Study on efficacy of different heat transfer fluids flowing through an aluminium flow plate channel on the temperature of the prismatic lithium-ion battery pack

Abstract

The evolution of high-capacity and higher-power lithium-ion batteries with longer battery life, quick charging rate, and low self-discharge rate is a significant achievement in enhancing the performance of Electric Vehicles (EVs). However, overheating is always an issue, just as it is with other known energy sources. As a result, effective battery thermal management system (BTMS) for lithium-ion battery packs is critical for reducing the overheating and thereby prolonging the cycle life of lithium-ion batteries and enhancing the performance of Electric Vehicles. Cooling systems play a major part in keeping the battery cool through heat extraction and maintaining a consistent temperature. In this paper, a detailed analysis of effectiveness of three fluids: Water, Therminol VP-1, and Ethylene glycol towards thermal management of prismatic lithium ion battery is studied on a modelled battery pack consisting of five unit cells in which each unit cell comprises of one cooling fin made up of the materialistic properties of aluminium in between two prismatic battery and the following conclusions was derived from the study: i) The inlet flow rate under optimised condition for ethylene glycol, Therminol VP-1 & water was found to be 3.25 cm^3/s, 5.5 cm^3/s & 2.25 cm^3/s respectively, ii)The residence time of the heat transfer fluid in the cooling fin plate channels was found to be only in the range of few seconds, iii) Temperature difference of 2 K was found within the batteries. The temperature difference between distinct batteries through the y-axis was less than the temperature difference within an individual battery on the xz-plane & iv) Water is more efficient in cooling the prismatic batteries followed by ethylene glycol. Therminol VP-1 was found to be least efficient in cooling the prismatic batteries.