Cooling of NMC Battery with Different Fin Configurations

Passive systems in battery thermal management systems (BTMS) are considered promising; however, they still require further development. In this study, heat transfer by natural convection, a low-cost and easy-to-implement passive cooling method for BTMS, is adopted. For this purpose, fins with different configurations are mounted on the surface of the 18650 NMC cylindrical battery. The effects of these configurations are evaluated by comparing them with a battery surface without fins. The configurations investigate fin diameters that increase from one battery pole to the other (Cases 1 and 2), and diameters that expand from the center to the poles (Case 3). The study is conducted at discharge rates of 3C, 4C, and 5C. The results show that finless batteries exhibit the most homogeneous temperature distribution but are exposed to the highest thermal temperatures. Case 3 is the most suitable configuration for cooling the battery. A 1C increase in discharge rate leads to a 13-17°C increase in these cases. Compared to the finless battery at a 3C discharge rate, Cases 1, 2, and 3 show approximately 16.3%, 16.3%, and 30.4% reductions in temperature, respectively.