A PAPER REVIEW ON: NUMERICAL STUDY FOR BATTERY THERMAL

MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT

WITH AIR CHANNEL IN ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Kata Manoj 23M1347

1. WHY BATTERY THERMAL MANAGEMENT IN EV

A Main point of recent research involves electric vehicles (EVs) as a means to reduce fossil
fuel consumption and air pollution. EVs rely on batteries as an energy storage source. Batteries,
crucial for various technological products including EVs and smartphones, operate by
converting chemical energy into electrical energy through electrochemical cells. Among
various battery types, lithium-ion batteries stand out for their attributes like high energy
density, efficiency, longevity, low maintenance, and eco-friendliness. Maintaining an optimal
operating temperature range (typically 20°C to 40°C) is crucial for lithium-ion batteries.
To ensure uniform temperature distribution within battery packs and extend battery cell
lifespan, minimizing temperature differences is essential. Moreover, efficient heat dissipation
from batteries is very important to guarantee safe operation and prolonged cell life. This
necessitates a Battery Thermal Management System (BTMS) that regulates the temperature
and temperature variations of battery packs. A well-designed BTMS is pivotal for electric
vehicles, offering multiple heat dissipation technologies like air cooling, liquid cooling, and
cooling with phase change material. Air cooling is popular due to its cost-effectiveness and
simple system structure.
In summary, this text underscores the importance of addressing energy challenges,
particularly through EVs and effective battery thermal management, to minimize
environmental impact and promote sustainable energy solutions.
The presented review discusses a variety of research studies focused on enhancing the
Battery Thermal Management System (BTMS) of electric vehicles. These studies utilize both
numerical simulations and experimental investigations to analyze different factors affecting the
cooling performance and temperature distribution of battery modules.

2. OBSERVATIONS BY DIFFERENT AUTHORS :

In this research paper below it is mentioned the observations made by different researchers on
this particular project
1. Observed in a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) study that optimizing air inlet-outlet
locations and introducing baffles improved the thermal performance of battery cooling
systems.
2. Varying battery module temperatures when using forced convection, heat pipe, and copper
plate heat pipe cooling methods.
3. How spacing between battery cells affected BTMS efficiency, noting that optimal spacing
and air-cooling reduced battery pack temperatures.
4. Compared thermal performance of battery modules with different arrangements, finding
cubic arrangements and strategic fan placement as effective cooling solutions.
5. Studied a rhombic air-cooled battery pack with CFD, observing that increased air velocity
led to higher pressure drop but lower maximum and average battery temperatures.
6. The impact of channel width and air inlet-outlet angles on heat dissipation, finding that
specific conditions yielded the best cooling performance.
7. Proposed a hybrid BTMS incorporating liquid and air cooling, optimizing flow direction to
improve temperature distribution but acknowledging a slight overall temperature increase.
8. Investigated the effects of ambient temperature, ventilation rate, and spacing on air-cooled
BTMS performance, noting a complex relationship with wind speed.
9. Numerically investigated the impact of air velocity and channel spacing on thermal
performance and energy consumption of a battery cooling system, highlighting the trade-off
between temperature and energy efficiency.
10. Numerically explored the impact of finned cooling systems on BTMS performance,
observing a significant temperature reduction with finned designs.
11. Integrated airflow into BTMS to enhance temperature distribution, revealing improved
cooling performance but slightly elevated maximum temperatures.
12. Experimentally studied different battery arrangements, air velocities, and discharge rates,
finding that aligned arrangements provided the best cooling performance.
13. Proposed a reverse layer airflow BTMS, achieving better temperature stability and
decreased temperature differences compared to conventional unidirectional flow.
14. Investigated various cooling enhancements, noting the impact of dimple shapes on battery
temperature reduction.
15. Explored a triangular battery arrangement, investigating the effects of outlet distance and
air velocity on temperature, pressure drop, and heat transfer coefficient.
16. Experimentally and numerically analyzed air-cooled battery modules, demonstrating the
benefits of fan placement and increased fan radius on temperature distribution.
17. Numerically examined temperature distribution in a BTMS with different air inlet and
outlet cross-sections.
18. Studied the effects of fins, airflow models, and outlet locations on BTMS performance,
highlighting improved cooling performance with top and mid-plane outlets.
19. Analyzed different battery arrangements in an air-cooled system, determining triangular
arrangements offered better cooling performance.

The study concludes by proposing a new BTMS design with innovative air channels that
provide improved temperature distribution compared to conventional air-cooled systems. It
emphasizes the advantages of air-cooled systems in terms of ease of manufacture, low cost,
and electrical safety while addressing the challenge of achieving uniform temperature
distribution. The study employed a combination of numerical simulations and experimental
validation to assess the newly designed BTMS.

3. APPROACH

The study involves the design and analysis of battery cases with different channel types to
prevent losses in battery modules caused by high temperatures. The ANSYS Fluent program
was used for transient and 3D flow analyses. To optimize computational resources, a mesh
independence test was conducted, and the numerical results were validated through
experimental studies.
The physical dimensions of the study encompass three different battery case designs
(Design 1, Design 2, and Design 3), each containing 24 battery cells arranged in a 4x6
configuration. These cases utilized 18,650-class lithium-ion battery cells with a diameter of
18 mm and a length of 65 mm. Cooling was achieved through inlet channels, with different
arrangements in each design to enhance cooling efficiency and temperature distribution. The
geometric dimensions of the battery cases were carefully designed to prioritize
manufacturability, cost-effectiveness, compactness, and uniform temperature distribution.
The governing equations for the flow analysis in the BTMS study involve continuity,
energy, and momentum equations, as well as the energy equation specific to the battery cells.
The ANSYS Fluent program
was employed to simulate the
effects of air channel designs
and inlet velocities on heat
transfer between the fluid and
battery cells. The objective
was to establish a
comprehensive database
illustrating the impact of
channel configurations and
velocity on the thermal
performance of the system.

