HEV battery heating using AC currents

A unique method has been developed for internally heating hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) batteries at cold temperatures using alternating current (AC). The poor performance of these batteries in cold climates is of major concern because they suffer a huge loss in capacity. Another symptom of this low performance is a dramatic increase in the series resistance of the battery, R_B, as the temperature drops. Experiments were performed with both low and high frequency heaters, and several tests were conducted on both lead acid and nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries at different AC amplitudes, states of charge (SOCs) and cold temperatures. Low frequency 60 Hz heating was first tested on several different 38 Ah lead acid batteries. The feasibility of using high frequency heating was then tested using a 10–20 kHz inverter on a pack of 6.5 Ah nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries. A technique also was developed to estimate the internal battery temperature, T_bat, by measuring the battery source resistance, R_B.     

Thermal management system of lithium‐ion battery module based on micro heat pipe array

Temperature affects the performance of electric vehicle battery. To solve this problem, micro heat pipe arrays are utilized in a thermal management system that cools and heats battery modules. In the present study, the heat generation of a battery module during a charge‐discharge cycle under a constant current of 36 A (2C) was computed. Then, the cooling area of the condenser was calculated and experimentally validated. At rates of 1C and 2C, the thermal management system effectively reduced the temperature of the module to less than 40°C, and the temperature difference was controlled less than 5°C between battery surfaces of the module. A heating plate with 30‐W power effectively improved charge performance at low temperature within a short heating time and with uniform temperature distribution. Charge capacity obviously increased after heating when battery temperature was below 0°C. This study presents a new way to enhance the stability and safety of a battery module during the continuous charge‐discharge cycle at high temperatures and low temperatures accordingly.     

Thermal behaviors of Ni-MH batteries using a novel impedance spectroscopy

In this paper, a novel impedance spectroscopy was used to describe the thermal behaviors of Ni-MH batteries. The impedance functions were derived similarly to electric impedance functions. The square of current was treated as a current equivalent and heat-flow as a voltage equivalent. The impedance spectra of batteries during charge showed that the combination of hydrogen and oxygen increased rapidly when charge rate was higher than 0.5 C. Thermal runaway might happen when battery was charged at temperature above 348 K even at a low charge rate. The cycling test showed that the charge efficiency of battery was the highest after cycling at high-rate for 10–100 cycles and decreased after more cycles. Different batteries showed different thermal behaviors which may be caused by the different structures of batteries.     

Experimental investigation of thermal management system for lithium ion batteries module with coupling effect by heat sheets and phase change materials

Some potential safety risks for lithium ion battery such as overheating, combustion, and explosion occurred in practical application may cause accidents of electric vehicles. Phase change material (PCM)‐based thermal management system was demonstrated as a feasible approach. However, the batteries have to endure various environment and climate, which would not work normally under cold area. Especially when the surrounding temperature falls to below 10°C, which can bring about the energy and power of Li‐ion batteries rapidly reducing. In this study, a coupling heating strategy of the PCM‐based batteries module with 2 heat sheets at low temperature was proposed for batteries module and cannot only balance the temperature among different batteries in the module but also ensure to pre‐heat the batteries module at low temperature. The experiment displayed that 7% of EG in paraffin‐based composite PCMs was the best proportion for batteries module, considering both fluidity and thermal conductivity factors. In addition, the temperature difference of PCM‐based batteries module was 2.82°C, while that of the air‐based one was 14.49°C, which was 5 times more than former, exhibiting an excellent performance in balancing temperature uniformly, and was beneficial for prolonging the lifespan of batteries. The coupling heating strategy‐based PCM with heat sheets provided as an extremely promising technology for lithium batteries module at low temperature.     

