Abstract
The heat generation of lithium ion batteries in electric vehicles (EVs) leads to a degradation of energy capacity and lifetime. To solve this problem, a new cooling concept using an oscillating heat pipe (OHP) is proposed. In the present study, an OHP has been adopted for Li-ion battery cooling. Due to the limited space in EVs, the cooling channel is installed on the bottom of the battery module. In the bottom cooling method with an OHP, generated heat can be dissipated easily and conveniently. However, most studies on heat pipes have used bottom heating and top or side cooling methods, so we investigate the various effects of parameters with a top heating/bottom cooling mode with the OHP, i.e., the inclination angle of the system, amount of working fluid charged, the heating amount, and the cold plate temperature with ethanol as a working fluid. The experimental results show that the thermal resistance (0.6 °C/W) and uneven pulsating features influence the heat transfer performance. A heater used as a simulated battery was sustained under 60 °C under 10 W and 14 W heating conditions. This indicates that the proposed cooling system with the bottom cooling is feasible for use as an EV’s battery cooling system.
Highlights
Because of the large amount of fossil fuel consumption in recent years, the climate and the ecosystem have become unstable, and other environmental problems have become increasingly serious
Batteries are energy storage and supply devices which are closely related to the performance of electric vehicles (EVs)
The main objective of this paper is to investigate the heat transfer performance of an oscillating heat pipe (OHP)
Summary
Because of the large amount of fossil fuel consumption in recent years, the climate and the ecosystem have become unstable, and other environmental problems have become increasingly serious. According to a study by the International Energy Agency, almost 50% of oil is consumed by transportation systems [1], but the highest energy efficiency of their engines is only 40% and large quantities of pollutants are generated in the conventional combustion process [2]. To address the limited energy resources and environmental problems caused by fossil fuels, considerable research has been carried out by a number of researchers. Research investments in energy technologies related to batteries have been increasing recently in the EV industry [3]. Batteries are energy storage and supply devices which are closely related to the performance of electric vehicles (EVs). Because of the high energy density and long life, many lithium batteries are needed in various devices. Li-ion batteries have limited heat resistance, due to the heat generated during charging and discharging, battery capacity and lifetime reduction [4,5]
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