Research on heat dissipation performance and flow characteristics of air‐cooled battery pack

With the depletion of fossil fuels and the aggravation of environmental pollution, the research and development speed of electric vehicles has been accelerating, and the thermal management of battery pack has become increasingly important. This paper selects the electric vehicle battery pack with natural air cooling as the study subject, conducts simulation analysis of the heat dissipation performance of battery packs with and without vents. Then this paper researches on the influence of internal flow field and external flow field. Field synergy principle is used to analyze the effect of velocity field and temperature field amplitude. The results show the following: it is found that the maximum temperature rise and the internal maximum temperature difference of the battery pack with vents are reduced by about 23.1% and 19.9%, raising speed value can improve the heat dissipation performance, and raising temperature value can decrease the heat dissipation performance. Reasonable design of the vents can make the inner and outer flow field work synergistically to achieve the best cooling effect. Then the reference basis for the air cooling heat dissipation performance analysis of electric vehicle, battery pack structure arrangement, and air‐inlet and air‐outlet pattern choosing are offered.     

Research on the heat dissipation performance of lithium‐ion cell with different operating conditions

This paper aims to research the thermal power of lithium‐ion cell with different operating conditions. A 55‐Ah lithium‐ion cell is selected as the research object. Experiment and simulation are chosen as the methods to research the temperature distribution and thermal power of the cell under different conditions. Combining with the thermal power of cells, this paper also researches the heat dissipation performance of battery pack under different operation conditions. The results indicated that average thermal power of a 55‐Ah lithium‐ion cell decreases along with the increase of ambient temperature and the decrease of state of charge and charge and discharge rates. The results achieved through simulation and experiment are consistent, so simulation could be used to research the temperature distribution of cell during charge and discharge. As considering the longitudinal battery pack with steady analysis, high temperature area is in the centre, and the temperature of air inlet is relatively low. The airflow mostly passes the top of battery pack but not through both sides. As considering the longitudinal battery pack with transient analysis, the temperature rise of battery pack is evidently higher than the inner temperature difference by studying three operating conditions (sustained deceleration, sustained acceleration and pulsed discharge). The curves of temperature rise and inner temperature difference rise along with sustained acceleration of the electric vehicle; therefore, even if the electric vehicle begins to decelerate, the fan must still work until the temperature of battery pack decreases. Then, the references are given for researching thermal characteristic during charge and discharge of the cell and the heat dissipation analysis of battery pack. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermal management of lithium‐ion batteries for electric vehicles

Thermal issues associated with electric vehicle battery packs can significantly affect performance and life cycle. Fundamental heat transfer principles and performance characteristics of commercial lithium‐ion battery are used to predict the temperature distributions in a typical battery pack under a range of discharge conditions. Various cooling strategies are implemented to examine the relationship between battery thermal behavior and design parameters. By studying the effect of cooling conditions and pack configuration on battery temperature, information is obtained as to how to maintain operating temperature by designing proper battery configuration and choosing proper cooling systems. It was found that a cooling strategy based on distributed forced convection is an efficient, cost‐effective method which can provide uniform temperature and voltage distributions within the battery pack at various discharge rates. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Air cooling strategy of power battery based on minimum energy consumption

针对目前电动汽车动力电池风冷散热能耗高、散热滞后的问题,提出一种基于最小能耗的动力电池风冷控制策略,根据车载导航系统预报的工况信息预测动力电池的未来温升,在满足动力电池散热需求的前提下以风机能耗最少为目标,运用分段式动态规划算法确定风机在未来路段的开启时机与最优风速。以添加了坡度信息的ARB02、HWFET和UDDSHDV的组合工况为测试工况,对动力电池未来温升的精度进行了硬件在环试验,得出实际路况试验温度与预报工况试验温度的最大差值为0.3℃,最大偏差率为0.7%。与其他两种控制策略进行了Fluent仿真对比,结果表明基于最小能耗控制策略下动力电池的最高温度为39.87℃,最大温差为1.1℃;风机能耗是全程开启型控制策略的77.2%,是温度开关型控制策略的53.7%。该策略能有效控制动力电池的温度且风机能耗最小。     

Performance optimization of hybrid hydrogen fuel cell-electric vehicles in real driving cycles

In this research study, a fuel cell-electric hybrid car is studied. This car includes an electric motor that is connected to a fuel cell and a complex which includes a battery pack and an Ultracapacitor. The assessment of this hybrid vehicle is conducted by using various driving cycles such as FTP-75 driving cycle, NEDC driving cycle and SFTP-SC03 driving cycle. Battery state of charge (SoC) and hydrogen fuel consumption are the effective parameters influencing the vehicle performance. For analysing the performance of this vehicle, an innovative computational model is considered. In this innovative computational model, an accurate control strategy is considered in order to control the power demand, staying the battery packs and the Ultracapacitor state of charge in a limited domain. Results show that in NEDC driving cycle, by means of using Ultracapacitor in this model, 3.3% reduction in fuel consumption and 20.2% decrease in the difference between initial and final State of Charge (SoC) in battery pack can be achieved. In addition, a robust regenerative braking control strategy is used in order to recover some parts of the wasted energy in braking driving modes.     

