A computational study of the high-discharge thermoelectric performance of cylindrical battery packs for electric vehicles

Abstract Electric-drive vehicles are elevated as a prospective alternative to reduce transportation’s carbon intensity and to meet the SDGs goals. Lithium-ion batteries(LIB) have been determined to be acceptable for all e-mobilities. Temperature control is essential for Li-ion batteries’ long-term performance and durability. When the battery is being discharged quickly, the temperature of the battery pack (BP) has a big effect on the performance of each cell and also on overal battery pack. However, if the temperature is kept within an acceptable range, the performance of each cell improves. At a steady current discharge rate, it has been shown how well the cylindrical cell cools. For a more precise comparison of temperature distribution, the spacing of the BP cells are taken as same. The two sides of the BP are left completely open for the design consideration in OpenFOAM so that air can flow in and out. It was found that cylindrical BPs needed more space in between the cells to allow for adequate air flow for cooling the cells and the removal of gases which is created by each cell. This study presents the development of a 3D open-source computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model using OpenFOAM for a 9-cell cylindrical battery pack (BP). The developed OpenFOAM model simulates heat generation and temperature distribution within the battery module and investigates flow behavior, thermal runaway events, individual cell temperatures, and the overall thermal behavior of each cell and the battery pack. Validation was carried out using both experimental data from existing literature and simulation results from ANSYS. The highest temperature was observed in the middle cell of the third row, making it the most thermally stressed cell in the pack. Overall, the third row exhibited higher temperatures compared to the other rows in the battery pack.