Investigating Thermal Control Methods for Lithium-Based Batteries Utilizing Metal Foams Saturated with Air

Lithium-based battery packs consist of numerous battery cells which form an essential component of electric vehicles. Inadequate heat transfer creates various challenges to safety issues in these batteries. Hence, assessment of the thermal performance of battery packs is an integral part of the design phase. In this study, a numerical approach of the system is implemented using a three-dimensional cylindrical model of a lithium Manganese dioxide battery cell. The model incorporates the application of the metal foam of different geometrical parameters saturated with air for the thermal cooling of batteries. The model considers the cooling phenomenon during discharge process of a cell with a Crate of 1C respectively. The change in internal resistance of the cell with temperature during the process is estimated using the Generalized Reduced Gradient (GRG) algorithm. The system is considered to be adiabatic by maintaining a flow of liquid through convective tubes, to maintain a constant temperature. The Battery Thermal Management System design is proposed using the Ansys-Fluent software assuming finite volume analysis. The results are analyzed in terms of the maximum battery temperature attained and with the maximum surface temperature of the battery and the metal foams acquired during the process.