept up with the increase of stationary battery installations. Active cooling has long been the default approach of thermal management for stationary batteries; however, there is no academic research or comparative studies available for this technology. The present work presents assessment of different active cooling methods through an experimentally validated computational fluid dynamics simulation. Following model validation, several cooling system configurations were analyzed, including effects from implementing either a perforated vent plate or vortex generators. The vent plate was observed to greatly increase cooling performance while simultaneously promoting temperature uniformity between batteries. Vortex generators were shown to marginally increase cooling performance, yet, future research is recommended to study the effects and improvement of the design. The average battery temperature for the vented model is reduced by approximately 5.2 °C, while the average temperature differential among the batteries was only 2.7 °C, less than the recommend value (3 °C) by ASHRAE/IEEE Standards.
Highlights
Stationary batteries generate heat under variety of conditions
Stationary battery systems may often work under volume constraints and be designed in such a manner that many batteries are contained within a small room or enclosure that is not conducive to heat removal
For the validity of the computational tional fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation to be established, experimental trials were performed on default and vented designs to serve as a comparison to simulation output
Summary
Both the discharge and recharge cycles of operation can generate significant heat and, even when kept at a small float charge to prevent loss of power, there is a non-negligible amount of heat that is generated In comparison to their smaller portable counterparts, stationary batteries do not have a comparable surface area to passively dissipate heat through natural convection and can reach unsafe temperatures quickly. Thermal management that prioritizes safety while balancing expenses between the cooling system and battery degradation due to thermal impacts is referred to as optimal thermal management This dynamic changes as stationary battery systems are further implemented; high power Li-ion batteries become the dominant technology and power demands increase. It is worth investigating potential improvements in thermal management to ensure safe operation of stationary batteries while potentially lowering cooling costs
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
