Enhancing Electric Vehicle Battery Pack Performance: A PCM-Based Study on Battery Thermal Management for the Energy Market

Electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage devices have seen widespread utilization of lithium-ion batteries owing to their widespread adoption, offering high energy density, and enduring performance. The thermal management system plays a crucial role in EVs as it safeguards the battery's health and prolongs its lifespan while also preventing thermal runaway incidents in the battery pack. However, various methods such as immersion cooling, forced air cooling, and cooling plates are employed to effectively regulate the thermal characteristics of the battery pack, facilitating efficient thermal management in the energy market. Phase change material (PCM) emerges as an ideal solution for EV battery packs due to its seamless compatibility with all battery manufacturing components, while its remarkable advantage lies in its ability to facilitate effective heat dissipation without necessitating any modifications to the existing battery architecture. Its significant latent heat capacity and nonparasitic power consumption, make it an effective choice for efficient heat management in batteries. This article designed a cost-effective 20S and 13P battery pack (72 V, 36 Ah) for lower battery temperatures when compared to natural convection setup in 0.5C charge, 0.5C discharge and 0.5C charge, 1C discharge test using PCM for the energy market.