CFD-based viability for safely cooling wing-mounted high-performance batteries in an after-market aircraft electrification

Purpose With the increasing global focus on environmental protection and sustainable development, advancing electric aircraft has become a critical direction in the aviation field. The purpose of this paper is to propose an air-cooling-based solution for the thermal management of lithium-ion batteries in electric aircraft. Design/methodology/approach Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) research methods were used to assess the viability of air-cooling lithium-ion batteries stored in the wings of a prototype electric trainer aircraft. Simulations of a battery module of 669 cells in each wing were conducted in Ansys Fluent for a typical flight training mission. Findings A viable cooling system was identified consisting of four inlets and five outlets across the span of the wing with an inlet-outlet spacing of 426 mm. At an ambient air temperature of 30°C, the maximum temperature of the battery cells during flight did not exceed 43°C compared to 68°C with no cooling. Research limitations/implications Further research is recommended to analyse the aerodynamic and structural effects of this cooling system on the aircraft wing before final design optimisations are studied. Practical implications The demonstrated viability of air-cooled batteries in place of fuel in an aircraft wing is important to assist development in retrofitting sustainable propulsion into the World’s training aircraft fleets. Social implications Electrically powered aircraft are emerging as a solution to reduce the aviation industry’s greenhouse gas emissions, with particular interest in the electric powertrain components to be used. General aviation is leading the electrification surge, with light sport trainer aircraft being retrofitted with electric powertrains, consisting of batteries, electric motors and propulsors (commonly open propellers). This research into air cooling batteries in place of former fuel storage is essential if these sustainability benefits are to be realised. Originality/value This thermal management research is unique for the large size of the aircraft being electrified after-market, and for the amount of battery storage being proposed for the wing’s previous fuel storage location. The thermal-fluid computational methods have not yet been used previously to analyse an aircraft electrification.