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In recent years, there has been a growing demand for electrical vehicles, which are more energy efficient and environmentally friendly than their traditional counterpart. One of the crucial aspects of electrical systems is energy storage. A promising option for energy storage is Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high energy density, longer life cycles, and faster charging when compared to other batteries. The disadvantage of employing LIBs is that they are more difficult to maintain because they are more prone to failure, and they are greatly dependent on the system's thermal behavior, which has led to an emphasis in research on battery thermal management systems (BTMSs). The BTMS aims to address this issue by limiting the temperature fluctuation of the battery cells to maintain the average temperature within recommended limits throughout the charging and discharging processes. There has been a continuous interest in nanofluids and phase change materials (PCMs) because of their unique properties and their potential thermal application as a cooling medium for high-density batteries. Recent studies have aimed to use different active and passive methods with varying materials and cooling system geometries to achieve the highest possible thermal performance. The current review aims to outline the recent studies on thermal management systems for LIBs. Three main sections have been presented in this paper. The first section reviewed studies on nanofluids in different BTMSs, the other one highlighted techniques adopted to overcome the low thermal conductivity drawback in PCMs for BTMs, and the last one focuses on the effects of combining both cooling approaches. We believe that the present review paper provides useful information that could be a significant step toward developing high-performance BTMS. • A summary of the most recent research on BTMS of LIBs. • Nanofluids and PCM-based BTMS attract significant interest in LIBs. • PCM with carbon additives enhance LIB pack temperature uniformity. • Incorporation of fins has demonstrated effectiveness in improving BTMS performance. • Metal foams with PCMs enhance BTMS performance via improved thermal conductivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A powerful thermal management scheme is the key to realizing the extremely fast charging of battery electric vehicles. In this scheme, a water-cooled plate is set at the bottom of the battery modules, which has a remarkable heat dissipation ability but increases the temperature difference between the top and bottom of the battery. This temperature difference problem is more obvious during the high-rate charge/discharge process; in particular, in the area of battery tabs, which are usually located far from the cooling plate, heat accumulates, risking thermal runaway. To address this problem, a thermal management method based on an ultrathin vapour chamber (UTVC) is proposed in this paper to improve temperature uniformity and reduce the highest temperature of batteries. According to the number of applied UTVCs, a unilateral UTVC (U-UTVC) and a bilateral UTVC (B-UTVC) cooling approach were presented, the effectiveness of which was verified by a set of thermal performance experiments. The test data show that the temperature differences in the batteries under the U-UTVC and B-UTVC schemes are 39.77% and 73.54% lower than those under the traditional method at a 25 °C ambient temperature and a 1.39C charge rate, respectively. The temperature difference on the battery surface with the B-UTVC scheme is approximately 3 °C at 25 °C and 40 °C ambient temperature. • An ultra-thin vapour chamber-based power battery thermal management is proposed to improve the temperature uniformity. • The methods have limited effect on battery volumetric specific energy, and the volumetric specific energy of battery is only reduced by 1.2% which is far less than reported investigations. • Temperature difference and maximum temperature of battery module of the presented scheme are reduced by 15.49% and 73.54%, respectively. [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]

