Experimental Study of Thermal Management in Lithium-Ion Battery of Porous Domain Integrated in Phase Change Material

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries are preferred in many areas with the development of technology. Even though the use of batteries has become widespread, temperature problems continue. Active, passive and hybrid systems are used in battery cooling. In this study, the thermal performance of battery modules with different PCM (Phase Change Material) thicknesses and porous domain at low and high discharge rates is experimentally investigated. The thermal performances of battery modules without PCM are determined to reveal the effect of PCM on battery cooling. Metal wool and copper mesh are used to increase the effective thermal conductivity of paraffin (Merck 42-44) in battery boxes with 2- and 8-mm gaps. Experiments are conducted at the highest discharge rate of 2C in both battery modules without PCM. At higher discharge rates, the battery's safe operating temperature is above that. Compared to without PCM, the highest battery surface temperatures with PCM, PCM-copper mesh and PCM-metal wool decreased by 27.9 %, 32.5 % and 33 %, respectively. As a result of the addition of porous domain into the PCM of BM1 and BM2 battery modules, the highest battery surface temperatures in BM1, PCM-copper mesh and PCM-metal wool decreased by 6.4 % and 8.7 %, respectively, while in BM2, the highest battery surface temperatures in CM-copper mesh and PCM-metal wool decreased by 3 % and 5.7 %, respectively. PCM thickness has a significant effect on the temperature of the cells inside the battery module. The temperature difference between cells is 5.4 degrees C at the highest PCM thickness (8 mm) and 8.5 degrees C at the lowest PCM thickness (2 mm). This improvement in the battery thermal management system increases its usability with its low porous domain cost and better thermal performance without additional power consumption.