Thermal Management System for Lithium-Ion Batteries

A special issue of Batteries (ISSN 2313-0105). This special issue belongs to the section "Battery Modelling, Simulation, Management and Application".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 January 2024) | Viewed by 35845

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Guest Editor
Hubei Research Center for New Energy & Intelligent Connected Vehicle, School of Automotive Engineering, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan 430070, China
Interests: batteries for electric vehicles; lithium-ion batteries; thermal management; heat transfer; hydrogen production and storage; hydrogen refueling system; renewable and clean energies
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Guest Editor
School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai 201620, China
Interests: battery thermal management; battery test; phase change materials; electronics cooling
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Guest Editor
Mechanical Engineering Department, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivieres, QC G8Z 4M3, Canada
Interests: new smart-vehicle energy optimization systems; thermal management of fuel cells and batteries; optimal control of fuel cells, batteries and generators; energy optimization and intelligent navigation of autonomous vehicles

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been widely used as power sources for both industry and daily life. This is mainly due to the salient features of LIBs, such as high energy density, high power output, low self-discharge rate and little memory effect. Nonetheless, the performances of LIBs are highly dependent on the operating temperature. A higher temperature would cause accelerated battery degradation with shortened lifetime and even thermal runaway, and a lower temperature would cause reduced discharge capacity and rate, leading to mileage anxiety and sudden power failure. Research on the thermal and energy storage performances of LIBs is still limited in terms of thermal and safety design in demanding application scenarios.

This Special Issue, “Thermal Management System for Lithium-Ion Batteries”, aims to present and disseminate the most recent advances in the thermal management of LIBs under various application conditions. Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to:

  • Liquid cooling and its hybrid forms;
  • Air cooling;
  • Phase-change materials and coupled cooling;
  • Refrigeration cooling;
  • Thermal safety performance;
  • Thermal runaway;
  • Dynamic thermal performance under operating conditions;
  • Advanced modeling techniques such as machine learning;
  • Multi-scale approach (from battery cell, module, and pack to system scale).

Prof. Dr. Jinsheng Xiao
Prof. Dr. Hengyun Zhang
Prof. Dr. Sousso Kelouwani
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • liquid cooling and its hybrid forms
  • air cooling
  • phase-change materials and coupled cooling
  • refrigeration cooling
  • thermal safety performance
  • dynamic thermal performance under operating conditions
  • advanced modeling techniques

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 11797 KiB  
Article
Investigation of Heat Transfer Enhancement Techniques on a Scalable Novel Hybrid Thermal Management Strategy for Lithium-Ion Battery Packs
by Seham Shahid and Martin Agelin-Chaab
Batteries 2024, 10(1), 32; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries10010032 - 18 Jan 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2800
Abstract
This paper introduces a novel hybrid thermal management strategy, which uses secondary coolants (air and fluid) to extract heat from a phase change material (paraffin), resulting in an increase in the phase change material’s heat extraction capability and the battery module’s overall thermal [...] Read more.
This paper introduces a novel hybrid thermal management strategy, which uses secondary coolants (air and fluid) to extract heat from a phase change material (paraffin), resulting in an increase in the phase change material’s heat extraction capability and the battery module’s overall thermal performance. A novel cold plate design is developed and placed between the rows and columns of the cells. The cold plate contains a single fluid body to improve the thermal performance of the battery module. Experimental studies were conducted to obtain the temperature and heat flux profiles of the battery module. Moreover, a numerical model is developed and validated using the experimental data obtained. The numerical data stayed within ±2% of the experimental data. In addition, the ability of nanoparticles to increase the thermal conductivity of water is examined and it is found that the cooling from the liquid cooling component is not sensitive enough to capture the 0.32 W/m K increase in the thermal conductivity of the fluid. Furthermore, in order to enhance the air cooling, fins were added within the air duct to the cold plate. However, this is not feasible, as the pressure drop through the addition of the fins increased by ~245%, whereas the maximum temperature of the battery module reduced by only 0.6 K. Finally, when scaled up to an entire battery pack at a high discharge rate of 7 C, the numerical results showed that the overall temperature uniformity across the pack was 1.14 K, with a maximum temperature of 302.6 K, which was within the optimal operating temperature and uniformity ranges. Therefore, the developed thermal management strategy eliminates the requirement of a pump and reservoir and can be scaled up or down according to the energy and power requirements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Management System for Lithium-Ion Batteries)
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14 pages, 2816 KiB  
Article
Performance Analysis of the Liquid Cooling System for Lithium-Ion Batteries According to Cooling Plate Parameters
by Nayoung You, Jeonggyun Ham, Donghyeon Shin and Honghyun Cho
Batteries 2023, 9(11), 538; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries9110538 - 30 Oct 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4385
Abstract
In this study, the effects of battery thermal management (BTM), pumping power, and heat transfer rate were compared and analyzed under different operating conditions and cooling configurations for the liquid cooling plate of a lithium-ion battery. The results elucidated that when the flow [...] Read more.
