Forced air cooling of a lithium-ion battery pack of the «Polytech Solar» electric car

Аuthors

Egorov M. Y.^1*, Kasatkin I. I.¹, Kovalenko I. I.², Krectunova I. P.², Lavrovskaya N. P.²

1. St.-Petersburg State Polytechnical University,
2. Saint Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation, 67, Bolshaya Morskaya str., Saint Petersburg, 190000, Russia

*e-mail: mikhail.yu.egorov@gmail.com

Abstract

The purpose of the work consist in selecting a process of battery cooling of the «Polytech Solar» Electric Car developed at the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. The lithium-ion battery accumulates and employs the Sun radiated energy, supplied by the photoelectric elements. The article accomplishes estimation of the battery neat release stipulated by the three factors such as (1) internal resistance, (2) losses caused by the diffusional and interphase transients and (3) electro-chemical reactions while discharging.

According to the reliable operation conditions of the battery, it is necessary to maintain its temperature range no more than 45°C, which requires cooling. The article analyzes the possibilities of liquid and air-cooling, and compares the free and forced methods of convective heat transfer.

For the rated operating mode of the electric vehicle and environmental temperature at the level up to 40°C, a criterion thermal engineering calculation of the forced air-cooling of the corridor assembly of 405 battery cells ensuring the required heat dissipation is performed.

Special attention is paid to the discussion and analysis of experimental studies and design recommendations for heat transfer of the compressed corridor beams. It seems that the intensity of the heat transfer from the batteries of the studied layout to the air is most representative of the dependence proposed by the group of A.A. Zhukauskas. Its reliability is stipulated by the fact that the dependence was obtained by generalizing both the results of the group’s own experiments and those of other beam researchers as close as possible to the analyzed one. It covers the compressed range of numbers Re ~ (10⁴...2·10⁵), and computed number Re is in the Central region of this range. It is shown that relatively high values of the heat transfer rate [240 W/(m²K)] are being ensured under the turbulent flow conditions.

Based on an analysis of the steady-state stationary heat-removal mode, a conclusion was made that an the flow of 3.6·10^–2 kg/s ensures the temperature gradient, sufficient for the lithium-ion battery cooling.

Keywords:

forced convection, air cooling, lithium-ion battery, electric car, heat transfer of the tight tube bundle

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