High Reynold’s Number Turbulent Model for Micro-Channel Cold Plate Using Reverse Engineering Approach for Water-Cooled Battery in Electric Vehicles

Abstract

The investigation and improvement of the cooling process of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) used in battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) are required in order to achieve better performance and longer lifespan. In this manuscript, the temperature and velocity profiles of cooling plates used to cool down the large prismatic Graphite/LiFePO4 battery are presented using both laboratory testing and modeling techniques. Computed tomography (CT) scanning was utilized for the cooling plate, Detroit Engineering Products (DEP) MeshWorks 8.0 was used for meshing of the cooling plate, and STAR CCM+ was used for simulation. The numerical investigation was conducted for higher C-rates of 3C and 4C with different ambient temperatures. For the experimental work, three heat flux sensors were attached to the battery surface. Water was used as a coolant inside the cooling plate to cool down the battery. The mass flow rate at each channel was 0.000277677 kg/s. The k-ε model was then utilized to simulate the turbulent behaviour of the fluid in the cooling plate, and the thermal behaviour under constant current (CC) discharge was studied and validated with the experimental data. This study provides insight into thermal and flow characteristics of the coolant inside a cooing plate, which can be used for designing more efficient cooling plates.

A Review of Heavy-Duty Vehicle Powertrain Technologies: Diesel Engine Vehicles, Battery Electric Vehicles, and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles

“…BEVs use battery packs to power electric motors for their propulsion. The most common type of battery proposed for battery power packs in battery HDVs is lithium-ion due to its high energy density, high energy efficiency, and long lifespan [43,44]. At its most basic level, a lithium-ion battery cell consists of a cathode and lithium anode along with a separator and electrolyte solution.…”

Essential technologies on the direct cooling thermal management system for electric vehicles

“…To evaluate the performance of heat transfer internal the cooling plate, the modeling of two-phase flow contributes to exhibit the flow pattern of coolant. 142 As the mixture of liquid and vapor flows in the plate, the coolant with low-boiling point is rather colder than plate and batteries, and then absorbs the heat by convection. Moreover, the coolant is heated during the flow, and the liquid coolant evaporates to vapor with more heat absorbing.…”

Hybrid cooling of cylindrical battery with liquid channels in phase change material

“…BTMS architecture differs primarily depending on the working fluid used to dissipate heat from the cells. Many studies have reported on air and liquid battery cooling as cooling media 14‐20 . Zhao et al 21 presented modified air‐based BTMS by integrating a direct evaporative cooling (DEC) system, which helps reduce the inlet air temperature for enhanced heat dissipation.…”