In this study, the effects of battery thermal management (BTM), pumping power, and heat transfer rate were compared and analyzed under different operating conditions and cooling configurations for the liquid cooling plate of a lithium-ion battery. The results elucidated that when the flow rate in the cooling plate increased from 2 to 6 L/min, the average temperature of the battery module decreased from 53.8 to 50.7 °C, but the pumping power increased from 0.036 to 0.808 W. In addition, an increase in the width of the cooling channel and number of channels resulted in a decrease in the average temperature of the battery module and a reduction in the pumping power. The most influential variable for the temperature control of the battery was an increase in the flow rate. In addition, according to the results of the orthogonal analysis, an increase in the number of cooling plate channels resulted in the best cooling performance and reduced pumping power. Based on this, a cooling plate with six channels was applied to both the top and bottom parts, and the top and bottom cooling showed sufficient cooling performance in maintaining the average temperature of the battery module below 45 °C. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Management System for Lithium-Ion Batteries)
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Graphical abstract

25 pages, 12451 KiB  
Article
Investigating the Effect of Different Bidirectional Pulsed Current Parameters on the Heat Generation of Lithium-Ion Battery at Low Temperatures
by Ranjun Huang, Gang Wei, Bo Jiang, Jiangong Zhu, Xiangmin Pan, Xueyuan Wang, Xiangyang Zhou, Jiping Ye, Xuezhe Wei and Haifeng Dai
Batteries 2023, 9(9), 457; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries9090457 - 5 Sep 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1856
Abstract
Bidirectional pulsed current (BPC) heating has proven to be an effective method for internal heating. However, current research has primarily focused on the impact of symmetrical BPC on battery heat generation, while neglecting the influence of different BPC parameters. To address this gap, [...] Read more.
Bidirectional pulsed current (BPC) heating has proven to be an effective method for internal heating. However, current research has primarily focused on the impact of symmetrical BPC on battery heat generation, while neglecting the influence of different BPC parameters. To address this gap, this paper investigates the effects of various BPC parameters on battery heat generation. Initially, an electro-thermal coupled model of the battery is constructed based on the results of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests conducted at different temperatures and amplitudes at 20% state of charge (SOC). The validation results of the model demonstrate that the absolute errors of voltage and temperature are generally less than 50 mV and 1.2 °C. Subsequently, the influence of BPC parameters on battery heat generation is examined under different terminal voltage constraints, temperatures, and frequencies. The findings at 20% SOC reveal that symmetrical BPC does not consistently correspond to the maximum heating power. The proportion of charge time and discharge time in one cycle, corresponding to the maximum heating power, varies depending on the charge and discharge cut-off voltages. Moreover, these variations differ across frequencies and temperatures. When the terminal voltage is constrained between 3 V and 4.2 V, the maximum heat power corresponds to a discharge time share of 0.55 in one cycle. In conclusion, the results underscore the complex relationship between BPC parameters and battery heat generation, which can further enhance our understanding of effective heating strategies for batteries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Management System for Lithium-Ion Batteries)
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21 pages, 5058 KiB  
Article
Simulation and Optimization of Lithium-Ion Battery Thermal Management System Integrating Composite Phase Change Material, Flat Heat Pipe and Liquid Cooling
by Qianqian Xin, Tianqi Yang, Hengyun Zhang, Juan Zeng and Jinsheng Xiao
Batteries 2023, 9(6), 334; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries9060334 - 20 Jun 2023
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3410
Abstract
A large-capacity prismatic lithium-ion battery thermal management system (BTMS) combining composite phase change material (CPCM), a flat heat pipe (FHP), and liquid cooling is proposed. The three conventional configurations analyzed in this study are the BTMSs using only CPCM, CPCM with aluminum thermal [...] Read more.
