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Highlights: The phase change materials possess conformable configuration to the structure of Li-ion batteries in macro-scale and multidirectional thermal pathways for rapid and uniform heat transfer in micro-scale. Hierarchically structured phase change materials achieve dual-mode thermal management ability for heating and cooling Li-ion batteries. Excellent practical battery thermal management performance was verified by 18,650 Li-ion batteries in both cold and hot environments. Phase change materials (PCMs) are expected to achieve dual-mode thermal management for heating and cooling Li-ion batteries (LIBs) according to real-time thermal conditions, guaranteeing the reliable operation of LIBs in both cold and hot environments. Herein, we report a liquid metal (LM) modified polyethylene glycol/LM/boron nitride PCM, capable of dual-mode thermal managing the LIBs through photothermal effect and passive thermal conduction. Its geometrical conformation and thermal pathways fabricated through ice-template strategy are conformable to the LIB's structure and heat-conduction characteristic. Typically, soft and deformable LMs are modified on the boron nitride surface, serving as thermal bridges to reduce the contact thermal resistance among adjacent fillers to realize high thermal conductivity of 8.8 and 7.6 W m−1 K−1 in the vertical and in-plane directions, respectively. In addition, LM with excellent photothermal performance provides the PCM with efficient battery heating capability if employing a controllable lighting system. As a proof-of-concept, this PCM is manifested to heat battery to an appropriate temperature range in a cold environment and lower the working temperature of the LIBs by more than 10 °C at high charging/discharging rate, opening opportunities for LIBs with durable working performance and evitable risk of thermal runaway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different battery thermal management (BTM) for a 18650 cylindrical Li-ion battery pack were simulated based on the lumped model. Phase change material (PCM) was introduced for its benefits: high latent heat and uniform melting temperature. However, the heat absorbed into the PCM was not dissipated to the environment. Thus, an additional cooling mechanism was required to reach satisfying temperature limits (45 °C for lifespan and 50 °C for safety). These include natural convection cooling, forced convection cooling, finned-natural convection cooling, PCM cooling, and PCM cooling coupled with liquid cooling channels. The temperature of the battery pack using natural convection, finned-natural convection, and PCM cooling reached 62.1 °C, 55 °C, and 50 °C, which were equal or over (50 °C), while it decreased to 49 °C using forced convection, which was over (45 °C). However, PCM coupled with liquid cooling channels satisfied the requirements, and the temperature was reduced to 42 °C using this system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preventing thermal runaway propagation is critical to improve the fire safety of electric vehicles. Experiments are conducted on the designed battery modules to study the effects of aerogel, liquid cooling plate, and their combination on the prevention mechanism of thermal runaway propagation. The characteristics of temperature, voltage, mass loss, and venting during the thermal runaway propagation process are compared and analyzed. The results indicate that: (1) adding the insulation material of aerogel can postpone the thermal runaway propagation, but may not completely cut-off the propagation process; (2) there is no obvious delay of thermal runaway propagation by adding the liquid cooling plate only, the propagation speed may be accelerated instead; (3) the thermal runaway propagation can be prevented by using aerogel and liquid cooling plate together. The study reminds us that safety design of battery thermal management system should consider the comprehensive heat transfer pathways in order to effectively prevent thermal runaway propagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat generation and accumulation during working schemes of the lithium-ion battery (LIB) are the critical safety issues in hybrid electric vehicles or electric vehicles. Appropriate battery thermal management is necessary for ensuring the safety and continuous power supply of rechargeable LIB modules. In this study, thirty cylinder 18650-type cells were fabricated a 6S5P battery module with a 2-mm spacing between cells to evaluate exothermic trajectories. The modules, equipped with a forced-air cooling system, were charged at 1 C-rate and discharged at 1, 1.5, and 2 C-rates for three cycles in each test; thermocouples were connected to the cells to track the variances in temperature and voltage. The efficiency of the developed forced-air cooling system was estimated to be 73.0% in case 1 with the 1 C discharge rate, and the temperature difference (TD) was less than 5.0 °C. The maximum temperature (Tmax) of this case was maintained below 45.0 °C showing uniform heat distribution. Moreover, extreme heat accumulation developed inside the module and damaged the adjacent LIBs during fast 2 C discharge test. Our TD testing showed that a forced-air cooling system in the LIB module provides effective heat dispersion under normal discharge conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]