Instantaneous estimation of internal temperature in lithium-ion battery by impedance measurement

Due to the various drawbacks of collecting temperature using embedded or patch thermocouple sensor, the internal temperature estimation is getting more and more attention in the field of lithium power battery. In this paper, the commercial 18650 LiFePO4 battery is selected to analyze the characteristic of Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) from 0°C to 55°C of 0.1 to 10 000 Hz. The results reveal that there exists intrinsic relationship between the alternating current (AC) impedance phase shift and the internal temperature in the range of 10 to 100 Hz from 5 to 55°C. And the intrinsic relationship is not interfered with the State-of-Charge (SOC) and the State-of-Health (SOH). Subsequently, the relationship is described with a modified Arrhenius equation under the excitation frequency of 12, 44, and 79 Hz. Finally, a novel internal temperature estimation method is proposed by the AC impedance phase shift. The applicability and accuracy of the method are further verified via 10 temperature points. The results indicate that the estimation error is within 1°C in the common operating temperature range (15-45°C), suggesting that the proposed method can be applied to estimate battery internal temperature. Finally, the implementation system of real-time estimation for engineering application is constructed.     

Effect of high Ni on battery thermal safety

Frequent accidents involving Li-ion batteries have prompted higher safety requirements for these batteries. In this study, the high-temperature, thermal runaway (TR) characteristic parameters at 100% state of charge (SOC) for cylindrical NCM811 batteries with a high-energy density were compared to the widely commercialized NCM523 batteries. The average TR trigger temperature of NCM811 battery was 157.54°C, which was 20.62°C lower than that of NCM523. Moreover, the average TR maximum temperature of NCM811 battery is 858.22°C, which was 212.81°C higher than that of NCM523. The maximum TR temperature of the NCM811 battery was 1289.53°C. The high Ni batteries exhibited poor thermal stability and severe TR. An increase in the Ni content resulted in increased fluctuations in the battery's internal TR reaction because high Ni batteries have a poor TR consistency and are difficult to accurately control. The TR combustion explosion of the fully charged NCM811 battery lasted for approximately 1.36 seconds. The combustion explosion severely damaged the positive electrode, and there was a collapse of the negative layered structure. The Cu current collector surface melted locally owing to the high temperature. Moreover, Ni, Co, and Mn particles appeared in the Cu current collectors and graphite.     

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。     

An experimental investigation of liquid cooling scheduling for a battery module

The thermal safety of electric vehicle battery modules attracts public concern; controlling the severe temperature rise and ensuring uniform temperature distribution are essential to addressing this problem. In this research, a liquid cooling-based cooling structure equipped with minichannels is proposed to prevent a battery module's overheating. A novel cooling scheduling study is proposed to arrange the coolant flow rates at different cooling stages. The temperature rise, temperature difference, and energy consumption of all the cooling schedules are measured in experiments. Experimental findings indicate that appropriate cooling scheduling achieves the thermal objectives and reduces energy consumption through scheduling the coolant flow rate in the cooling process. A comprehensive cooling schedule selection is carried out to select the optimal cooling schedule with the highest cooling efficiency through evaluating both the thermal and energy consumption objective parameters under different discharging current rates (0.5C, 1C, and 1.5C). The optimal cooling schedule maintains the maximum temperature of the battery module within 26°C, 32°C, and 40°C under 0.5C, 1C, and 1.5C discharging current rates, respectively. Moreover, the temperature SD and the energy consumption of the liquid cooling-based battery pack can be controlled within 3.5°C and 40 J, respectively.     

Effects of reciprocating liquid flow battery thermal management system on thermal characteristics and uniformity of large lithium-ion battery pack

