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An optimization workflow combining Latin hypercube sampling (LHS), surrogate models and multi-objective optimization is explored and applied to augment the effectiveness of a hexagonal mini-channelled cooling plate proposed previously in mitigating the overheating issues of 20Ah pouch batteries. Three design parameters are selected and deliberately randomized to explore a range of geometric configurations that might not be readily apparent through traditional intuition. Alongside, two thermo-fluidic parameters are varied with an optimization objective to minimize maximum battery temperature, pressure drop and enhance heat transfer performance simultaneously. Initially, 160 sample points are generated using LHS, followed by simulations conducted using COMSOL Multiphysics for a fixed discharge rate of 3C and an ambient temperature of 35 °C. Then, Multi linear regression, Response surface approximation, Support vector machine, and Kriging model are considered in search of the best surrogate. Results highlighted that the Kriging model could make predictions more accurately and is used further. Later, a Pareto analysis is performed using non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II to generate 100 optimal solutions influencing the three conflicting objectives. Finally, the best compromise solutions are obtained using a K-means clustering algorithm and are numerically validated. The case with a side length of 18.99 mm, a channel width of 4.99 mm, a branching angle of 91.51° and a coolant temperature of 25 °C is ideal. This aided in reducing the pressure drop by 62.32% and enhancing heat transfer coefficient by 64.41%, with a minimal change in maximum temperature compared to that of the initial design under the same mass flow rate limit of 0.003 kg s−1. In addition, the SHapley Additive exPlanations technique is employed to unravel the design and operating variable's impact on the objective functions. Overall, the proposed framework could be a valuable contribution to optimizing the cooling channel design and potentially boosting the battery lifespan. [Display omitted] • Performed multi-objective optimization of hexagonal cold plate design for Li-ion battery. • Identified Kriging as the superior model with a higher R2 value for different cases. • Implemented NSGA II to get optimal design, forming a balance amid conflicting goals. • SHAP insights in assessing the feature impact in the machine learning prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discharge performance of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is severely degraded at low temperatures. The existing LIBs preheating systems face challenges including high costs and consumption of battery capacity. Therefore, this paper developed an innovative electrically-controlled crystallization electrode based on calcium chloride hexahydrate (CCH) (ECE-CCH) by melting-solidification method and devised an electrically-controlled phase change material (PCM) preheating system based on CCH (EPS-CCH) for LIBs. The stable supercooling and great heat storage/release properties of the CCH, as well as the excellent low-voltage electrically-controlled crystallization performance of ECE-CCH, enable EPS-CCH to achieve safe and controllable thermal management of LIBs at the optimal operating temperature. Under the premise of maintaining the stable supercooling and heat storage properties of CCH (50.67 wt% CaCl 2 solution), 48 wt% CaCl 2 solution was selected as the heat storage material (melting point: 31.5 °C, latent heat: 153.0 J /g). The ECE-CCH could release the latent heat of the supercooled CCH solution in <5 s at low DC voltages (1.0–2.0 V). 100-cycle experiments illustrated that ECE-CCH had good cycle stability and an optimal operating voltage range of 1.0–1.5 V. Finally, EPS-CCH was designed to achieve on-demand control of thermal management of LIBs at low temperatures. Compared to LIBs without EPS-CCH at 5 °C, LIBs with EPS-CCH exhibited a significantly increased discharge capacity of 14.27%, 11.35%, and 7.04% at discharge rates of 0.5C, 1.0C, and 1.5C, respectively. The research findings of the ECE-CCH and the EPS-CCH would promote the development of LIBs preheating technologies. • A novel electrically-controlled electrode based on calcium chloride hexahydrate (CCH) was developed. • The crystallization of supercooled CCH was electrically triggered by 1.5 V DC voltage. • The crystallization behavior of supercooled CCH was investigated in-depth. • The EPS-CCH achieved a smart thermal management of lithium-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study introduces a streamlined modeling framework that integrates a volume-averaged thermal (VAT) model with the Tank-in-Series battery model, a recently developed volume-averaged electrochemical model. The framework enables efficient simulations of electrochemical-thermal interactions in large-scale battery packs. This framework is used to investigate the effects of coolant flow rates and inlet