Experimental Study on Thermal Management of Nano Enhanced Phase Change Material Integrated Battery Pack

Abstract

In recent years, lithium-ion batteries have grown in popularity. Because of their extended cycle life and high energy density. A hexagon-shaped 18650 lithium-ion cylindrical cell battery pack was created using paraffin wax (PA) as a Phase change material (PCM) and nano-enhanced phase change material (Ne-PCM). However, the PCM's low thermal conductivity is a main challenge to the improvement of electrical vehicles (EVs). The highest temperature in the cylindrical cell battery pack is attained in the mid-region, resulting in an uneven temperature distribution across the cells. In order to overcome the constraints and achieve efficient battery module performance, phase change with nanomaterials was placed in the center of four cells using graphene platelet nano powder (GPN), multi-wall carbon nano tubes (MWCNTs), and graphite-synthetic powder (GSP). Studies on the battery module were conducted without, with PCM, and Ne-PCM cooling. The investigation found that the battery pack with Ne-PCM performed well by keeping the temperature under 50 °C at different discharge rates of 1C, 2C, and 3C and maintaining a uniform temperature variation within cells. Ne-PCM decreases the temperature differential between the modules at 1, 2, and 3 C discharge rates by 85.49, 91.47, and 84.21%, respectively, in comparison to PCM.