Experimental study of the thermal management system of an air-cooled Li-ion battery pack with triangular spoilers

Abstract

Abstract This research experimentally examines the thermal behaviour of an air-cooled Li-ion battery pack with triangular spoilers. The objective is to enhance temperature uniformity and reduce the maximum temperature of the battery pack by redirecting airflow towards regions of higher temperatures using triangular spoilers. The effects of spoiler angles (a) and spoiler positions (Ds) on the thermal performance of a 24V, 10Ah aligned battery pack are investigated. The parameters used to evaluate the thermal performance are; temperature variation along as well as transverse to the airflow direction and temperature variation around the circumference of the cell. The maximum temperature (Tmax), average temperature (Tavg.), maximum temperature difference (ΔTmax), and standard deviation of the temperature (σT) are the other performance parameters that are assessed. It is observed that the temperature of the battery pack decreases along the airflow direction with both the increase in α and Ds. It happens due to the enhancement in the heat transfer rate caused by higher turbulence kinetic energy. The non-uniformity in the cell temperature around the circumference improves by 0.4 K and 1.8 K with the change in α and Ds, respectively. It is found that Tmax and Tavg. of the battery pack are reduced by a maximum value of 2.5 K and 1.55 K, respectively, compared to the case when no spoiler is used. The maximum reduction in ΔTmax and σT is found to be 2.4 K and 1.02, respectively.