temperature, initial and ambient temperatures, battery pack configurations, and cell-to-cell manufacturing related variations. Results showed a notable current distribution variation among modules connected in parallel at the end of discharge and beginning of charge. This is found to be directly related to the temperature variation in the battery pack governed by the coolant mass flow rate. Additionally, with the introduction of a 0.5% cell-to-cell to variation in the cell design parameters for the purpose of simulating manufacturing variation, a significant voltage variation of over 0.2 V across cells is found to be possible. Furthermore, rapidly changing the inlet temperatures to simulate a potential battery management system failure indicated the risk of some cells in the pack exceeding the desired cut-off voltage. The present framework can be used to design battery packs with effective thermal management strategies, enhancing the overall reliability and performance of battery systems. • Developed a multiphysics modeling framework to simulate electrochemical-thermal characteristics of Li-ion battery packs • Flexible, scalable, and efficient physics-based simulation of Li-ion battery packs • In-depth analysis of Li-ion battery pack at various operating conditions, including extreme thermal conditions • Effect of cell-to-cell manufacturing variation on cell-level and pack-level electrochemical and thermal characteristics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For cylindrical Li-ion battery packs, the battery thermal management system can be properly designed and analyzed from an energy-exergy viewpoint during charging and discharging to ensure the proper functionality of batteries; however, not been explored yet. Hence, cylindrical Li-ion battery pack with novel-designed serpentine microchannel-cooled thermal management system are analyzed. Applying the Multi-Scale Multi-Domain Newman, Tiedemann, Gu, and Kim model, an electrochemical model is used for the 3D battery thermal modeling. Effects of circular and rectangular cross-sectional shaped microchannels and using ternary hybrid nanofluids [THNF1 (Al 2 O 3 (0.5%) + Cu (0.5%) + MWCNT (1%)/water) and THNF2 (Al 2 O 3 (0.5%) + Cu (0.5%) + Graphene (1%)/water] are investigated at a 3C-discharge rate. Results indicate that the use of ternary hybrid nanofluid and microchannel cross-sectional shape has a strong influence. Maximum temperature, temperature uniformity, pumping power, heat transfer coefficient to pressure drop ratio, and entropy generation are the key factors. The present simulation can predict individual battery thermal behavior during charging and discharging. The suggested design successfully lowers the cell temperature to 305.24 K by using THNF2 and the temperature difference to 5.23 K of the 26,650-type cylindrical cell. Rectangular cross-sectioned microchannel is found to be more effective. The thermal control of batteries is greatly enhanced by using ternary hybrid nanofluid. The suggested technique will improve the battery life. • Novel serpentine microchannel-cooled system is proposed for cylindrical battery pack. • Multi-Scale Multi-Domain Newman, Tiedemann, Gu and Kim model is used for battery. • Different microchannel cross-sections and ternary hybrid nanofluids are investigated. • Thermal performance parameters, pressure drop and entropy generation are evaluated. • Suggested design and fluid successfully keep cell temperature within desired range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrical and thermal characteristics of Li-ion batteries (LIBs) are closely related and need to be further investigated. Especially for the promising immersion cooling LIBs, the interaction between battery performance and immersion thermal management system still needs to be clearly illustrated. This research aims to reveal the electro-thermal equalization behaviors of LIB modules with immersion cooling. An electro-thermal test platform was established for a series-connected LIB module. Besides the experimental research on the thermal control capability, the electro-thermal equalization behaviors of the LIB module with different cooling methods are also investigated at steady and dynamic operations. Results show that the electrical inconsistency between the LIBs with different cooling schemes intensifies at the end of discharge, and the voltage deviation (δ U,t) increases quickly at high rates. However, immersion cooling can mitigate this behavior effectively. As the immersion height ratio varies from 0 to 1, the δ U,t at the end of the 2C discharge declines from 17.1% to 4.3%, then rises to 7.9%. From a general viewpoint, the indicators, including the equalization rates of the voltage, average temperature, and temperature difference, are defined further to assess the electro-thermal equalization behaviors of the module. According to the estimation, the equalization capacities are static flow > forced flow > air cooling for all indicators. Static flow immersion cooling demonstrates superiority in thermal