Enhanced thermal management performance of phase change materials with fin structures under mechanical vibration conditions

This research developed a composite thermal management system by combining phase change materials (PCM) with fins to enhance the cooling performance of a cylindrical single lithium-ion battery. A thermal simulation model was used to evaluate the system under both non-vibrating and vibrating conditions, with PCM thickness set at 12 mm and mechanical vibrations characterized by an amplitude of 10 mm and a frequency of 50 Hz. Various fin configurations, including rectangular, triangular, T-shaped, trapezoidal, and I-shaped fins, with counts of 4, 6, 8, and 10, were analyzed. The results showed that the PCM-fin system significantly reduced the maximum battery temperature by up to 15.3 % and the maximum temperature difference by up to 42.8 % compared to PCM alone. Under non-vibrating conditions, the I-shaped fins provided the best cooling performance, with 8 fins identified as the optimal configuration, achieving a maximum temperature of 316.2 K and a maximum temperature difference of 3.8 K. When mechanical vibration was introduced, the system's performance improved further, with the maximum temperature reduced by an additional 6.5 % and the temperature difference by 18.7 %. Under vibrating conditions, 4 I-shaped fins were determined to be the optimal configuration, balancing cooling performance, production cost, and weight. These findings provide valuable insights for the design of efficient battery thermal management systems.