Investigation on Li-ion Battery Pack Topologies for Optimum Thermal Management of Electric Vehicles

The thermal management of Li-ion batteries is of utmost importance to electric vehicles (EVs). Due to the enormous growth of the EV industries, the battery’s performance is constantly increasing. Despite this, Li-particle batteries only perform at their best in a narrow temperature range, such as between 25 and 40 °C. They are defenseless against the operating temperature. This study aims to improve lithium-ion battery packing for electric vehicles to meet the ideal operating temperature using an air-cooling system. The aim is achieved by using varying inlet and outlet locations of the cooling fans and also by changing the cell arrangements, i.e. 8×4 arrays rectangular, staggered, and cross arrangement. The battery module’s assigned temperature changes depending on the fan locations, particularly if it is on the side surface. As each battery cell is represented as a cylinder in the numerical model of the 3.7 V and 81.2 W battery packing, cells are encased in a box. Solid Works flow simulation was used to simulate the model. Based on cell arrangements and fan positions, the temperature conveyances of batteries are quantitatively shown. The best cooling effect was provided by the fan on the side and the outlet on the opposite side. Furthermore, with a maximum cell temperature of 43.3°C, it was discovered that the staggered configuration provided the best cooling effect.