Battery cooling options in electric vehicles with heat pipes

Abstract

In this paper, different options, based on heat pipes, for thermal management of electric vehicle (EV) battery system, at cell, module and pack level, for 40 to 400 W output heat, has been explored, analysed and compared. Cooling architecture based on embedded heat pipe (EHP) with single phase pumped cold plate (CP), as most adaptable design for low to medium range EVs, while EHP with loop heat pipe (LHP) as high performance design for high-end carlines, has been classified as potential cooling systems. Experimentally, it was shown that EHPs will provide best performance for heat acquisition at cell/module level, while LHPs for heat transport at pack/system level. In summary, two phase thermal management system, for lithium-ion battery, will help to improve overall system cooling performance, reliability, safety and reduce design complexity.