A large-capacity prismatic lithium-ion battery thermal management system (BTMS) combining composite phase change material (CPCM), a flat heat pipe (FHP), and liquid cooling is proposed. The three conventional configurations analyzed in this study are the BTMSs using only CPCM, CPCM with aluminum thermal diffusion plates, and CPCM with FHPs. In addition, a CPCM–FHP assisted with liquid cooling at the lateral sides is established to enhance the thermal performance of large-capacity batteries. Moreover, the influences of coolant temperature, the number of FHPs and cooling pipes, and the coolant direction on the temperature field of a BTMS are discussed. Finally, the orthogonal design method is used for the multi-level analysis of multiple factors to improve the light weight of the system. The optimal parameter combination is obtained to achieve the best thermal performance of the BTMS, with the maximum temperature and the temperature difference at 43.17 °C and 3.36 °C, respectively, under a maximum discharge rate of 2C and a high-temperature environment of 37 °C. The optimal scheme is further analyzed and affirmed through the comprehensive balance method. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Management System for Lithium-Ion Batteries)
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26 pages, 12626 KiB  
Article
Thermal Management of Lithium-Ion Batteries Based on Honeycomb-Structured Liquid Cooling and Phase Change Materials
by Tianqi Yang, Shenglin Su, Qianqian Xin, Juan Zeng, Hengyun Zhang, Xianyou Zeng and Jinsheng Xiao
Batteries 2023, 9(6), 287; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries9060287 - 24 May 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2215
Abstract
Batteries with high energy density are packed into compact groups to solve the range anxiety of new-energy vehicles, which brings greater workload and insecurity, risking thermal runaway in harsh conditions. To improve the battery thermal performance under high ambient temperature and discharge rate, [...] Read more.
Batteries with high energy density are packed into compact groups to solve the range anxiety of new-energy vehicles, which brings greater workload and insecurity, risking thermal runaway in harsh conditions. To improve the battery thermal performance under high ambient temperature and discharge rate, a battery thermal management system (BTMS) based on honeycomb-structured liquid cooling and phase change materials (PCM) is innovatively proposed. In this paper, the thermal characteristics of INR18650/25P battery are studied theoretically and experimentally. Moreover, the influence of structure, material and operating parameters are studied based on verifying the simplified BTMS model. The results show that the counterflow, honeycomb structure of six cooling tubes and fins, 12% expanded graphite mass fraction and 25 mm battery spacing give a better battery thermal performance with high group efficiency. The maximum temperature and temperature difference in the battery in the optimal BTMS are 45.71 °C and 4.4 °C at the 40 °C environment/coolant, as against 30.4 °C and 4.97 °C at the 23.6 °C environment/coolant, respectively. Precooling the coolant can further reduce the maximum battery temperature in high temperature environments, and the precooling temperature difference within 5 °C could meet the uniformity requirements. Furthermore, this study can provide guidance for the design and optimization of BTMS under harsh conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Management System for Lithium-Ion Batteries)
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16 pages, 4926 KiB  
Article
A Polyacrylonitrile Shutdown Film for Prevention of Thermal Runaway in Lithium-Ion Cells
by Jonathan Peter Charles Allen, Marcin Mierzwa, Denis Kramer, Nuria Garcia-Araez and Andrew L. Hector
Batteries 2023, 9(5), 282; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries9050282 - 21 May 2023
Viewed by 1963
Abstract
The electrodeposition of a polymer (polyacrylonitrile, PAN) is used to reduce the risk of thermal runaway in lithium-ion batteries, which is the most important cause of battery accidents and fires. PAN was electrodeposited on a graphite battery electrode, using cyclic voltammetry or chronoamperometry, [...] Read more.
