Investigating the impact of fluid flow channels and cooling fluids on thermal management of lithium-ion battery: a simulation study

This investigation offers valuable perspectives for the development and enhancement of thermal management systems for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) equipped with three distinct cooling channels, namely open, curved, and rectangular, utilizing both air and water as coolants. The assessment of the battery's thermal behavior involved the examination of temperature distribution, surface Nusselt and Stanton numbers, as well as pressure drop. The open channels proved to be the least efficient for the same operating conditions. Curved conduits employing water as the cooling medium have illustrated the most favorable outcomes in terms of diminished pressure loss and elevated thermal efficacy. Among the three scenarios, the curved channel manifests the highest operating temperature, reaching a maximum value of 305.03 K for airflow and 304.44 K for liquid flow, while the lowest operating temperature recorded is 300 K. Consequently, the curved channel presents a superior cooling efficiency for the battery in comparison to the other conduits. The surface Nusselt values for air flow varied between 60.26 and 77.58%, with the minimum and maximum values, respectively. In the case of liquid flow, these values ranged from 60 to 72.28%. The pressure drop was determined to be approximately 300, 450, and 600 Pa for open, curved, and rectangular channels, respectively. On the other hand, for liquid flow, the corresponding pressure drop values were measured to be 0.8, 1.4, and 1.7 Pa, respectively. These findings underscore the significant impact that the selection of flow channels and cooling fluids has on the thermal behavior of the battery. This study has demonstrated that liquid cooling with a curved channel configuration is an effective approach to enhance the thermal performance of LIBs employed in electric vehicles. As a result, this research provides valuable insights into the design and optimization of thermal management systems for LIBs.