Performance of serpentine channel based Li-ion battery thermal management system: An experimental investigation

Thermal management of large-scale Li-ion battery packs is of great significance to their safety and life cycle, which would impact their applicability in electric vehicles. Of the many strategies developed for this purpose, indirect liquid cooling has already demonstrated quite high potentials in thermal regulation of such battery systems. In this study, a compact lightweight serpentine wavy channel configuration was chosen to construct an indirect liquid cooling system for a battery module of cylindrical Li-ion cells. The serpentine channel has a number of six internal minichannels. Experimental test data were used to conduct a comprehensive thermal analysis to examine the highest temperature, the maximum temperature difference, and the heat accumulation percentages, and so forth within the battery pack. Results have revealed the ability of the cooling system to maintain the module temperature within appropriate working conditions for electric vehicle applications for most cycling tests including two driving cycles. Furthermore, the analysis insights raised by this study could be useful in understanding the cooling performance of the liquid-based thermal management systems for electric vehicles.     

增设通风孔的风冷式锂离子电池热管理系统数值研究

电池热管理系统的优化设计可以维持动力电池的高效性能,进而促进电动汽车产业的发展。本文采用CFD方法研究有通风孔的情况下,风冷式锂离子电池组在放电过程中的散热性能。研究结果发现,在电池组外壳增设通风孔可以明显提高整个电池组的冷却效果。风孔开设在主出风口的相反方向时,电池组的温升和温差最小。当风孔的面积与出口面积相等时,电池组的冷却效果最佳;继续增大风孔对电池组的冷却效果影响较小。最后探讨了空气进口温度和电池间冷却通道的变化对电池组散热效果的影响。采用在电池组外壳上开设多个通风孔的办法有助于电池热管理系统的冷却优化设计。     

汽车空调制冷剂直冷动力电池热管理系统的PID控制研究

电池热管理对电动汽车的安全和寿命至关重要。本文采用铝翅片铜管作为基础结构,设计一种结构紧凑、轻量型的18650型锂离子电池模组,采用基于PID原理的算法作为电动汽车空调系统电子膨胀阀的控制方案,实验研究R134a制冷剂直接气液两相流冷却电池模组的换热性能。结果表明：所提出的电池热管理系统能够快速响应温度的变化,并降低电池模组的温度。此外,当控制方案为动态温度PID算法时,电池模组以1 C倍率放电过程中电池之间的最大温差小于4℃,并且电池模组的最高温度低于36℃。     

Review of research on heat generation characteristics during charging and discharging of lithium ion batteries

电动车辆的性能和成本很大程度上取决于动力电池组的性能和使用寿命,而电池组的性能和使用寿命又受到电池单体产热的影响。研究锂离子电池充放电过程中的产热特性及影响因素,对锂电池的开发及使用具有指导意义。本文从环境温度、充放电倍率、电池材料、荷电状态和老化程度五个方面入手,综述了各因素对锂离子电池产热的影响。     

Machine learning approach for solving inconsistency problems of Li-ion batteries during the manufacturing stage

The inconsistency in the mass production of lithium-ion battery (LIB) packs stem from the inconsistency in the capacity, voltage and internal resistance of single batteries that compose packs. The inconsistency issue of these battery packs can greatly reduce the output performance of a large power pack. This paper proposed the machine learning approach based on self-organization mapping (SOM) neural networks for establishing the consistency of LIBs. This method comprehensively compares and analyzes the real-LIB parameters (internal resistance, capacity and voltage) data obtained during charging and discharging to form the clusters of similar performing LIBs. Experimental result validated the clustering analysis and it indicates that the performance of clustered battery pack typically precedes than that of original. The capacity of clustered battery pack increased 1.9% compared with brand-new pack. The temperature distribution of the battery pack assembled after screening is consistent. The peak temperature is 4°-5° lower than the ordinary battery, and the temperature fluctuation is reduced by 2.6°. In addition, the application of cluster analysis is expanded and some key research directions are pointed out.     

