Experimental study of a cylindrical lithium ion battery thermal management using phase change material composites

•Thermal performance of a battery simulator is studied in the presence of PCM.•The effect of macro and nano particles on heat transfer enhancement is examined.•Both macro and nano materials in PCM play a crucial role in thermal management.•The least temperature difference in the whole cell was observed for m.c. composite.

Phase change materials (PCMs) have found their way in heat transfer applications because of their capability to store energy during change of phase, and thermal management of lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries is not an exception. The ultimate goal of a battery thermal management system (BTMS) is to alleviate the excessive rise in temperature of cells. In the current investigation, a battery-like simulator was fabricated to simulate the heat generation in a typical Li-ion battery. Metal matrix and metal nanoparticles were added to a PCM to increase the rate of heat transfer and the results are compared to each other in order to find the best approach to manage temperature distribution around the battery simulator. According to the experimental results, it is found that the metal matrix-PCM composite decreases the maximum temperature difference between battery surface and PCM composite by up to 70%. In addition, even though all the nano-PCM composites increase the heat transfer potential of system, the composites containing Ag nanoparticles have shown better thermal performance than other composites. The results of the present study can be used as a guideline for designing battery thermal management system.

Graphical abstractExperimental setup and the data acquisition system (1-power source, 2-Vm, 3-Am, 4-container, 5-battery module, 6-thermocouples, 7-temperature indicator, 8-data acquisition system).Download high-res image (101KB)Download full-size image