Thermal Management of a Cylindrical Lithium-Ion Battery Module Using a Multichannel Wavy Tube

Abstract

Thermal management is essential for the lithium-ion batteries of electric vehicles to maintain a suitable temperature range and reduce local temperature differences. In this study, a multichannel wavy tube is proposed for a liquid cooling cylindrical lithium-ion battery module. Three-dimensional (3D) transient simulations were conducted on the proposed battery module, and numerical optimizations were performed by varying the wavy contact angle and mass flow rate of the multichannel wavy tube. An increase in wavy contact angle and mass flow rate positively affects the heat dissipation efficiency and temperature field homogeneity of the battery module. However, the positive effects decline as the same amount of wavy contact angle or mass flow rate is increased because the wavy tube reaches its limit in cooling the battery module. Experiments under corresponding working conditions were performed to validate the heat transfer performance of the battery module. Simulation results will provide specific reference values for the thermal management of cylindrical lithium-ion battery modules.