Thermal management of cylindrical lithium-ion batteries with different fin configurations and phase change material: a numerical analysis
Suhaib Ibrahim Alma’asfa, Mohd Sharizal Abdul Aziz, C. Y. Khor, Feras Y. Fraige
Abstract
This paper is a comprehensive numerical investigation of the optimization of thermal management systems of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) through the synergistic integration of phase change materials (PCMs) and fin geometries. The paper is tailored to investigate four various thermal management configurations: a bare battery, a battery with fins, a battery with PCMs, and a hybrid PCM-fin system at various discharge rates (2C and 3C). The results of this work prove that fins and PCMs separately also contribute to substantial temperature reductions, with fins mostly augmenting convective heat transfer and PCMs storing huge latent heat during phase change. Importantly, the bare battery experienced maximum temperatures of 51.6 °C at 2C and 84.8 °C at 3C. Fins alone lowered temperatures by as much as 36.8% at 2C and 50.5% at 3C. Integrating PCM alone achieved cooling drops of 32.9% at 2C and 51.24% at 3C. The hybrid PCM-fin system proved to be more effective, with maximum cooling drops up to 55.3% at 3C discharge and effectively maintaining battery surface temperatures below 35 °C even under extended operation. Furthermore, the research elucidates the central role of the convective heat transfer coefficient (h) and ambient temperature on system performance and PCM melting kinetics. A good design employing 4 fins with PCM was discovered, which offered a good compromise between thermal performance and practical concerns like mass and complexity. This research presents extremely valuable findings for the design and implementation of efficient and long-lasting thermal management technologies, which are significant for enhancing the safety, performance, and longevity of LIBs in power-demanding applications like electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage.