Battery thermal management by boiling heat-transfer

•A thermal management scheme based on boiling heat-transfer is investigated.•Cooling capacity of the working fluid compared to that of air is investigated.•Battery gets fluid to boil, thus boiling heat-transfer occurs from battery to fluid.•Boiling process thermally homogenises the battery.•Boiling process can be influenced by pressure variation.

In this study, the ability of a boiling process to thermally condition (homogenisation and cooling) batteries is investigated. Thereto, a series of experiments are performed and discussed. Subjects that are treated are the dielectric property of the proposed cooling fluid, its cooling capability compared to that of air, the ability of the boiling fluid to thermally homogenise a battery and the influence of pressure variation on the boiling process. It turns out that the proposed cooling fluid conducts no electricity, has good cooling characteristics compared to those of air and, when boiling, is able to thermally homogenise the battery. Furthermore, pressure variation seems to offer a good method to regulate the boiling process.