Thermal management of lithium-ion batteries with direct and counter flow channels: A comparative study of different cooling fluids

Abstract

The study addresses the crucial issue of thermal management in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and the maintenance of safe operational temperatures. It emphasizes the importance of efficient cooling mechanisms in preventing damage. A comparative analysis was conducted to assess the impact of various cooling fluids on the thermal performance of LIBs using direct and counter fluid flow channels. The study involved the use of different cooling fluids including water, water-glycol, Novec7000, mineral oil, and silicon oil. The researchers examined temperature variation, surface Stanton number (SN), surface Nusselt number (Nu), surface heat transfer coefficient (HTC), battery surface temperature, and pressure drop to evaluate the battery cooling process with different cooling configurations. The battery cooling part proved highly effective in managing heat, achieving a significant maximum temperature reduction of 30.70 % and 37.43 % for direct and counter flow channels, respectively. The Nu values of various fluids showed notable differences, with water-glycol showing a 3.76 % increase, Novec 7000 with an 11.39 % increase, mineral oil with a 15.46 % improvement, and silicon oil with a 20.09 % increase. The HTC values in the direct flow channel proved a consistent decrease from 16.09 to 57.73 to 11.07–25.69 W/m2K, respectively. Similarly, the HTC values for the counter flow channel ranged from 15.88 to 55.38 to 11.07–25.69 W/m2K. Additionally, it was seen that silicon oil outperformed other cooling fluids with a 6.0 % improvement in HTC in both direct flow and counter flow channels. The SN showed increases of 17.34 %, 20.11 %, 26.76 %, 29.57 %, and 29.60 %, respectively, at all five liquid flow velocities through the direct channel, and 19.39 %, 22.18 %, 28.34 %, 36.58 %, and 37.64 %, respectively, through the counter flow channel. These findings clearly show the superior heat transfer capabilities of silicon oil compared to other coolants. However, it is important to note that the use of silicon oil also resulted in a lower pressure drop, a critical consideration for ensuring efficient cooling. These findings have significant implications for the advancement of battery thermal management systems for electric vehicles, as designers can optimize the cooling process by considering different cooling configurations to enhance the thermal performance of battery packs while ensuring safe and stable operation.