Development of Hybrid Thermal Management Techniques for Battery Packs

Abstract In this study, the thermal management issue of electric vehicle and hybrid electric vehicle battery pack is studied. Passive and hybrid techniques are developed and used in the battery pack. Multiple delta winglet vortex generators are introduced to enhance turbulence before the air flow interacts with the cells’ surface. Multiple jet inlets are introduced that enable the air flow to change its directions and pass through the dead air regions. A hybrid technique is also used in which a liquid jacket is added to each of the cells. The liquid within the jackets is in contact with the cells maximizing the contact surface area to improve heat transfer. Steady state computational fluid dynamic simulations are performed to study the effects of the passive and hybrid techniques added to the battery pack. The results indicate a substantial improvement in the temperature uniformity. The temperature difference of the hybrid battery pack reduces from 4.87 °C to 1.26 °C. Additionally, the temperature variance at the cell level reduces from 3.29 °C to 0.36 °C. This battery pack does not require moving parts and pumping power and it can achieve high levels of temperature uniformity.