Thermodynamics analysis and performance enhancement of battery thermal management system with suitable variations in operating parameters

Abstract

Electric Vehicles (EVs) will be a major mode of road transportation in short period of time. Batteries are the major source of energy storage for propulsion of EVs in which Li-ion batteries are currently the most suitable option. A suitable temperature range of 15-400C must be maintained for optimal performance and safety of Li-ion batteries, which can be achieve through battery thermal management system. In this study, a PCM based thermal management system has been drafted by considering the heat dissipation rate for 1C, 2C and 3C discharge rate of Li-ion batteries and simulated in ANSYS FLUENT 19.2 software. Suitable alternatives are suggested for the efficient performance of battery thermal management and the effects are also discussed. The result shows that PCM based system was able to hold the battery temperature below 400C with 1C, 2C and 3C discharge rate for time interval of more than 3600 seconds. PCM based system with thickness 10mm shows better result when compared with 6mm and 8mm while the couple PCM based system performs better than PCM with capsule system.