Orthogonal experimental-based thermal management design and simulation optimization of a liquid-cooled battery module

This study systematically evaluates the thermal performance of serpentine-channel cold plates in high-capacity Li-ion battery modules, focusing on geometric parameters (depth/width) and coolant flow rate. Through orthogonal experimental design coupled with STAR-CCM + computational fluid dynamics simulations, we identify optimal cooling configurations. The results indicate that both the maximum temperature (T_max) and the maximum temperature difference (ΔT_min) of the battery module have reached their minimum values with a Liquid-cooling plate channel depth of 3 mm, channel width of 28 mm, and coolant flow rate of 2.826 L/min, and when the coolant temperature is within the range of 16 °C to 26 °C, a linear reduction in the T_max of 2 °C is observed for every 2 °C decrease in coolant temperature. The results demonstrate that precise channel geometry design with active coolant temperature adjustment can effectively mitigate thermal inhomogeneity in large-format battery systems.