Utilizing Evaporative Cooling for Efficient Thermal Management of Lithium-Ion Batteries in Electric Vehicles /

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in electronic devices and electric vehicles due to their lightweight, high-energy density, long lifespan, and fast charging capability. However, they face the challenges of thermal management. Lithium ions (Li+) are extracted from the anode and intercalated into the cathode during charging. Conversely, Li+ ions DE intercalated from the cathode during discharging and intercalated into the anode. Due to mechanical stress and thermal cycling, these reactions cause lithium metal deposition on the anode surface (lithium plating) and electrode degradation. In extreme cases, these reactions can lead to thermal runaway, a self-propagating exothermic reaction resulting in an explosion. Therefore, an effective battery thermal management system (BTMS) is necessary to prevent the battery from overheating. Various techniques have been proposed and implemented for BTMS, such as forced air cooling, phase change material cooling (PCM), and water cooling. A recent study proposed a novel BTMS using a honeycomb wall pad based on evaporative cooling. The honeycomb pad is made of cellulose Kraft paper, a medium for water evaporation and a thermal insulator. The study investigated the thermal performance of an 8-cell lithium-ion battery pack with a capacity of 6000mAh at 2.5C, and 3C discharge rates under different air flow rates with and without evaporation cooling. Experimental results showed that during evaporation cooling, the battery pack's temperature decreased by 39.27% at 2.31 CFM, 35.02% at 0.98 CFM, and 36.86% at 1.48 CFM, respectively. The proposed technique is environmentally friendly, costeffective, easy to access, low maintenance, and has a simple structure.