Numerical Analysis of Cooling Performance Based on Flow Characteristics of Electric Vehicle Battery Cooling Plates

The performance of lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles is significantly affected by temperature. To ensure battery stability and extend its lifespan, an effective cooling system must be developed for heat dissipation. Therefore, researchers are focusing on liquid-cooled systems that use fluids with higher thermal conductivities compared with conventional air-cooling systems. However, studies regarding the flow shapes of crucial cooling plates in indirect liquid-cooling systems are scarce. In this study, the optimal flow shape of cooling plates with high cooling performance for dissipating heat generated during battery charging and discharging is determined. Four models with different structural features are analyzed via computational fluid dynamics simulations and then validated experimentally. Model 1, which features a small stagnation region, exhibits better cooling performance compared with Model 2, which features smoother curved flow paths. Models with large stagnant regions demonstrate inferior cooling performance, which is attributed to the effect of heat absorption, based on the residence time of the coolant in the cooling plate. Improvement in cooling efficiency is confirmed, which implies the feasibility of applying the model to enhance the performance of electric vehicles in the future.