Development and analysis of materials for thermal management in a lithium-ion battery pack module

Lithium-ion cells have become the go-to energy source for both two-wheeler and four-wheeler transportation systems. Their performance hinges on various factors, including discharge and charge rates, temperature, and the cooling system in use. Ensuring effective thermal management for these cells is crucial in an electric vehicle’s battery pack. In our study, we utilized graphene nanoparticles combined with paraffin wax as phase transition materials to engineer the battery pack’s thermal management system. Leveraging the significant heat storage capability of phase change material (PCM) and the exceptional thermal conductivity of graphene, the composite phase change material (C-PCM) based battery thermal management system (BTMS) proves beneficial and efficient for two-wheeler battery packs. A 3S4P 21700 lithium-ion battery module is analyzed through numerical simulations to evaluate thermal performance with varying C-PCM thicknesses: 0 mm, 1 mm, 5 mm, and 10 mm. The results indicated that a thickness of 5 mm for the C-PCM is the optimal selection. Experiment results show that the liquid thermal conductivity of 100 gm of CR-55 with 0 gm, 1 gm, 5 gm, and 10 gm of nanoparticles is 0.175 W/m K, 0.211 W/m K, 0.244 W/m K, and 0.376 W/m K, respectively. As a result, the entire cell population of the battery module runs in a stable manner. The trials’ findings revealed that battery thermal management with paraffin and graphene nanoparticles linked provided increased cooling and performance.