To investigate the thermal characteristics and uniformity of a lithium-ion battery (LIB) pack, a second-order Thevenin circuit model of single LIB was modeled and validated experimentally. A battery thermal management system (BTMS) with reciprocating liquid flow was established based on the validated equivalent circuit model. The effects of the reciprocation period, battery module coolant flow rate and ambient temperature on the temperature and the temperature imbalance of batteries were studied. The results illustrate that the temperature difference can be effectively reduced by 3°C when the reciprocating period is 590 seconds. The reciprocating coolant flow rate is 11.5% and 33.3% that of the unidirectional flow BTMS for cooling and heating when same thermal effects are to be achieved. Under the same ambient temperature condition, the maximum temperature and average temperature difference can be reduced by 1.67°C and 3.77°C, respectively, at best for the battery module investigated with a reciprocating liquid-flow cooling system. The average temperature difference and heating power consumption could be reduced by 1.2°C and 14 kJ for reciprocating liquid flow heating system with period of 295 seconds when compared with unidirectional flow. As a result, the thermal characteristics and temperature uniformity can be effectively improved, and the parasitic power consumption can be significantly reduced through adoption of a reciprocating liquid flow BTMS.     

Performance assessment of thermal management systems for electric and hybrid electric vehicles

Thermal management systems (TMS) are one of the key components of electric and hybrid electric vehicles to achieve high vehicle efficiency and performance under all operating conditions. Current improvements in electric battery technology allow vehicles to have relatively long ranges, fast acceleration, and long life while keeping low‐maintenance costs and considerably lower emissions. However, the vehicle performance is significantly affected by the battery operating conditions. Moreover, the cell life cycle, safety, and possibility of thermal runaway significantly depend on peak temperature rise and temperature uniformity of the battery. Therefore, various TMSs are created to keep batteries within ideal operating ranges. In this article, three different TMS systems—passive cabin cooling (via air), active moderate liquid circulation (via refrigerant), and active liquid circulation (via refrigerant and coolant)—are analyzed and compared with electric and hybrid electric vehicles. A second law analysis is used to examine the areas of low exergy efficiency in each system and minimize the entropy generation based on the system configuration. Moreover, TMS systems are compared on the basis of battery temperature increase and temperature uniformity. Various parametric studies are conducted to compare the TMS in different ambient and operating conditions. On the basis of the analysis, the active liquid circulation (via refrigerant and coolant) is determined to have the lowest battery temperature increase (3.9 °C in 30 min) and most cell temperature uniformity (2.5 °C median) as well as the lowest entropy generation rate (0.0121 W/K) among the compared systems. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental investigation on the essential cause of the degrading performances for an overcharging ternary battery

Ternary power batteries, as the mainstream power sources of electric vehicles, are liable to inducing thermal runaway (TR) with respect to their sensitivity to abusive conditions. Among various abuse conditions, the overcharge of a battery has been considered as the most common and severe case giving rise to thermal safety accidents. In this study, an overcharged battery and a normal battery, both using ternary/graphite electrodes, were investigated and analyzed synergistically through thermal behaviors and electrochemical characteristics. Initially, a series of electrochemical parameters including charge and discharge voltage plateaus, discharged capacity and time at different discharge rates, and internal resistances were carried out. Then, the heat generation behaviors between normal and overcharged batteries were evaluated. Furtherly, the interconnectedness with the electrochemical capacity degradation and heat generation aggravation of the ternary battery after overcharge was analyzed. Besides, the essential causes of the deterioration of electrochemical properties and severe heat behaviors resulting from overcharge were intensively analyzed via microscopic perspectives. In addition, the electrochemical characteristics fading of abused ternary battery triggered by overcharge were investigated, especially under higher temperature (55°C) and ultralow temperature (−20°C) conditions. Therefore, for an overcharged battery, this research not only elaborates the essential causa of the degraded electrochemical and anabatic thermal performance from a materials and thermal science perspective but also provides a foundation for further promoting the safety properties of commercialized power batteries with ternary chemical systems.     

