Enhanced thermal management of 21,700 NMC Li-ion batteries using PCMs: correlation development and numerical analysis

The limited thermal conductivity of phase change materials, unequal temperature distribution, integration issues between phase change materials and battery modules, and limited scalability for real-world applications are some of the issues that have been brought to light by earlier research on the batteries. Furthermore, most of the studies did not produce validated thermal correlations or lacked sufficient experimental evidence to back up practical application and long-term viability. This research advances thermal regulation of 21,700 NMC lithium-ion batteries using phase change material (PCM)-based strategy, supported by numerical simulations and experimentally validated thermal correlation. In comparison to previous works focusing on hybrid systems, nano-enhanced PCMs, and designs specific to certain structures, this research introduces a correlation-based modeling and optimization framework of a PCM which increases the liquid fraction and reduced surface temperatures during charging and discharging. The contribution to the field is by accurately modeling PCM and validating the results; providing a research-backed extension of the boundaries for passive thermal management; where performance and safety are improved to avoid thermal runaway based on standard thermal management system, while surpassing traditional numerical and hybrid PCM approaches. The research involves creating detailed thermal model of battery system, incorporating phase change material properties and behaviors. Correlation is validated using numerical analysis, confirming the accuracy and reliability, with results showing that PCM utilization notably enhances thermal management, thereby boosting both battery efficiency and safety. Furthermore, it keeps the battery surface temperature below 39 °C, as opposed to the 44 °C and 46 °C seen in the previous methods.