A new cooling jacket with periodic cross-sectional channels and microencapsulated phase change slurry for enhancing thermal management of power batteries

Abstract

Power batteries face significant challenges with heat management due to rapid heat generation and high operational temperatures. Improving cooling efficiency is an ongoing goal, as traditional methods, such as passive and basic liquid cooling systems, often fall short in fully addressing these thermal management needs. To address this, this paper proposes an innovative battery cooling jacket that combines periodic variable cross-section channels with microencapsulated phase change slurry (MEPCS). The design philosophy of this cooling jacket is to enhance the convective heat transfer between the cooling liquid and the battery through the periodic variable cross-section channels, while the use of microencapsulated slurry increases the thermal capacity of the cooling medium. To explores the effects of structural parameters (such as channel height and flow passage spacing) and physical parameters of the slurry (such as mass fraction of capsules and flow rate) on the cooling performance for optimization purpose, a three-dimensional physical model of the cooling jacket system with integrated liquid cooling channels is established and validated. Using this validated model, the study analyzes the impact of various parameters on cooling performance. The results demonstrate that optimizing channel height, and slurry parameters can significantly enhance cooling efficiency. Specifically, there are optimal values for these parameters that maximize performance, while deviations from these values can reduce effectiveness. The proposed battery cooling jacket and the associated research provide a new perspective for enhancing power battery cooling systems. This approach introduces significant advancements in thermal management, offering valuable insights and practical implications for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of cooling solutions in new energy vehicles.