Preheating strategy of variable-frequency pulse for lithium battery in cold weather

Aiming to the issue of charging difficulty and capacity fading for lithium-ion battery at low temperature, this study proposes a preheating strategy using variable-frequency pulse. The innovation of this paper is to propose the thermo-electric coupling model based on the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of battery at different temperatures, integrated with variable frequency changing for pulse method to develop an effective inner pre-heating strategy. Meanwhile, the evaluating method of impact of this strategy on capacity fading of battery has also been proposed to examine its effectiveness, to find the optimal strategy. First, temperature rise model and the thermo-electric coupling model at different temperatures according to the equivalent circuit model of battery are presented. Further, optimal heating frequency of current pulse at different temperatures is calculated according to the changing of internal impedance. The results show that the optimal variable-frequency pulse pre-heating strategy can heat the lithium-ion battery from −20°C to 5°C in 1000 seconds. Meanwhile, it brings less damage to the battery health and improves the performance of battery in cold weather based on the views of power consumption, capacity attenuation, and internal impedance changes.     

Effect of charge rate on capacity degradation of LiFePO4 power battery at low temperature

Limited by the current power battery technology, electric vehicles show extremely poor duration performance and potential risk at low temperature, which is mainly caused by poor charging performance of lithium-ion batteries. To explore the impact of charging process on cycle degradation at low temperatures, a cycle aging experimental scheme with different charging C-rate (0.3C and 0.5C) under −10°C and −20°C was designed for the commercial LiFePO₄ battery. The experimental batteries showed severe degradation after a few of cycles. The phenomenon of reduced internal resistance and up-shift of the charging curve was found during the early cycle stages (0th-20th cycle). The influence of low-temperature cycle on battery was analyzed by the increment capacity analysis (ICA); the fast decreasing intensity of ①*II showed sharp loss of lithium ions. Those lithium ions mainly transformed into lithium plating and built up dendrites instead of reintercalating into the anode crystal structure, causing the further degradation of capacity and ohmic resistance. Degradation law was obtained by curve regression analysis in the end.     

A comparative study on the degradation behaviors of overcharged lithium-ion batteries under different ambient temperatures

In the current work, a series of experiments are carried out to investigate the degradation behavior of lithium-ion batteries during overcharge cycling, as well as the influence of ambient temperature on the degradation. In which, different charge cut-off voltages (4.5, 4.8, and 5.0 V) and ambient temperatures (0°C, 20°C, 50°C, and 70 °C) are included. During the overcharge process, the batteries demonstrate severe temperature rises, and several key electrochemical parameters such as the charge capacity, energy density, median voltage, and resistances all increase, revealing the deterioration of heat generation and electrode kinetics. Besides that, batteries exhibit serious degradation behavior during the overcharge cycling, which is presented through the evolution of battery temperature curves, charge voltage curves, and internal resistance curves. Moreover, the severity of degradation exacerbates with the increasing overcharge degree. Finally, it is found that deep-overcharged batteries may be more sensitive to the ambient temperature than slight-overcharged ones, where an abusive temperature can significantly aggravate the corresponding degradation.     

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℃。     

Performance characteristics of mobile heat pump for a large passenger electric vehicle

In this study, the performance of a mobile heat pump for an electric bus, which uses the wasted heat of electric devices for a heating and air source for a cooling, was evaluated. Both cooling and heating performances of the mobile heat pump were tested under various experimental conditions, and then optimized by varying the refrigerant charge and the compressor frequency. The cooling capacity at all compressor frequencies was over 23.0 kW, which is sufficient for the cooling loads of an electric bus. The heating COP decreased but the heating capacity increased with the rise of outdoor temperature and the compressor frequency. The heating COP was 2.4 at an outdoor temperature of 10.0 °C. The observed heating and cooling performance characteristics of the mobile heat pump means it could be used for cabin heating and air conditioning of an electric vehicle with a short driving range.     