The study aims to provide

insights into the relationships
between various factors such
as channel design and inlet
velocity on heat transfer and
thermal management within
battery modules.
In the numerical analysis of the Battery Thermal Management System (BTMS), the
boundary conditions and solution technique played a critical role. The study involved two
distinct volumes with different material properties: the fluid volume and the battery cells.
Inlet, outlet, and wall boundary conditions were assigned to the fluid volume, while heat
generation was considered a boundary condition for the battery cells. Wall boundary
conditions were applied to
surfaces where the fluid
volume made contact with
the battery case. Air inlet
velocities, inlet
temperature, and battery
heat generation values
were defined based on
experimental results from
a previous study. The
governing equations for
the analysis included
continuity, energy, and
momentum equations, and
a transient analysis was
conducted over a 2000-
second period.
To ensure
numerical accuracy and
precision while optimizing
computational resources, a
grid independence test was
performed. This test
involved calculating
temperature values at a
designated point within the battery case for different mesh element numbers. The results
indicated that a mesh element number of 1501490 yielded an optimal balance between solution
time and result accuracy.
The accuracy of the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model was validated by
comparing its results to an experimental study. The validation was conducted by considering
parameters such as air cooling, transient analysis, similar geometry properties, and consistent
initial conditions. The validation graph depicting the change in temperature at a designated
point over time demonstrated a close match between the CFD and experimental results,
confirming the accuracy of the numerical analysis in this study.
In the study's results and discussion section, the obtained temperature distributions from
the transient analysis are presented for various air inlet velocities. The temperature distributions
of battery modules for air inlet velocities of 1 m/s, 2 m/s, and 3 m/s are shown, with emphasis
on the differences between three different battery case designs: Design 1, Design 2, and Design

The analysis revealed that in Design 1, air heating towards the outlet led to inadequate
cooling for battery cells positioned at the rear, affecting their efficiency and lifespan. To
address this issue, Design 2 and Design 3 were developed, introducing additional cooler
channels to the battery module. These new channels aimed to enhance the cooling of battery
cells near the outlet and achieve better temperature homogeneity. Both symmetrical and
asymmetrical channels were implemented to assess the impact of channel geometry on cold air
reinforcement. Interestingly, the asymmetrical channels in Design 2 resulted in a more
homogeneous temperature distribution compared to the symmetrical channels in Design 3,
likely due to airflow reaching the middle of the fifth row more effectively in Design 2.

The study also investigated the relationship between air inlet velocity and maximum
battery temperature. It was observed that increasing the air inlet velocity led to a decrease in
the maximum battery temperature across all designs. Design 1 had the highest maximum
temperature values for all tested velocities, while Design 2 consistently exhibited the lowest
maximum temperatures. The maximum temperature differences showed a similar trend to the
maximum temperature values. This relationship is attributed to the fact that minimum
temperatures followed a similar trend as maximum temperatures.
Additionally, pressure drop, which represents the energy loss in the fluid flow, was
evaluated. The pressure drop increased with higher air inlet velocities. Among the three
designs, Design 1 had the lowest pressure drop, while Designs 2 and 3 displayed slightly
higher values due to the introduction of additional channels.
A comparison with relevant literature studies highlighted the consistency of the
present study's results. While variations in factors such as flow structure, inlet/outlet
positions, and heat pipe usage affect maximum temperature differences in air-cooled battery
thermal management systems, the newly designed channels in this study managed to reduce
the maximum temperature difference while maintaining a reasonable pressure drop.

4. CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, the study successfully demonstrated that the newly designed battery
case (Design 2) achieved a reduction in maximum temperature and temperature difference,
along with improved temperature homogeneity. This design approach provides both practical
manufacturability and cost-effectiveness in air-cooled battery thermal management systems.
In conclusion, this study presents the design and evaluation of two innovative battery
cases aimed at enhancing the performance of battery thermal management systems (BTMS)
in electric vehicles. A comparison is drawn between the newly designed battery cases and a
conventional case widely used in literature, focusing on cooling efficiency. Through
numerical simulations using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), the distribution of
temperatures within battery modules, the maximum temperature, maximum temperature
difference, and pressure drop were thoroughly investigated. The results obtained from the
CFD analyses were validated through experimental studies.

The study's findings demonstrate a consistent trend: as the air inlet velocity increases,
both the maximum battery temperature and the maximum temperature difference within the
batteries decrease. Among the three designs—Design 1, Design 3, and Design 2—Design 1
consistently yielded the highest maximum battery temperatures, while Design 2 presented the
lowest temperatures. Regarding pressure drop, Design 1 exhibited the least pressure drop,
with Designs 2 and 3 displaying closely matched results.
The data analysis unambiguously indicates that Design 2 offers a substantial
improvement over the other designs in terms of reducing maximum temperatures and
achieving a more uniform temperature distribution. This suggests that adopting Design 2 as
the battery case for electric vehicles could significantly enhance efficiency by minimizing
maximum temperature and enhancing temperature uniformity.

5. REFERENCES
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352152X23019126