The electrodeposition of a polymer (polyacrylonitrile, PAN) is used to reduce the risk of thermal runaway in lithium-ion batteries, which is the most important cause of battery accidents and fires. PAN was electrodeposited on a graphite battery electrode, using cyclic voltammetry or chronoamperometry, in a solution with acrylonitrile as the solvent. The electrodeposited PAN film was characterised by Raman spectroscopy, microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis, and it was found that the film thickness could be controlled by the amount of charge passed in the electrochemical experiments. The PAN-coated graphite battery electrode was then tested in lithium half-cells, obtaining capacities close to the uncoated graphite sample (ca. 360 mA h g−1) for thin (<10 µm) polymer coatings at 25 °C. Interestingly, for thicker polymer coatings (>20 µm) it was found that the capacity decreased drastically as the temperature increased beyond 80 °C. Such suppression in capacity has applications for thermal runaway protection since the electrochemical reactions of degradation of the electrolyte in contact with the electrode are the root cause of the thermal runaway process. Further work should look into alternative polymer and liquid electrolyte formulations to achieve the desired suppression of electrochemical capacity at high temperatures while retaining high capacities at the operational temperature range. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Management System for Lithium-Ion Batteries)
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21 pages, 13466 KiB  
Article
Numerical Study on Cross-Linked Cold Plate Design for Thermal Management of High-Power Lithium-Ion Battery
by Huizhu Yang, Zehui Wang, Mingxuan Li, Fengsheng Ren and Binjian Ma
Batteries 2023, 9(4), 220; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries9040220 - 5 Apr 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3967
Abstract
Liquid cooling strategies such as cold plates have been widely employed as an effective approach for battery thermal management systems (BTMS) due to their high cooling capacity and low power consumption. The structural design of the cold plates is the key factor that [...] Read more.
Liquid cooling strategies such as cold plates have been widely employed as an effective approach for battery thermal management systems (BTMS) due to their high cooling capacity and low power consumption. The structural design of the cold plates is the key factor that directly determines the thermal performance of the liquid cooling system. In this study, seven Z-type parallel channel cold plate and two novel cross-linked channel cold plate designs are proposed for the cooling of high-power lithium-ion batteries using two different cooling strategies. The average battery temperature, battery temperature uniformity and energy consumption of all designs are firstly analyzed holistically by three-dimensional conjugated simulation under the scheme of continuous cooling. Two selected designs that demonstrated superior performance (i.e., a Z-type parallel channel cold plate with 8-branches and an improved cross-linked channel design) are further analyzed to explore their integrative performance under different cooling schemes. The results show that within a battery temperature limit of 40 °C, employing the delayed cooling strategy can save 23% energy consumption compared to the continuous cooling strategy. Besides, the cold plate with an improved cross-linked channel configuration requires 13% less pumping power and provides a better temperature uniformity than the Z-type parallel channel cold plate with 8-branches. These results are of great significance to advance the cooling design of BTMS. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Management System for Lithium-Ion Batteries)
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18 pages, 7958 KiB  
Article
Research on Bionic Fish Scale Channel for Optimizing Thermal Performance of Liquid Cooling Battery Thermal Management System
by Yutao Mu, Kai Gao, Pan Luo, Deng Ma, Haoran Chang and Ronghua Du
Batteries 2023, 9(2), 134; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries9020134 - 14 Feb 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2662
Abstract
Liquid cooling battery thermal management systems (BTMSs) are prevalently used in electric vehicles (EVs). With the use of fast charging and high-power cells, there is an increasing demand on thermal performance. In this context, a bionic fish scale (BFS) channel structure optimization design [...] Read more.
