Simulative method for determining the optimal operating conditions for a cooling plate for lithium-ion battery cell modules

• A method to optimize operating conditions for multiple objectives is presented.
• The method is demonstrated on a cooling plate for an electric vehicle battery.
• The method can be generalized to any battery thermal management system.
• The appropriate simulation model for the analyzed case is discussed.
• The results enhance the effectiveness of dynamic one-dimensional simulations.

Extended battery system lifetime and reduced costs are essential to the success of electric vehicles. An effective thermal management strategy is one method of enhancing system lifetime increasing vehicle range. Vehicle-typical space restrictions favor the minimization of battery thermal management system (BTMS) size and weight, making their production and subsequent vehicle integration extremely difficult and complex. Due to these space requirements, a cooling plate as part of a water–glycerol cooling circuit is commonly implemented.This paper presents a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model and multi-objective analysis technique for determining the thermal effect of coolant flow rate and inlet temperature in a cooling plate—at a range of vehicle operating conditions—on a battery system, thereby providing a dynamic input for one-dimensional models. Traditionally, one-dimensional vehicular thermal management system models assume a static heat input from components such as a battery system: as a result, the components are designed for a set coolant input (flow rate and inlet temperature). Such a design method is insufficient for dynamic thermal management models and control strategies, thereby compromising system efficiency. The presented approach allows for optimal BMTS design and integration in the vehicular coolant circuit.