• The quantity of heat generation that induce TR in lithium-ion batteries is lower than in other overheating strategies. • The trigger time of thermal runaway decreases with the increasing current density. • The series tab connection will accelerate the thermal runaway of the adjacent battery. • The parallel tab connection will induce thermal runaway propagation to all parallel-connected batteries. Thermal runaway (TR) of lithium-ion batteries is the main safety obstacle to the further development of electric vehicles (EVs) and electric energy storage systems (EESSs). Understanding the mechanism of TR propagation is one of the primary ways to improve the thermal safety of the lithium-ion battery. In this paper, an electro-thermal model coupled with the lumped thermal runaway model is applied to investigate the TR behaviors induced by tab overheating and the TR propagation in a battery module with different tab connection methods. The electro-thermal model is used to calculate the heat generation at tabs and the cell body during the normal charge/discharge process, and the lumped thermal runaway model is applied to calculate the TR behavior and TR propagation in the battery module. The results exhibit that the TR behavior and TR propagation are influenced by different aspects (C-rates, insulator, and tab connection modes) in the battery module. The largest quantity of heat generation is at 3C-rate, about 0.98 kJ, because of the heat accumulation in the battery. Besides, the quantity of heat generation that induce TR in lithium-ion batteries in this paper is lower than that from the reference, which means that tab overheating is more dangerous than other heating strategies for triggering the thermal runaway of batteries. The trigger time of TR decreases with the increasing C-rate and the tab connection modes mitigate the TR propagation in the battery module at a low C-rate because of the increasing heat dissipation rate, while the TR propagation is accelerated in the battery module at a high C-rate. At low C-rate conditions, the parallel tab connection exhibits a more significant effect on mitigating the TR behavior, and the effect of mitigation decreases with the increasing C-rate. At high C-rate conditions, the series tab connection accelerates the TR propagation to the adjacent battery, while the parallel tab connection speeds up the TR propagation of all the connected batteries. This work is important for understanding the TR propagation mechanism and improving the thermal safety of pouch-type lithium-ion batteries in EVs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A novel cooling strategy based on the air distribution pipe is proposed for the cylindrical Lithium-ion battery module. • The 3D CFD model of the battery module based on the air distribution pipe is constructed. • The temperature of battery near the positive pole is higher than that near the negative pole during discharging. • The maximum temperature of battery module can be effectively reduced via increasing inlet pressure. • The maximum temperature of battery module declines when the diameter and number of rows for orifice become large. Abstract For a typical air cooling thermal management system, the inlet and outlet of air flow on both sides of the battery module would increase the temperature difference. In here, a novel cooling strategy based on air distribution pipes is proposed for the cylindrical Lithium-ion battery module. The three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics model of battery module is constructed and validated by the experimental tests. The thermal behavior of battery module and the flow field of air have been explored using numerical simulations at different discharge rates, and then the effects of orifice parameters, inlet pressure and discharge rate on the performance of air cooling strategy have been analyzed. The results show that the maximum temperature of the battery module can be effectively reduced by the increase of inlet pressure resulting in a significant rise of power consumption. Meanwhile, it declines when the diameter and number of rows of the orifice increase, following a minor rise in power consumption. When the inlet pressure is 100 Pa, the diameter of the orifice is 1.5 mm, the number of rows of the orifice is 5 and the discharge rate is 3C, the maximum temperature of battery module decreases from 325.9 K to 305.7 K in comparison to that under none air cooling condition. In addition, the maximum temperature difference of battery module is within 3 K. When the battery module discharge at the current rate of 4C and 5C, the maximum temperature of battery module maintains within 313.15 K, but the temperature difference slightly exceeds the optimal range at 5C discharge when the inlet pressure is 200 Pa, the diameter of the orifice is 1.5 mm and the number of rows of the orifice is 5. Moreover, it is an efficient and a practical cooling strategy with no need to modify the arrangement of the battery module. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A comprehensive model based on battery aging effect is developed for MHP-BTMS. • A framework combing deep learning and multi-objective genetic algorithm. • BTMS shows poor cooling capacity due to SEI formation inside the aged battery. • Two optimization strategies are proposed for multi-objective optimization. • The trade-off between battery temperature and performance is achieved. Battery thermal management and electrochemical performance are critical for efficient and safe operation of battery pack. In this research, a multi-physics model considering the battery aging effect is developed for micro heat pipe battery thermal management system (MHP-BTMS). A novel multi-variables global optimization framework combining multi-physics modeling, deep learning and multi-objective optimization algorithms is established for optimizing the structural parameters of MHP-BTMS to improve battery thermal management and electrochemical performance simultaneously. It is found that MHP-BTMS fails to control the temperature of aged battery pack due to the higher heat generation caused by solid electrolyte interphase formation. After 1000 cycles, the maximum temperature and maximum temperature difference were increased by 3.32 K, 2.49 K, 2.04 K and 1.78 K, 1.46 K, 1.26 K, respectively. It is also found that the battery electrochemical performance during the cycling is highly related to battery thermal behaviors. MHP-BTMS with 0.004/s inlet velocity achieved the best performance in preventing SEI formation and battery aging effect, which was lower by 7.01 nm (SEI) and 1.65% (aging), 2.31 nm and 0.58% as compared to 0.002 and 0.003 m/s cases. Besides, MHP-BTMS with optimized inlet velocity, MHP arrangement and cold plate can improve cooling performance and electrochemical performance. Multi-variables global optimization can provide the optimal structure parameters of MHP-BTMS under the different combinations of weighted coefficients and optimization strategies to achieve the trade-off between battery thermal issues and electrochemical performance. In addition, it is demonstrated that the weighted coefficients and optimization strategies in this novel framework can be changed according to the actual needs in engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat dissipation capacity is of great importance object for the battery thermal management system (BTMS). To obtain a simple and efficient liquid cooling method for rectangular lithium-ion battery, three types of diamond channel (line, inner arc and outer arc) cold plate were established. Firstly, the temperature rise of line diamond microchannel cold plate under basic conditions were simulated. Then, an experimental device for measuring the surface temperatures of cold plate was designed, and the numerical simulation results were verified. The results showed that the errors between the avenge temperature (T avg) of experiment and simulation were between 0.66% and 2.1%, and the inner arc diamond-type channel cold plate had better cooling effectiveness. Then the effects of the connection form of the intermediate channel, structural parameters and the layout of the inlet and outlet on the cooling performance of the cold plate were discussed. The pressure drop (Δ P) and T avg of the best results reach 5.33Pa and 36.52 °C respectively. Compared with the initial condition, Δ P was decreased by 32.81Pa (86.03%) and T avg was decreased by 0.69 °C (1.9%). The above research results depict that the new diamond-shaped cold plate proposed in this paper could greatly enhance the cooling performance of the liquid-cooling system. • Three new types of diamond channel cold plate were designed. • The errors between experiments and CFD simulations were less than 2.1%. • The optimal internal channel structure parameters were obtained after optimization. • Δ P and T avg were decreased by 32.81Pa (86.03%) and 0.69 °C (1.9%) after optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Battery thermal barriers are reviewed with regards to extreme fast charging. Present-day thermal management systems for battery electric vehicles are inadequate in limiting the maximum temperature rise of the battery during extreme fast charging. If the battery thermal management system is not designed correctly, the temperature of the cells could reach abuse temperatures and potentially send the cells into thermal runaway. Furthermore, the cell and battery interconnect design needs to be improved to meet the lifetime expectations of the consumer. Each of these aspects is explored and addressed as well as outlining where the heat is generated in a cell, the efficiencies of power and energy cells, and what type of battery thermal management solutions are available in today's market. Thermal management is not a limiting condition with regard to extreme fast charging, but many factors need to be addressed especially for future high specific energy density cells to meet U.S. Department of Energy cost and volume goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The positive tab shows an extreme temperature rise during charge/discharge process. • Heat generation of positive tab for charge is higher than that in discharge. • Ohmic heat generation cause extreme high temperature rise in fast charge process. • Extreme temperature rise can only be