Improving Li-ion Battery Performance with Internal Cooling

Abstract

The use of Li-ion batteries has expanded fast in recent decades due to the rising use of electric vehicles, mobiles, laptop, robots’ drone, digital cameras etc., but there are numerous issues with batteries, including thermal runaway, cell rupture, decreased battery life, and an internal short circuit caused by overheating and overcharging. High-power draw systems tend to heat the battery beyond its safe operating temperature range, reducing the cell's lifespan. Researchers used a variety of battery heat management systems (internal/external) to tackle these issues. Most researchers, as well as commercial applications, have embraced external cooling systems employing air, PCM, or liquid cooling. There is a shortage of study on cell internal cooling. Internal cooling of Li-Ion prismatic cells and battery packs has been designed and analysed in this study (2S-2P). Under various C rates, we observed heat generation. Then we used rectangular flow channels inside the electrodes and de-ionized water as a coolant. CFD analysis were done for simulation. Without cooling, the maximum temperature of the battery pack was 338K, but after internal cooling, the maximum temperature of the battery pack was 306K, which is ideal for maintaining good battery health.