Improving the Performance of Liquid-Based Battery Thermal Management Systems Using Flow Patterns and Contact Surface with the Battery

The advancement and commercialization of electric vehicles due to their advantages have increased research in this field. Lithium-ion batteries are among the most important components of electric vehicles, and their performance is affected by temperature. In this study, fluid dynamics and heat transfer in a cooling system for battery cells were investigated using three-dimensional solid-fluid simulations. The thermophysical properties of the cooling fluid were considered variable with temperature and implemented using a user-defined function (UDF). Numerical simulation can effectively predict the thermal behavior of battery cells during discharge and match experimental data. This study examined the impact of different flow patterns and solid block contact surfaces on the maximum surface temperature and temperature distribution uniformity. The results show that the structure of incremental blocks can affect the temperature distribution of battery cells, such that in parallel flow, the maximum temperature of cells near the inlet increases by 0.65°C, and cells near the outlet decreases by 0.2°C. In contrast, in counter-flow, the maximum temperature of side cells is higher by 0.25°C. Additionally, the study shows the impact of increased contact surface on system weight, indicating a significant weight reduction of about 28.5% in solid blocks with increased contact surface. This research demonstrates the potential of using numerical simulations to improve the design of thermal management systems in battery cells.