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Experimental Investigation of Water-Cooled Heat Pipes in the Thermal Management of Lithium-Ion EV Batteries

  • Research Article - Mechanical Engineering
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Abstract

In this work, an experimental study was conducted to investigate the thermal performance of a heat pipe thermal management system for electric vehicle lithium-ion batteries. The battery cells were represented by two proxy cells with a heat source ranging from 10 to 35 W/cell. The evaporator of the heat pipes was in close contact with the battery cell surface, and the condenser was subjected to the forced convection of circulating water. The performance was characterized by the maximum surface temperature, temperature difference, total thermal resistance and Nusselt number at the condenser side. The effects of heat inputs, length of the condenser and water flowrate were also investigated. A condenser length in the range of 100–150 mm and water flowrate showed insignificant effects on the battery surface temperature and the total thermal resistance. Heat pipes were also observed to be able to reduce the battery surface temperature by 39.1% on average. They are also capable of maintaining the surface temperature below 50 °C and temperature differential below 5 °C if the heat generation of the battery cell is less than 20 W.

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Abbreviations

BTMS:

Battery thermal management system

EV:

Electric vehicle

HEV:

Hybrid electric vehicle

NCC:

Naturally cooled condenser

PCM:

Phase-change material

TMS:

Thermal management system

WCC:

Water-cooled condenser

δ :

Thickness (m)

ṁ :

Mass flowrate (kg/s)

η :

Thermal efficiency of heat pipe

Nu :

Nusselt number

A s :

Surface area of the heat pipe that is exposed to the water (m2)

c p :

Specific heat capacity (J/kg K)

d :

Diameter (m)

e h :

Uncertainty for convection coefficient

e loss :

Uncertainty for the heat loss

e Nu :

Uncertainty for Nusselt number

e Q :

Uncertainty for heat input

e R :

Uncertainty for thermal resistance

h :

Convection heat transfer coefficient (W/m K)

I :

Electrical current (A)

k :

Thermal conductivity of the surrounding fluid at the condenser side (W/m2 K)

L :

Length (m)

Q cond :

Heat removed from the condenser section (W)

R t :

Total thermal resistance of the system (K/W)

T p :

Average surface temperature of the proxy battery cell (°C)

T f :

Temperature of the surrounding fluid (water) on the condenser side (°C)

T in :

Water temperature at the entrance of the water tank (°C)

T out :

Water temperature at the exit of the water tank (°C)

T pipe :

Condenser surface temperature (°C)

V :

Voltage (V)

c:

Condenser

e:

Evaporator

i:

Inner

o:

Outer

w:

Wick outer region

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the supports provided by Universiti Sains Malaysia and Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysian Spanish Institute.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mechanical Section, Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysian Spanish Institute, Kulim Hi-Tech Park, Kulim, Kedah, Malaysia

    Faiza M. Nasir

  2. School of Mechanical Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

    Faiza M. Nasir, Mohd Z. Abdullah & Mohd A. Ismail

Authors
  1. Faiza M. Nasir
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  2. Mohd Z. Abdullah
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  3. Mohd A. Ismail
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Correspondence to Faiza M. Nasir.

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Nasir, F.M., Abdullah, M.Z. & Ismail, M.A. Experimental Investigation of Water-Cooled Heat Pipes in the Thermal Management of Lithium-Ion EV Batteries. Arab J Sci Eng 44, 7541–7552 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-019-03851-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-019-03851-5

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