controlled by high heat transfer coefficient. Thermal safety is one of the primary requirements for electric vehicles (EVs). Overheating by an external or internal heat source will induce the onset of thermal runaway. An overheating risk caused by tabs of pouch-type lithium-ion batteries was reported and the relevant heat rejection strategies were investigated in this paper. The positive tab showed a much higher temperature rise than that in the body and the negative tab of pouch-type lithium-ion batteries. The temperature reached 70.4 °C in the beginning 100 s with a charge rate of 2 C-rate, showing a fast temperature response. Besides, the largest temperature difference between the charge and discharge process was about 20.2 °C (2 C-rate), which indicates that the positive tab in the charging process is more dangerous than that in discharging process. Moreover, an electro-thermal model was applied to investigate the potential risk of tabs in the pouch-type lithium-ion battery. An extreme temperature rise (∼ 350 °C) in the positive tab showed a potential thermal risk in a high charging rate (6C). And the temperature at the tab can only be controlled under a relatively high heat transfer coefficient (higher than 100 W·m−2·K−1). This work is meaningful for the development of a thermal management strategy in a battery pack with fast charging technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase change material as the core of latent heat energy storage technology, suffers from the "solid-liquid phase change" problem. In this study, "solid-solid" composite phase change materials (CPCMs) have been developed using olefin block copolymers (OBC) and decanoic acid. With ≥30 wt% OBC, the physical shapes of the developed CPCMs nearly remain unchanged after 100 times of thermal cycling, without significant changes in the phase change properties. The addition of graphite powder leads to a significant enhancement in thermal conductivity of up to 18 times, which leads to excellent control of battery maximum temperature and temperature uniformity. In the battery thermal management test, the developed CPCM achieves a maximum of 3 °C and 10.5 °C reductions in maximum temperature difference and peak temperature, respectively. The CPCMs also prolong the thermal preservation time by 3 times. In the pack level test, the use of CPCM plates leads to a maximum temperature reduction of 15 °C on the commercial battery pack under 55 °C extreme working temperature. • CPCMs retain their shape and properties after 100 times of thermal cycling. • The thermal conductivity of the CPCMs were improved by up to 8 times. • 10.5 °C of peak temperature reduction was achieved with the CPCM. • The developed CPCMs prolonged the thermal preservation time by ∼3 times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Composite PCM is designed by in-situ constructing phase changeable framework in PEG. • The novel composite PCM possesses dual phase change temperature regions (PCTRs). • The two PCTRs are precisely tailored at 31.7–42.1 ℃ and 42.1–51.2 ℃, respectively. • The lower PCTR ensures suitable working temperature for battery at normal operation. • The higher PCTR prevents thermal hazards of battery under high ambient temperature. The phase change material (PCM)-based battery thermal management technology still remains a contradiction of guaranteeing a suitable operating temperature (20–40 ℃) of the batteries under regular working conditions, while avoiding the malfunction of the PCM under high ambient temperature (>40 ℃). Therefore, a novel composite PCM (CPCM) possessing dual phase change temperature regions (PCTRs) is designed herein by in-situ constructing a phase-changeable polymer (PCP) framework in the polyethylene glycol (PEG)/expanded graphite (EG) slurry. As prepared, the lower PCTR at 31.7–42.1 ℃ from the PCP framework provides a latent heat of 35.0 J g−1, while the higher PCTR at 42.1–51.2 ℃ from the PEG offers a latent heat of 68.3 J g−1. Additionally, the nanoscaled PCP framework strongly adsorbs the PEG, preventing the leakage phenomenon (mass loss < 1%), and the uniformly dispersed EG endows the CPCM with a high thermal conductivity of 1.98 W m−1 K−1. In consequence, under the normal ambient temperature of 25 ℃, the lower PCTR effectively keeps the battery module operating within the suitable temperature range of 25.9–34.9 ℃ and with a low temperature difference (ΔT) of 2.4 ℃ at the discharge rate of 1C. For comparison, the battery module adopting classical CPCM with a single PCTR at 40.9–55.1 ℃ demonstrates a much higher temperature range and maximum ΔT at 28.0–40.9 ℃ and 4.8 ℃, respectively. Under the high ambient temperature of 40 ℃, the higher PCTR starts to work like the single PCTR of traditional CPCMs, and controls the T max and ΔT of the module below 49.2 and 2.2 ℃ at the discharge rate of 