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Forced-air cooling system for large-scale lithium-ion battery modules during charge and discharge processes

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Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

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.

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Abbreviations

A :

Ampere (C s−1)

a :

Constant

b :

Constant

C:

Charge or discharge rate (A s)

C p :

Specific heat (J g−1 °C−1)

E 0 :

Li chemical potential (V)

F :

Faraday constant (96,487 C mol−1)

G :

Gibbs free energy (J)

I :

Current (A)

m :

Mass (g)

m LIB :

Mass of the LIB (g)

n :

nth Order

p :

Power (J)

P :

Pressure (atm)

Q conv :

Heat convection (J)

Q elect :

LIB operating heat in normal ambience (J)

Q elect, ad :

LIB operating heat in adiabatic environment (J)

Q G :

Joule heating (J)

Q L :

Heat loss (J)

S :

Entropy (J °C−1)

SOC:

State of charge (%)

T :

Temperature (°C)

T amb :

Ambient temperature (°C)

T max :

Maximum temperature (°C)

T LIB :

Temperature on the battery surface (°C)

t :

Time (s)

TD:

Temperature difference (°C)

TDmax :

Maximum temperature difference (°C)

T 0 :

Apparent exothermic onset temperature (°C)

V :

Voltage (V)

v :

Volume (m3)

W :

Watt (J s−1)

w :

Inflow wind velocity (8 m s−1)

x :

Charged number carried by the exchanged Li-ion

y :

Constant

z :

Constant

ΔH :

Heat generation (J)

ΔH ad :

Heat generation in adiabatic environment (J)

ΔH total :

Total heat generation (J)

ΔT :

Temperature variation (°C)

α :

Space compactness

β :

Cooling efficiency factor

η :

Cooling efficiency (%)

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Acknowledgements

The authors are indebted to the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST 107-2221-E-224-004-MY3), Taiwan, ROC, for providing financial support for this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Occupational Safety and Health, College of Public Health, China Medical University, 91, Hsueh-Shih Rd., Taichung, 40442, Taiwan, ROC

    Yih-Wen Wang

  2. Department of Safety, Health, and Environmental Engineering, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology (YunTech), 123, University Rd., Sec. 3, Douliou, Yunlin, 64002, Taiwan, ROC

    Jhao-Min Jiang & Chi-Min Shu

  3. Doctoral Program, Department of Safety, Health, and Environmental Engineering, YunTech, 123, University Rd., Sec. 3, Douliou, Yunlin, 64002, Taiwan, ROC

    Yi-Hong Chung

  4. Center for Process Safety and Industrial Disaster Prevention, School of Engineering, YunTech, 123, University Rd., Sec. 3, Douliou, Yunlin, 64002, Taiwan, ROC

    Wei-Chun Chen

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  1. Yih-Wen Wang
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Correspondence to Chi-Min Shu.

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Wang, YW., Jiang, JM., Chung, YH. et al. Forced-air cooling system for large-scale lithium-ion battery modules during charge and discharge processes. J Therm Anal Calorim 135, 2891–2901 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-018-7646-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-018-7646-4

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