Vibration-assisted active and passive collaborative cooling thermal management system: Performance study of thermoelectric cooling and phase change materials to enhance thermal stability of lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

A hybrid battery thermal management system (BTMS) combining passive phase change materials (PCM) and active thermoelectric cooling (TEC) is proposed to address the thermal management requirements of lithium-ion batteries under high ambient temperatures and dynamic operating conditions. A transient thermal-electrical-fluid multi-physics simulation model is developed, and the dynamic effects of vibration on the coupled heat transfer mechanism of PCM-TEC BTMS are investigated for the first time. The most critical findings indicate that: (1) after introducing TEC, compared to the pure PCM system, the maximum battery temperature is reduced by 6.97 K. Furthermore, as the TEC hot-end dissipation capability increases, the cooling effect of the BTMS improves. (2) Optimal cooling and latent heat recovery capacity are achieved when the TEC device is installed at the bottom side of the system and operates at a current of 1.5 A. (3) Mechanical vibration enhances natural convection heat transfer, and increasing vibration amplitude further improves BTMS heat transfer capability and enhances thermal uniformity. At a 60 mm amplitude, the maximum temperature rise and temperature differential drop by 42.32 % and 3.98 % at the conclusion of the battery discharge. (4) The effect of vibration frequency on the BTMS is not monotonic; the vibration frequency exceeds 30 Hz, the battery temperature exhibits a peak. At a vibration frequency of 70 Hz, the maximum temperature rise of the battery decreases by 39.08 %. This study provides theoretical direction for the optimization and implementation of PCM-TEC coupled BTMS.