Thermofluids analysis of the coolant flow during lithium-ion battery operation

A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is developed to study thermal management of a lithium ion battery. Model geometry consists of a lithium polymer pouch cell and an aluminum plate with the cooling channels grooved inside. 40 Ah commercial cells are considered in this study. Heat generation during discharge of the battery is characterized as a function of state of charge, discharge rate and temperature based on the experimental results reported elsewhere. Non-isothermal momentum equation and energy equation are solved to account for the coupled thermofluids phenomena in the solid and fluid domains. Steady state simulations are carried out for different geometric and operational parameters to propose a design enhancing heat removal rates during typical discharge modes of the battery. Temperature rise in the cell, temperature difference and pressure drop in the coolant and weight of the battery pack are the main design criteria for the thermal management system. © The Electrochemical Society.