Experimental Study on the Thermal Management Performance of Lithium-Ion Battery Using Phase-Change Material at Various Ambient Temperatures

The implementation of a battery thermal management system (BTMS) is crucial to ensuring the optimal functioning of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) within an appropriate temperature range. In this study, BTMS with a combination of paraffin wax (PA), expanded graphite, and copper foam (CF) is investigated. The impact of various optimization strategies on battery surface temperature and discharge capacity is investigated, and charging and discharging experiments are performed at different ambient temperature conditions. Moreover, the influence of copper foam arrangement on BTMS is studied. The experimental results demonstrate that PA/CF can lead to a significant battery surface temperature reduction of up to 11.7%. Compared with the side radial arrangement, the front tangential arrangement of closely attaching copper foam to the battery leads to improved results. However, the variation in arrangement has minimal impact on the surface temperature of the battery in extreme environmental conditions. Under low-temperature conditions, incorporating phase-change materials could produce insulating effects that supported maintaining battery capacity. In all, this study shows the potential of designing a high-performance BTMS and contributes to addressing heat accumulation and capacity attenuation during the use of LIBs. Herein, the impact of various optimization strategies on battery surface temperature and discharge capacity is delineated. The experimental results demonstrate that adding copper foam can significantly increase battery surface temperature by up to 11.7%. The front tangential arrangement of closely attaching copper foam to the battery leads to improved thermal management results.image (c) 2023 WILEY-VCH GmbH