Thermal impedance spectroscopy for Li-ion batteries using heat-pulse response analysis

Novel characterization of the thermal properties of batteries have been introduced by defining their frequency-dependent thermal impedance functions. The thermal impedance function can be approximated as a thermal impedance spectrum by analyzing the experimental temperature transient which is related to the thermal impedance function through Laplace transformation.In order to obtain the temperature transient, a process has been devised to generate an external heat pulse with heating wire and to measure the response of the battery. This process is used to study several commercial Li-ion batteries of cylindrical type. Thermal impedance measurements have been performed using a potentiostat/galvanostat controlled by a digital signal processor, which is more commonly available than a flow-meter usually applied for thermal property measurements.Thermal impedance spectra obtained for batteries produced by different manufacturers are found to differ considerably. Comparison of spectra at different states-of-charge indicates an independence of the thermal impedance on the charge state of the battery. It is shown that the thermal impedance spectrum can be used to obtain simultaneously the thermal capacity and the thermal conductivity of the battery by non-linear complex least-squares fit of the spectrum to the thermal impedance model.     

Recent progress in lithium-ion battery thermal management for a wide range of temperature and abuse conditions

Lithium-ion batteries are important power sources for electric vehicles and energy storage devices in recent decades. Operating temperature, reliability, safety, and life cycle of batteries are key issues in battery thermal management, and therefore, there is a need for an effective thermal-management system. This review summarises the latest research progress on lithium-ion battery thermal management under high temperature, sub-zero temperature, and abuse conditions. Heat generation mechanisms are characterised under both normal and abuse conditions. Different cooling methods, which include air cooling, liquid cooling, phase change cooling, heat pipe cooling, and their combinations are reviewed and discussed. Thereafter, features of different battery heating methods such as air/liquid heating, alternate current heating, and internal self-heating are discussed. An improvement in battery safety under abuse conditions is discussed from the perspective of battery material modification and thermal management design. The research progress in recent investigations is summarised, and the prospects are proposed.     

Measurement of heat generation in a 40 Ah LiFePO4 prismatic battery using accelerating rate calorimetry

Accurate characterization of the heat generation behavior of a battery is crucial to a good design of its thermal management system. Concerning the thermal properties, much attention has been paid to small-sized batteries such as the 18650- or button-type and little information is available for large-capacity Li-ion prismatic cells under adiabatic conditions. In this work, heat generation of a commercial 40 Ah prismatic LiFePO₄/C battery is evaluated using an accelerating rate calorimeter under an adiabatic condition. The battery cell is charged or discharged at an initial temperature from ?12.5 to 40 °C and a current rate from 0.2C to 2C. The experiment results show that heat generated in the battery is highly dependent on its operating temperature, state of charge and current rate. Internal resistance and entropy coefficient of the battery cell are also determined by the Hybrid Pulse Power Characterization method and potentiometric method, respectively. Relationship between the internal resistance and the heat generation behavior is highlighted. Entropy coefficient and volumetric heat generation rate of the battery cell obtained in this work are compared with those of other Li-ion batteries reported in literature.     

Investigation on thermal management performance of wedge‐shaped microchannels for rectangular Li‐ion batteries

The performance of power battery is a significant factor affecting the overall quality of electric vehicles. To optimize the thermal management effect of battery pack, cold plate with wedge‐shaped microchannels was proposed in this paper. On the basis of the models of the independent cold plate and the battery‐cooling module, the effects of outlet aspect ratio, flow rate, and branching structure on the heat dissipation performance of the cold plate were studied at first. Afterwards, the effects of cooling surface, flow rate, and branching structure on the temperature distribution of the battery module were simulated. The results showed that the wedge‐shaped channels provided a good cooling efficiency and surface temperature uniformity. When the wedge‐shaped channel was used in thermal management of the battery module, the side‐cooling method reduced the temperature difference of batteries by more than 35.71% compared with front cooling under the mass flow rate of 2 × 10^?5 kg/s. At a discharge rate of 3.5 C, the flow rate of 1 × 10^?4 kg/s controlled the battery temperature to within 45°C, and the branching structure designed for the module successfully decreased the maximum temperature difference from 7.27°C to 4.67°C, which has been reduced by approximately 35.78%.