Investigation on the Effectiveness of Phase Change Materials in Battery Thermal Management System of Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles (EVs) are a clean, sustainable alternative to conventional internal combustion engines representing a paradigm shift in the transportation sector. Electric vehicles (EVs) have significantly improved in performance in battery technology. With the rapid proliferation of Electric Vehicles (EVs), effective Battery Thermal Management Systems (BTMS) are essential to ensure optimal performance and longevity of the battery packs. This study aims to investigating the effect of Phase Change Materials (PCM) in a hybrid cooling of liquid cold plate with battery pack. With the rapid proliferation of Electric Vehicles (EVs), effective Battery Thermal Management Systems (BTMS) are essential to ensure optimal performance and longevity of the battery packs. This study aims to investigating the effect of Phase Change Materials (PCM) in a hybrid cooling of a liquid cold plate with the battery pack. In models of battery cell arrangement of 5x13 arrays of aligned modules with the PCM and liquid cold plates (LCPs) with tube orientation which covers a battery pack's top and bottom. Each cell is depicted as a cylinder housed within a case equipped with a hybrid cooling system. In the computational model of the 25 Ah, 48 V battery pack, the battery produces a total of 1200 WH of energy. The battery pack in a box that was simulated by (Fusion 360 and Creo Parametric) the CFD – Ansys. The ABS plastic case prioritizes airflow by incorporating openings on opposing sides for the air inlet and outlet. The system utilized two rectangular Liquid Cooling Plates (LCPs) made from Al 3003 alloy. Water-ethylene glycol solution and graphene nanoplatelets (0.1% vol) have been used as the coolants while passing the LCP. It was found that 600 seconds, 300K and maximum of heat 237.76 kJ can be absorbed by the phase change material at a discharge rate of 2C. The best cooling effect was achieved with the hybrid cooling system the maximum battery temperature was limited to 34.326°C.