A review on battery thermal management strategies in lithium-ion and post-lithium batteries for electric vehicles

Abstract

Electrification on transportation and electricity generation via renewable sources play a vital role to diminish the effects of energy usage on the environment. Transition from the conventional fuels to renewables for transportation and electricity generation demands the storage of electricity in great capacities with desired power densities and relatively high C-rate values. Yet, thermal and electrical characteristics vary greatly depending on the chemistry and structure of battery cells. At this point, lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are more suitable in most applications due to their superiorities such as long lifetime, high recyclability, and capacities. However, exothermic electrochemical reactions yield temperature to increase suddenly which affects the degradation in cells, ageing, and electrochemical reaction kinetics. Therefore, strict temperature control increases battery lifetime and eliminates undesired situations such as layer degradation and thermal runaway. In the literature, there are many distinct battery thermal management strategies to effectively control battery cell temperatures. These strategies vary based on the geometrical form, size, capacity, and chemistry of the battery cells. Here, we focus on proposed battery thermal management strategies and current applications in the electric vehicle (EV) industry. In this review, various battery thermal management strategies are documented and compared in detail with respect to geometry, thermal uniformity, coolant type and heat transfer methodology for Li-ion and post-lithium batteries.