1C, respectively, preventing thermal hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel liquid-cooled BTMS with TPMS sheet structure for cylindrical LIB is proposed. • The BTMS with TPMS sheet structure can improve thermal performance than that with the straight tube. • The inner skeleton structure improves the cooling performance of BTMS than the outer skeleton structure. • The temperature consistency of the battery module is enhanced by the gradient design of parameter c along the flow direction. As an effective cooling method, liquid-cooled battery thermal management system (BTMS) is crucial to maintain the performance of the battery packs. Triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) is a mathematically described surface with large surface area and tortuous regions. These features allow the TPMS-based structures to be used as the internal filling structures of the heat exchangers for thermal performance improvement. In this study, the TPMS-based internal filling structures in the liquid-cooled BTMS are proposed. The results demonstrate that the cooling performance and temperature consistency of the battery module can be enhanced by filling the TPMS-based structures in the cooling channel. Compared with the conventional straight tube, at the inlet flow rate of 0.003 kg/s, the maximum temperature and temperature difference of the battery module in the BTMS with the sheet structure decrease by 9.0% and 59.8%, respectively. In addition, the gradient sheet structure is designed to alleviate the temperature gradient of the coolant in the flow direction. The results illustrate that the temperature difference of the battery module in the gradient sheet structure decreases by 15.7% than that in the uniform sheet structures (c = ±0.5). This study can provide a new approach for thermal performance enhancement of the liquid-cooled BTMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are extremely sensitive to their temperature and therefore, require a battery thermal management system (BTMS). BTMS is commonly employed to prevent thermal runaway of the LIB pack by controlling their operating temperature. This review paper provides various cooling strategies, including active and passive approaches, utilized in BTMSs. Air-cooled, liquid-based, and PCM-cooled techniques are first reviewed. This article presents an assessment of the application of nanofluids and nano-phase change materials (nano-PCMs) in BTMSs to improve heat dissipation from the LIB pack. This work emphasizes the utilization of these materials to intensify their thermal conductivity and suggests further investigations on their application in BTMSs. • Lithium-ion batteries are extremely sensitive to their temperature. • BTMS is employed to prevent battery thermal runaway by controlling its temperature. • Providing various cooling strategies for BTMS: active and passive approaches. • Presenting an assessment of the application of nanofluids and nano-PCMs) in BTMSs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite significant advances in battery thermal management system (BTMS), current electric vehicles (EVs) still lag behind user expectations in terms of battery performance and safety. A reliable, low-cost, and lightweight system is crucial for an effective BTMS that enables the battery's operation within a reasonable temperature range. In this study, a novel U-shaped lightweight liquid cooling method is introduced to optimize the thermal safety and weight of a prismatic battery cell. Numerical calculations are first carried out to investigate the effects of different fluid flow directions, flow rates, channel dimensions, fluid media, and discharge rates on the battery's temperature, and the results reveal that these factors simultaneously influence both the maximum temperature and temperature uniformity. To save computational costs and avoid the overwhelming complexity of the numerical measurements, a neural network-based regression model was constructed on the basis of 125 sets of simulation data, which comprised of four kernel functions with two outputs: maximum temperature and temperature difference. Each kernel function had a desirable testing accuracy (99.1 % , 97.0 % , 97.8 % , 98.4 %) after training, which indicates that the Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) with Matern 5/2 kernel function can better express complex non-linear relations for the prediction of maximum temperature and temperature difference with minimal errors between the simulated and predicted values compared with other kernel functions. Additionally, applying the GPR model to all cases studied, it is observed that Case 1 decreases the maximum temperature of the battery cell by 21 % and lowers the weight of the cooling plate by 45 % compared to the conventional liquid-cooled BTMS. Hence, it is chosen as the