Investigation on Thermal Performance of a Battery Pack Cooled by Refrigerant R134a in Ribbed Cooling Channels

Investigation on Thermal Performance of a Battery Pack Cooled by Refrigerant R134a in Ribbed Cooling Channels

This study numerically investigates the thermal performance of a refrigerant-based battery thermal management system (BTMS) under various operating conditions. A validated numerical model is used to examine the effects of cooling channel rib configurations (rib spacing and rib angles) and refrigeran...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Tieyu Gao, Jiadian Wang, Haonan Sha, Hao Yang, Chenguang Lai, Xiaojin Fu, Guangtao Zhai, Junxiong Zeng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Energies
Subjects:
electric vehicles
lithium-ion battery pack
battery thermal management system
refrigerant cooling
ribbed cooling channels
thermal performance
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/4/1011
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Summary:This study numerically investigates the thermal performance of a refrigerant-based battery thermal management system (BTMS) under various operating conditions. A validated numerical model is used to examine the effects of cooling channel rib configurations (rib spacing and rib angles) and refrigerant parameters (mass flow rate and saturation temperature) on battery thermal behavior. Additionally, the impact of discharge C-rates is analyzed. The results show that a rib spacing of 11 mm and a rib angle of 60° reduce the maximum battery temperature by 0.8 °C (cooling rate of 2%) and improve temperature uniformity, though at the cost of a 130% increase in pressure drop. Increasing the refrigerant mass flow rate lowers the maximum temperature by up to 10%, but its effect on temperature uniformity diminishes beyond 20 kg/h. A lower saturation temperature enhances cooling but increases internal temperature gradients, while a higher saturation temperature improves uniformity at the expense of a slightly higher maximum temperature. Under high discharge rates (12C), the system’s cooling capacity becomes limited, leading to significant temperature rises. These findings provide insights that can aid in optimizing BTMS design to balance cooling performance, energy efficiency, and temperature uniformity.
ISSN:1996-1073

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