and electrical equalization, while forced flow immersion cooling is still necessary at high discharge rates for reducing thermal recovery time and temperature rise. [Display omitted] • Battery immersion cooling test was developed for electro-thermal performance. • Immersion cooling mitigates the aggravation of voltage deviation of batteries. • Effect of immersion heights on electro-thermal equalization behavior was discussed. • The equalization rates are proposed to assess equilibrium ability. • The equalization behavior of module shows static flow > forced flow > air cooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temperature has a significant effect on the lifespan and the safety of the batteries which are one of the core components of electric vehicles. A well-designed battery thermal management system is required to adjust the temperature of the batteries within an appropriate range for thermal safety, and further minimize the energy consumption for energy savings. However, these two goals form a tradeoff. Typically, increased energy consumption for cooling results in safer batteries thermally. To examine this tradeoff, firstly, a linear electro-thermal model is built to evaluate the thermal dynamics of the operating battery-cooling module. The linear model accounts for the heat generation based on internal resistance, and the heat transfer based on a resistance–capacitance model. Such linear model reduces the computation of the model simulation to dynamically catch up with the change of temperatures and to implement control strategies on the cooling system in a short time. Based on this model, a model predictive control (MPC) framework is proposed to design thermal control methods, which considers both thermal safety and energy saving. The weight of these two goals can be adjusted to explore the tradeoff between them. Finally, we investigate the performance of the MPC framework by applying the Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule (UDDS) to the battery module. The simulation results show that the electro-thermal model is effective for battery thermal dynamics evaluation. Additionally, the tradeoff between the two goals is demonstrated by the simulation. • A fast temperature prediction and closed-loop thermal control framework is proposed. • An electro-thermal model of an active-liquid-cooling battery module is developed. • A thermal prevention control strategy is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel design of an efficient air-cooling system for improving the performance of lithium-ion batteries. • It is revealed that the average Nusselt numbers (Nu) are an increasing function of Reynolds numbers (Re). • The cells, which receive fresh cold external flow cause a substantial reduction in the cell surface temperature. • Increasing Re also reduces the cooling pack outlet temperature, which leads to the improved life of the batteries. Modern society depends on energy storage systems like Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. Li-ion battery cells are delicate to changes in temperature. Extreme environmental conditions affect their life cycle and performance. Therefore, effective cell temperature management is a must for secure and dependable battery operation. Additionally, the high production costs of electric cars must be countered by the adaptability of the battery pack design for modern electric vehicles. As the chemical reactions generate more heat and raise the battery's temperature, it may cause the battery to explode and cause fires in the workplace. To address this issue, the present work attempts to numerically study a novel design of an efficient air-cooling system for improving the performance of lithium-ion batteries by reducing the operational temperatures under a different coolant flow rate. The main output of the presented study is the analysis of a novel design of an efficient air-cooling system for lithium-ion batteries. The study aims to reduce the operational temperatures of the batteries under different coolant flow rates to improve their performance and service life. The numerical simulations are carried out using a finite volume-based computing tool with the K-epsilon (k-ε) turbulence model. The analysis is performed for various pertinent parametric ranges, including the spacing between the batteries, Reynolds numbers, and average Nusselt numbers. The results indicate that increasing air inlet velocity (Re) substantially reduces the average air temperature of the cooling pack and temperature difference (ΔT) of the battery cells, and the cooling pack's average heat transfer rate (Nu) increases monotonically as the Re increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal management needs to be carefully considered in the lithium-ion battery module design to guarantee the temperature of batteries in operation within a narrow optimal range. This article firstly explores the thermal performance of battery module under different cell arrangement structures, which includes: 1 × 24, 3 × 8 and 