optimal design. The newly introduced BTMS can contribute to the development of lightweight and thermally safe battery cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A numerical analysis is performed for direct liquid cooling of lithium-ion batteries using different dielectric fluids. • Study and compared the thermal performance of three different dielectric fluids including mineral oil, deionised water, and one engineered fluid. • The temperature rise is limited to below 3 °C for 1c- discharge by using deionised water at all mass flow rates, where oil-based fluids are delivering better performance only at higher mass flow rates of 0.05 kg/s. • The mineral oil and engineered fluids deliver almost an equal thermal performance, however, the latter consumed 76.43% less power at a mass flow rate of 0.05 kg/s. Lithium-ion battery (LIB) cells are responsible for powering most electric vehicles. LIB is still a superior battery available in the market because of its high energy density, specific power, and long cycle life. However, LIB comes with the challenges like thermal management as it is highly sensitive to temperature. Amongst different cooling methods, direct liquid cooling, also known as immersion cooling, can deliver a high cooling rate mainly because of its complete contact with the heat source. The single-phase liquid immersion with dielectric fluids (DELC) offers safety and cooling performance with lower parasitic power consumption and space requirements. This research involves studying and comparing different DELC's for the direct cooling of lithium-ion batteries. A numerical analysis of the 4S1P arrangement of LIB cells with direct cooling is conducted with three different DELC's including deionised water, mineral oil, and an engineered fluid. The transient behaviour of the battery module for various mass flow rates of DELC and at 1C,2C,3C-discharge rates are examined. All DELC maintains an excellent temperature homogeneity within the individual cells and LIB cells. The DELC with higher specific heat and thermal conductivity is suitable for cooling the LIB cells during high discharge conditions. However, all the dielectric fluids studied here effectively limit the temperature rise below 5 °C at 2-C discharging operation when the mass flow rate is increased to 0.05 kg/s. This improvement in thermal performance comes at the expense of extra power consumption. Even though both DELC-2 and DELC -3 delivered almost similar temperature rise values of 6.1, 5.2 °C, respectively during 2C discharging operation, the latter consumed 76.43% less power at a mass flow rate of 0.05 kg/s. For this reason, engineered fluids with lower viscosity values can be preferred over mineral oils. The deionised water is more effective for limiting the temperature rise below 2.2 °C for 3C discharging with the least parasitic power consumption of 0.52 mW at a mass flow rate of 0.05 kg/s. A variable cyclic load matching HWFET-driving cycle has been applied to the battery pack with all three DELCs, and all three fluids limited temperature rise below 1 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A three-dimensional analytical model is proposed to investigate the thermal response of batteries, with a plurality of thin electrodes, to heat generation during their operation. The model is based on integral-transform technique that gives a closed-form solution for the fundamental problem of unsteady heat conduction in batteries with orthotropic thermal conductivities, where the heat generation is a function of both temperature and depth-of-discharge. The full-field solutions take the form of a rapidly converging triple infinite sum whose leading terms provide a very simple yet accurate approximation of the battery thermal behavior with modest numerical effort. The accuracy of the proposed model is tested through comparison with numerical simulations. The method is used to describe spatial and temporal temperature evolution in a sample pouch type lithium-ion polymer battery during galvanostatic discharge processes while subjected to convective–radiative cooling at its surfaces (the most practical case is considered, when surrounding medium is at a constant ambient temperature). In the simulations, emphasis is placed on the maintenance of the battery operational temperature below a critical temperature. Through definition of a surface-averaged Biot number, certain conditions are highlighted, under which a two-dimensional thermal analysis is applicable. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• TPC-et skeleton is introduced to realize the room-temperature-flexibility of FCPCM. • TPC-FCPCM shows great applicability to various kinds of cells and battery modules. • TPC-FCPCM shows outstanding cooling performance compared to classical rigid CPCM. • TPC-FCPCM is favorable to alleviating the compressive stress in actual application. Flexible composite phase change materials (CPCMs) can minimize the thermal contact resistance in battery thermal management. However, these "thermally-induced" flexible CPCMs only present well-flexibility above the phase change temperature, which is unfavorable to the flexible assembly of the cells and battery modules with variable specifications. Herein, a kind of flexible CPCM with well-retained flexibility in a wide temperature range is prepared by carefully selecting a copolyester thermoplastic elastomer with polyether soft segment (TPC-et) to replace the conventional olefin block copolymer (OBC) skeleton. The internal rotation resistance of the ether bond in TPC-et is much lower than that of the C–C bond in OBC, thus giving rise to a better flexibility in room and low temperatures from 20 to −5 ℃. Combining the room-temperature-flexibility with the high thermal conductivity of 1.64 W m−1 K−1, enough latent heat of 102 J g−1 and suitable phase change region of 40–50 ℃, the obtained TPC-et based flexible CPCM shows outstanding applicability and cooling performance to various cells and battery modules through facile installations. The maximum temperature of the cylindrical, prismatic and pouch battery modules with TPC-et based CPCM is 51.5, 42.1 and 50.0 ℃, respectively, 4.0, 3.9 and 5.4 ℃ lower than the modules using rigid CPCM, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The optimal performance of a Li-ion battery is directly impacted by temperature. In order to control the temperature rise and provide even temperature distributions in the battery pack, a thermal management scheme comprises thin heat sinks with multiple phase change materials (PCMs) and air channels is investigated in this paper. The cooling performance and temperature homogenization of the battery thermal management (BTM) system are carefully studied under various configurations of PCMs. The results show that increasing the air inlet velocity has less effect in suppressing the temperature rise at early discharge stage, but ameliorates as the discharge prolonged to 3600 s. The standard deviation of the temperature (STDV) and maximum temperature of the batteries can be decreased by arranging PCMs with a lower melting temperature at the midsection and a higher melting temperature at the air outlet region of the heat sinks. In addition, for volume fraction of PCMs, Case IV, having a PCM with a higher melting point adjacent to the air outlet region and occupying one-half the height of the heat sink, illustrates a lower temperature rise and decreases the maximum temperature in the battery module by 1.024 K, 2.186 K, and 2.553 K, compared to Case I, II, and III, respectively. • Multiple PCMs incorporated thin heat sinks for battery thermal management is proposed. • The thermal performance of the battery based on maximum temperature upsurge is investigated. • The distributions of PCMs based on melting point and latent heat were carefully explored. • The optimal design for the distribution of PCMs is obtained for the proposed battery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Battery modeling and state estimation are critical to the battery safety and vehicle driving range. Currently, electrochemical mechanism based models require huge computation effort for solving partial differential equations, equivalent circuit models do not consider actual battery mechanism, while machine learning models are lack of generalization ability due to their data-driven nature. All these problems bring the challenges to guarantee the model effectiveness in wide temperature and large current conditions. To estimate the battery state of charge (SOC) and state of temperature (SOT) under these conditions, an electrochemical-thermal-neural-network (ETNN) model is formulated in this paper. Specifically, a simplified single particle model and a lumped thermal model are served as the sub-models of ETNN to predict core temperature and provide approximate terminal voltage. Then a neural network is incorporated to enhance the performance of sub-models. According to the extensive experiments, ETNN model is able to accurately estimate battery voltage and core temperature under the ambient temperatures of -10–40 °C and the discharge rate of 10-C. After that, an unscented Kalman filter (UKF) is integrated with ETNN to achieve reliable co-estimation of SOC-SOT. Experimental results illustrate that proposed ETNN-UKF can rapidly eliminate initial errors and provide satisfactory co-estimation performance. • Formulation of a hybrid battery electrochemical-thermal-neural-network model. • High model accuracy under large currents and wide range of ambient temperatures. • Accurate co-estimation of SOC and SOT by integrating the unscented Kalman filter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]