Liquid cooling battery thermal management systems (BTMSs) are prevalently used in electric vehicles (EVs). With the use of fast charging and high-power cells, there is an increasing demand on thermal performance. In this context, a bionic fish scale (BFS) channel structure optimization design method is proposed to optimize the thermal performance. The effects of different structural parameters of the liquid cooling plate in BTMS on its cooling performance, including BFS notch diameter (D), BFS notch depth (H), and BFS notch spacing (S), are investigated. To minimize the maximum temperature (Tmax) and the maximum temperature difference (ΔTmax) as optimization indicators, experimental tests and numerical calculations are performed for a battery pack consisting of 36 square cells. Sixteen sets of thermal performance are discussed for different structural parameters in the transient thermal fluid simulation by using orthogonal tests. Under the optimal structural parameters, Tmax decreases by 1.61 °C (10.8%) and ΔTmax decreases by 0.43 °C (16.7%). In addition, the maximum increase in outlet flow velocity is 2.72% and the pressure is reduced by 4.98%. Therefore, the proposed BTMS will have effective cooling performance in high-power dissipation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Management System for Lithium-Ion Batteries)
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28 pages, 8586 KiB  
Article
A Critical Analysis of Helical and Linear Channel Liquid Cooling Designs for Lithium-Ion Battery Packs
by Rob Lloyd and Mohammad Akrami
Batteries 2022, 8(11), 236; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries8110236 - 12 Nov 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4727
Abstract
Thermal management systems are integral to electric and hybrid vehicle battery packs for maximising safety and performance since high and irregular battery temperatures can be detrimental to these criteria. Lithium-ion batteries are the most commonly used in the electric vehicle (EV) industry because [...] Read more.
Thermal management systems are integral to electric and hybrid vehicle battery packs for maximising safety and performance since high and irregular battery temperatures can be detrimental to these criteria. Lithium-ion batteries are the most commonly used in the electric vehicle (EV) industry because of their high energy and power density and long life cycle. Liquid cooling provides superior performance with low power draw and high heat transfer coefficient. Two liquid cooling designs-the Linear Channel Design (LCD) and Helical Channel Design (HCD)-underwent multiple numerical and geometrical optimisations, where inlet mass flow rate, channel diameter, and inlet and outlet locations were analysed using CFD (computational fluid dynamics). The primary objectives were to maintain maximum temperatures and thermal uniformity within the operational limits derived from the literature. These were both achieved with the LCD using a mass flow rate of 7.50E-05 kgs−1. The Tmax goal was met for the HCD but not the thermal uniformity goal. The LCD achieved 1.796 K lower in maximum temperature and 8.740 K lower in temperature difference compared to the HCD, proving itself superior in both metrics. The HCD required a higher mass flow rate than the LCD to regulate temperatures, resulting in an undesirably high power consumption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Management System for Lithium-Ion Batteries)
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19 pages, 4357 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Cooling Performance in a Cylindrical Battery with Single-Phase Direct Contact Cooling under Various Operating Conditions
by Minjun Kim, Jeonggyun Ham, Donghyeon Shin and Honghyun Cho
Batteries 2022, 8(10), 195; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries8100195 - 20 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3449
Abstract
This study compares the performance according to a working fluid, the number of battery cooling block ports, and header width required for cooling according to the application of the direct contact single-phase battery cooling method in a 1S16P battery module and examines the [...] Read more.
This study compares the performance according to a working fluid, the number of battery cooling block ports, and header width required for cooling according to the application of the direct contact single-phase battery cooling method in a 1S16P battery module and examines the battery cooling performance according to the flow rate under the standard and summer conditions based on an optimized model. The analysis result verified that R134a showed low-pressure drop and high cooling performance as the working fluid of the direct contact single-phase cooling system in the 1S16P battery module, and R134a showed the best cooling and stability when applied with three ports and a 5 mm header. In addition, under 25 °C outdoor conditions, the maximum temperature of the battery and the temperature difference between the batteries at 3 and 5 lpm excluding 1 lpm are 30.5 °C, 4.91 °C, and 28.7 °C, 3.28 °C, indicating that the flow rate of refrigerant was appropriate for battery safety. In contrast, in the summer condition of 35 °C, the maximum temperature of the battery and temperature difference between the batteries were 38.8 °C and 3.27 °C at the R134a flow rate of 5 lpm or more, which was verified as a stable flow condition for battery safety. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thermal Management System for Lithium-Ion Batteries)
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