5 × 5 arrays rectangular arrangement, 19 cells hexagonal arrangement and 28 cells circular arrangement. In addition, air-cooling strategies are also investigated by installing the fans in the different locations of the battery module to improve the temperature uniformity. Factors that influence the cooling capability of forced air cooling are discussed based on the simulations. The three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method and lumped model of single cell have been applied in the simulation. The temperature distributions of batteries are quantitatively described based on different module patterns, fan locations as well as inter-cell distance, and the conclusions are arrived as follows: when the fan locates on top of the module, the best cooling performance is achieved; the most desired structure with forced air cooling is cubic arrangement concerning the cooling effect and cost, while hexagonal structure is optimal when focus on the space utilization of battery module. Besides, the optimized inter-cell distance in battery module structure has been recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study introduces a novel fin–Phase Change Material (PCM)–Expanded Graphite (EG) composite for better thermal management of a Panasonic NCR18650BD battery at discharge rates higher than its maximum discharge limit 2C. Fins and EG are augmented with PCM to enhance its effective thermal conductivity. Initially, the electrical and thermal behaviors of the battery are simulated for 0.5, 1, and 2C discharge rates using the Newman P2D model, and these are validated against in-house experiments. Following this, the heat generation profiles are estimated from the numerical model to mimic the battery with a heater in the experiments conducted to propose an effective thermal management system for 2, 3, and 4C discharge rates. Three heat sinks, one sans fins, and the other two with 130 and 260 fins, respectively, are considered to perform experiments. Phase Change Material (PCM) named Eicosane (Ei) with an addition of 0, 10, 20, 25, and 30% weight fractions of EG is filled in the heat sinks to study the effect of composite PCM on the thermal regulation of the battery. The heat sink having 260 fins filled with 70% Ei - 30% EG composite outperforms the other heat sinks considered in this study by recording lower temperatures to the extent of 17.5, 20.5, and 22.7 °C than a plain heat sink filled with 100% Eicosane for discharge rates 2, 3, and 4C, respectively. Furthermore, with the addition of 30% EG by volume, the maximum thermal performance of heat sink having 130 fins surpasses the heat sink having 260 fins filled with pure Eicosane by recording 1.3, 0.5, and 1.5 °C lower temperatures for discharge rates 2, 3, and 4C, respectively. In view of this, a possible engineering solution is to employ a simple heat sink, having fewer fins filled with PCM–EG composite instead of intricate heat sinks, having more fins filled only with the baseline PCM, to overcome the design difficulties and manufacturing costs. • Introduced fin–PCM–EG composite heat sink for thermal management of Li-ion batteries. • Newman P2D model is used to calculate the heat generation for 2, 3, and 4C rates. • Compared performance of different heat sinks for 2, 3, and 4C rates experimentally. • Heat sink with 260 fins and 70% Ei - 30% EG outperforms all other combinations. • Addition of EG helps to propose a less intricate and more efficient heat sink. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel cooling scheme by nano emulsion and ultrathin cold plate was presented. • Nano emulsion with no subcooling and particle size of 335–360 nm was prepared. • Lower T max and ΔT were obtained cooled by nano emulsion than cooled by water. • Lower Pumping power than water of nano emulsion was obtained. • The T max and ΔT were below 50 °C and 4 °C in discharge of 9C. This paper presents a 4 mm ultrathin mini-channel cooling system based on a nano phase change material emulsion (NPCME) for prismatic Li-ion batteries under high-rate discharge. The NPCME has a larger specific heat capacity than water and no subcooling. Experiments were conducted to compare the cooling performance of water versus NPCME. The results indicate that NPCME can obtain a better cooling effect than water if the inlet temperature is below and near the melting point. At the discharge of 9C, the temperature and temperature difference of the battery pack cooled by 10 wt% NPCME-OP44E were 46 °C and 3.5 °C, compared with 49.5 °C and 4.8 °C under water cooling. Beyond that, the NPCME was able to reach the same cooling performance as water using lower pumping power. The pumping power of the 10 wt% NPCME-OP44E cooling system was only 18.5% that of the water cooling system when the cooling target for the battery temperature difference was 3.5 °C. With regard to charge-discharge duties, the 10 wt% NPCME-OP44E cooling system could limit T max and ΔT max to 45.5 °C and 4 °C throughout all four cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]