Performance optimization of a prismatic battery module integrated with PCM, FHP and liquid cooling for rapid discharge operation and abnormal heating conditions
Qianqian Xin, Changqing Du, Fuwu Yan, Hengyun Zhang, Tianqi Yang, Wenhao Li
Abstract
An efficient battery thermal management system (BTMS) can not only effectively control the temperature of the battery module within acceptable limit under the conditions of high-temperature environments and high discharge rates but also greatly suppress the thermal propagation caused by abnormal heat generation in batteries to ensure the safety. In this work, we propose seven different BTMSs to investigate the applicability of different cases under different environmental temperatures and discharge rates by combining phase change material and flat heat pipe with liquid cooling. Large-capacity prismatic battery modules operated under both high discharge rates and abnormal overheating conditions are considered. The Box-Behnken design is adopted for optimizing the hybrid BTMS in terms of thermal performance, system economy and lightweight. Furthermore, it is expanded to examine the thermal propagation suppression capability of the optimized BTMS under overheated conditions. The results demonstrate that the optimal BTMS effectively controls the maximum temperatures of an overheated battery with the abnormal heating of 250 W in the middle or corner areas by 98.58 °C or 93.84 °C, respectively, which is lower than the self-heating temperature, whereas the adjacent batteries maintain maximum temperatures are maintained below 70 °C. The findings validate that the proposed optimal BTMS significantly suppresses the thermal propagation, enhancing the safety, economy, and lightweight attributes of electric vehicles.