Improving the Thermal Performance of PCM-based Battery Thermal Management System Applied in Green Vehicles

The utilization of Lithium ion batteries as the energy source of green vehicles has caused some tough challenges. The batteries generate a significant amount of heat which can reduce the calendar life and cyclic life of the battery if it is not removed out of the battery pack. Automotive engineers have developed some systems whose roles are to remove the heat generated and to cool the battery down. Those systems are technically called battery thermal management systems (BTMSs) and are categorized as the active, the passive and the hybrid ones. In the current investigation, the passive battery thermal management system based on PCM, its most important weaknesses and two possible ways to mitigate the drawbacks are illustrated in detail. The two methods are the application of an active BTMS to prevent PCM entire liquefaction and application of extended surfaces (fins) to help the PCM melt more uniformly while absorbing the generated heat.