Enhancing Battery Cooling Efficiency: Topology Optimization and Coolant-Material Synergy in Double-Outlet Cold Plates

Abstract While cooling plates play a pivotal role in battery heat dissipation, existing studies have predominantly focused on parametric optimization of cooling channels, often neglecting comprehensive structural optimization and the synergistic effects of coolant selection. This represents a significant research gap, as the interplay between cooling plate topology and coolant properties remains underexplored despite its profound impact on thermal management efficiency. To address this limitation, this study proposes topology optimization (TO) for a double-outlet battery cooling plate design and analyzes the optimized design with various materials used for the cold plate and coolant. The research concludes that the copper–water pairing exhibits the most effective cooling performance among the tested configurations, with the lowest maximum temperature of 317.99 K. Furthermore, the copper–water pairing also achieves the lowest pressure drop of 3.099 Pa, indicating efficient hydraulic performance, while the aluminum–water pairing records the highest fluid flow velocity of 0.0299 m/s. This reveals that the TO design allows smooth flow within the plate. This study demonstrates that TO is a valuable tool for enhancing the efficacy of battery cooling systems in electric vehicles (EVs).