A Numerical Study on the Thermal Control of Lithium Batteries by Composite Phase Change Materials and Metal Foams

Abstract This study attempts to control the temperature peaks due to the operation of the battery itself by examining a two-dimensional model to numerically investigate the thermal control of a lithium battery of a commercial electric car. The battery has the dimensions of 8 cm × 31 cm × 67 cm and its capacity is equal to 232 Ah with 5.3 kWh. Thermal control is achieved by means of an internal layer of copper or aluminum foam and phase change material (paraffin), placed on the top of the battery and the external surfaces are cooled by a convective flow. The governing equations, written assuming the local thermal equilibrium for the metal foam, are solved with the finite volume method using the commercial code Ansys-Fluent. Different cases are simulated for different thicknesses of the thermal control system and external convective heat transfer coefficient. The results are given in terms of temperature fields, liquid fraction, surface temperature profiles as a function of time and temperature distributions along the outer surface of the battery for the different cases. In addition, some comparisons with pure PCM are provided to show the advantages of the composite thermal control system with PCM inside the metal foam.

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Lithium Batteries Cooling by Phase Change Material Partially Filled with Metal Foam

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202131203002 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 312 ◽

pp. 03002

Author(s):

Bernardo Buonomo ◽

Fabio d’Alesio ◽

Oronzio Manca ◽

Ferdinando Menale ◽

Sergio Nardini

Keyword(s):

Control System ◽

Phase Change ◽

Phase Change Material ◽

Lithium Batteries ◽

Metal Foam ◽

Thermal Control ◽

Local Thermal Equilibrium ◽

Electric Cars ◽

Thermal Control System ◽

Change Material

Electric cars can be a turning point for climate problems. One of the main problems of electric cars is the thermal control of the batteries, since below and above a certain temperature range, the vehicle’s range decreases abruptly, creating inconveniences to the owners of these cars. The thermal control of lithium batteries for electric cars must take into account both the problems of thermal rise due to the operation of the battery itself, and the climatic conditions outside the vehicle that negatively affect the performance of the car, reducing both the autonomy and the battery life. In this study, a thermal control system based on a phase change material (PCM) partially filled with metallic foam is investigated to evaluate its possible use in the cooling of lithium batteries. A two-dimensional model is considered to numerically study thermal control with different chargedischarge cycles. The metal foam partially fills the PCM. The governing equations, written assuming the local thermal equilibrium for the metal foam, are solved by the finite volume method using the ANSYS Fluent commercial code. Different cases are simulated for different values of the external convective heat transfer coefficient. The results, carried out for metal foams and PCM, are given in terms of temperature and liquid fraction. In addition, some comparisons with pure PCM and fully foam filled PCM are provided within the thermal control system to show the advantages of the composite thermal control system with PCM inside the metal foam.

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Development of a mathematical model for the numerical study of a thermal control system fluid circuit

IOP Conference Series Materials Science and Engineering ◽

10.1088/1757-899x/537/2/022003 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 537 ◽

pp. 022003

Author(s):

F V Tanasienko ◽

Yu N Shevshenko ◽

M G Melkozerov ◽

A A Kishkin ◽

A V Delkov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mathematical Model ◽

Control System ◽

Numerical Study ◽

Thermal Control ◽

Thermal Control System

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Numerical study of thermal control system for rapid heat cycle injection molding process

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part E Journal of Process Mechanical Engineering ◽

10.1177/0954408914527917 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 229 (4) ◽

pp. 315-326 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Moez Hammami ◽

Fatma Kria ◽

Mounir Baccar

Keyword(s):

Control System ◽

Injection Molding ◽

Numerical Study ◽

Thermal Control ◽

Injection Molding Process ◽

Molding Process ◽

Heat Cycle ◽

Thermal Control System

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PROOF OF CONCEPT OF PHASE CHANGE MATERIAL (PCM) BASED THERMAL CONTROL SYSTEM FOR SPACECRAFT PAYLOADS

10.1615/ihmtc-2017.860 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

A. A. Gunjal ◽

V. K. Singh ◽

R. R. Bhavsar ◽

S. A. Channiwala

Keyword(s):

Control System ◽

Phase Change ◽

Phase Change Material ◽

Thermal Control ◽

Proof Of Concept ◽

Thermal Control System ◽

Change Material

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Investigation of thermal conditions of nanosatellite optoelectronic telescopic module for different modes of operation

VESTNIK of the Samara State Aerospace University ◽

10.18287/2541-7533-2019-18-2-96-111 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 18 (2) ◽

pp. 96-111 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

S. V. Tsaplin ◽

S. A. Bolychev

Keyword(s):

Control System ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Thermal Conditions ◽

Thermal Control ◽

Operating Conditions ◽

Temperature Fields ◽

Three Dimensional Model ◽

Optical Elements ◽

Modes Of Operation ◽

Thermal Control System

The problem of studying thermal conditions of the optoelectronic telescopic module of a nanosatellite under the influence of operating conditions is considered. To maintain optimal thermal conditions of the telescopic lens, a thermal control system based on electric heaters was chosen. Based on the three-dimensional model, the thermal regime of the lens is calculated taking into account the real operating conditions of the nanosatellite in its orbital motion. As a result of the calculation by the finite element method, the dynamics of the temperature fields of the lens was obtained for different modes of operation of the nanosatellite: access to the established thermal conditions, earth terrain survey in normal and extended modes. It is shown that in different modes of operation the thermal control system maintains a given temperature range of optical elements with moderate energy consumption and provides lens efficiency during the entire time of operation of the optoelectronic telescopic module of the nanosatellite.

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