Lithium battery thermal management system for hybrid vehicles

为研究动力电池组的温度特性以及维持其工作在最佳的温度范围内,以锂离子电池为研究对象,设计了一种新型混合动力汽车的电池热管理系统,利用空调系统和发动机排气系统来调控电池组的温度。建立了锂电池组的三维瞬态产热数值模型,以电池组的三维尺寸和进风口流速为输入参数,以降低电池组的最大温升和提高电池组的温度均匀性为输出参数,利用FLUENT仿真软件和DesignXplorer模块进行联合优化设计了电池组的结构。优化后的电池组的温升比优化前降低了5.39 K,电池组温差降低了6.41 K。分析了恒倍率放电以及对流换热系数对单体电池温升的影响,研究表明：放电倍率越大电池温升越快,放电结束后电池的温度越高,在对流换热系数小于30 W/（m²·K）时,散热效果明显。对电池组在不同条件下加热或者冷却进行了仿真分析,验证了该电池热管理系统的可行性。     

Multi‐objective design optimization for mini‐channel cooling battery thermal management system in an electric vehicle

Lithium‐ion battery packs have been generally used as the power source for electric vehicles. Heat generated during discharge and limited space in the battery pack may bring safety issues and negative effect on the battery pack. Battery thermal management system is indispensable since it can effectively moderate the temperature rise by using a simple system, thereby improving the safety of battery packs. However, the comprehensive investigation on the optimal design of battery thermal management system with liquid cooling is still rare. This article develops a comprehensive methodology to design an efficient mini‐channel cooling system, which comprises thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and structural analysis. The developed methodology mainly contains four steps: the design of the mini‐channel cooling system and computational fluid dynamics analysis, the design of experiments and selection of surrogate models, formulation of optimization model, and multi‐objective optimization for selection of the optimum scheme for mini‐channel cooling battery thermal management system. The findings in the study display that the temperature difference decreases from 8.0878 to 7.6267 K by 5.70%, the standard temperature deviation decreases from 2.1346 to 2.1172 K by 0.82%, and the pressure drop decreases from 302.14 to 167.60 Pa by 44.53%. The developed methodology could be extended for industrial battery pack design process to enhance cooling effect thermal performance and decrease power consumption.     

车用锂离子电池液冷式热管理系统实验研究

锂离子电池组的热管理对电动汽车的性能和安全性具有重要意义。基于多通道蛇形波纹管液冷式热管理系统,以200个18650型锂离子电池组为热管理对象,对电池在各种充放电倍率下所需的冷却液流量、泵功消耗以及热管理收益进行了实验研究。结果表明,热管理系统对动力电池在各种充放电应用条件下都具有较好的热管理效果,电池最大温度和最大温差基本可控制在40℃以下和5℃以内。提高冷却水流速对系统热管理能力的提升具有一定的效果,但是随着流速增大,热管理能力提升的边际效益也更趋明显;而系统运行所消耗的泵功增加导致了热管理收益随冷却水流速增加而大幅降低。从电池的性能安全以及热管理有效性的角度综合考虑,各充放电倍率下热管理系统的冷却水流速都是以保证电池安全和性能指标的最低流速为优。     

Experimental and numerical investigation of heat transfer in Li‐ion battery pack of a hoverboard

Li‐ion cells are used for energy storage and conversion in electric vehicles and a variety of consumer devices such as hoverboards. Performance and safety of such devices are severely affected by overheating of Li‐ion cells in aggressive operating conditions. Multiple recent fires and accidents in hoverboards are known to have originated in the battery pack of the hoverboard. While thermal analysis and measurements have been carried out extensively on large battery packs for electric vehicles, there is relatively lesser research on smaller devices such as hoverboards, where the extremely limited thermal management design space and the critical importance of user safety result in severe thermal management challenges. This paper presents experimental measurements and numerical analysis of a novel approach for thermal management of the battery pack of a hoverboard. Measurements indicate that temperature rise in cells in the pack can be as large as 30°C at 4C discharge rate, which, although unlikely to be a standard discharge rate, may result from a malfunction or accident. A novel thermal management approach is investigated, wherein careful utilization of air flow generated by hoverboard motion is shown to result in significant temperature reduction. Measurements also indicate the key role of the metal housing around the battery pack in thermal management. Measurements are found to be in good agreement with finite element simulations, which indicate that the battery pack can be cooled as effectively in presence of a perforated metal casing as without the casing at all. Experimental data and simulation model presented here offer critical insights into the design of hoverboard thermal management and may result in safer, high performance hoverboard battery packs.     

大功率锂离子动力电池组散热特性数值模拟

大功率锂离子动力电池具有较高的功率密度和能量密度,在纯电动汽车和混合动力汽车中具有很大的应用价值。本文采用数值模拟的方法,建立了大功率非均匀产热动力电池组三维模型,模拟分析了基于空气单向流动冷却和往复流动冷却的LiFePO₄动力电池组（4 × 6）的散热性能。结果表明,对于大功率电池正负极产热不均匀的情况,为了降低电池模块的局部温差,电池采用正负极交叉式排列组合是必要的;随着入口风速的增大,角度大小对散热性能的影响增大;周期较长时的往复通风方式不利于减小电池组局部温差,甚至在长时间内会增加局部温差。     

锂离子电池热管理技术

电动汽车在应对气候变化和减少碳排放方面显示出了巨大潜力,电池作为电动汽车的动力来源,在性能和安全方面受温度影响很大。一套有效的热管理控制系统能使电池组温度保持在最佳工作范围内,提高整车的续驶里程。主要总结了目前对电池进行散热和保温的主流电池热管理技术——风冷、液冷、相变冷却、热管冷却以及电池加热技术。提出电池热管理技术应往智能化、集成化、与机器学习相结合、能够自适应调节电池生态温度的方向发展,将会有很大的研究空间。     

Recent progress on thermal runaway propagation of lithium-ion battery

简述了电动汽车锂离子动力电池热失控蔓延机理、建模与抑制技术的最新研究进展。为了满足汽车高能量的要求,需要动力电池进行串并联成组来提供动力。电池组成组安全问题成为电动汽车大规模应用的重要技术问题。电池组中的某一个电池单体发生热失控后产生大量热,导致周围电池单体受热产生热失控。因而,电池组成组安全问题的重要关注点是电池组内的热失控蔓延问题。本文对锂离子电池热失控蔓延问题的国内外研究进展进行了综述,分析了对于不同种类锂离子动力电池影响其热失控蔓延特性的主要因素。总结了文献中的热失控蔓延建模方法,并指出了已有方法的不足。从电池系统热安全管理的角度,阐述并分析了热失控蔓延防控技术的研究成果与方向。最后对锂离子电池热失控蔓延研究进行了展望。     

Thermal behavior of lithium batteries used in electric vehicles using phase change materials

Electric vehicles equipped with lithium-ion batteries face a huge challenge, and the fact that battery life is very much affected by the temperature conditions of their operating environment, the heat reduces battery life cycle and time and increases the likelihood of thermal degradation and explosion. This problem has forced engineers to cool the battery. The methods used to cool the battery includes a cool water method (passing water or a dielectric fluid from the battery pack), cooling air (blowing air into the battery compartment by the fan), using a refrigeration system (such as cooling screens), and the use of phase-change material (PCM). In this research after reviewing and referring to valid authorities, it was found that PCMs are superior to all three other cooling systems because the air-conditioning system is not very desirable due to the high-temperature gradient between the battery cells. Also, cooling and refrigeration systems with refrigerant gases will also cost a very high cost on the electric car. The results of the studies showed that the cooling the battery using the PCM creates a similar temperature profile between the batteries in the battery pack, the temperature gradient is much smaller than the air cooler and cool water, and the final cost will be much lower. Also, it performs more efficiently in high-speed road dynamics and increases the battery life of an electric car or electric hybrid.     

Battery module thermal management based on liquid cold plate with heat transfer enhanced fin

Battery, as the main energy storage element, directly affects the performance of electric vehicle. Battery thermal management research is required as the battery performance influenced by temperature obviously. This article selects liquid cold plate with different heat transfer enhanced fins as the research object. The angle and length of fins are chosen as the variables. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methods and experiments are used in this research. The fin angle of 15°, 30°, and 45° and fin length of 8, 10, 12 mm are selected to compose enhanced fins. The results indicate that heat transfer fins inside liquid cold plate can significantly decrease the highest temperature of battery module and temperature difference among cells. Otherwise, different fin angle and fin length can achieve different heat dissipation performance, which is not positive correlation. Then the design reference of heat transfer enhanced fin in liquid cold plate is offered.     

Simulation of abuse tolerance of lithium-ion battery packs

A simple approach for using accelerating rate calorimetry data to simulate the thermal abuse resistance of battery packs is described. The thermal abuse tolerance of battery packs is estimated based on the exothermic behavior of a single cell and an energy balance than accounts for radiative, conductive, and convective heat transfer modes of the pack. For the specific example of a notebook computer pack containing eight 18650-size cells, the effects of cell position, heat of reaction, and heat-transfer coefficient are explored. Thermal runaway of the pack is more likely to be induced by thermal runaway of a single cell when that cell is in good contact with other cells and is close to the pack wall.