Experimental study of thermal management system for cylindrical Li-ion battery pack using thermal interface material /

Abstract

The commercialization of electric vehicles is one of the remedies for climatic change and pollution. Because of the Lithium-ion battery’s sensitivity to temperature, thermal management is required to enhance the safety, cycle life, and performance. Moreover, the arrangement of cells and the configuration of the module also play a vital role. Owing to the high power requirements in vehicles, charging and discharging a large battery bank at higher rates pose a risk of thermal runaway. Hence, a fully functional battery thermal management system is one of the integral elements of modern-day automobiles. The ability of thermal grease as a thermal interface material has been investigated along with different variations. The grease-contained box has been used as an alternative to PCM for the first time in a battery thermal management context. Firstly, the available BTMS including active, passive, and hybrid approaches were reviewed. Then a baseline condition of the research was established, which was the effect of no cooling on battery performance at distinct rates. After that, the cooling effect of thermal grease was elaborately presented. Lastly, a complete system with grease and copper tubes was studied comparatively. With a fully functional thermal system, an average drop of 20.4 C was recorded at a 2C rate, followed by 13 and 12.4 at 1.5C and 1C rates respectively. The analysis showed that for significant heat removal, a heat sink with thermal interface material is required. Another point inferred is that an interfacial air gap has an adverse effect on the thermal performance of the battery. Therefore, the presence of thermal grease has opened a new avenue in thermal management. The appropriate configuration of cells and careful selection of thermal compounds can produce exceptionally controlled results.