A Parametric Study on a Thermoelectric-Integrated Battery Thermal Management System for Electric Vehicles: New Designs Utilizing Different Numbers of Thermoelectric Modules

The safety, lifespan, and performance of battery systems in electric vehicles directly depend on the implementation of an effective thermal management strategy. In this study, a novel lithium ion battery thermal management system integrated with a wavy cooling channel and different numbers of thermoelectric modules is proposed. CFD based numerical simulations were conducted at two ambient temperatures (298.15 K and 303.15 K) and three different thermoelectric temperatures (288.15 K, 293.15 K, and 298.15 K). Three configurations with 4, 6, and 8 thermoelectric modules were analyzed and compared with the conventional case without thermoelectrics. The lowest maximum battery temperature was obtained with the design employing 8 thermoelectric modules under the conditions of 298.15 K ambient temperature and 288.15 K thermoelectric temperature. It was found that integrating thermoelectrics into the battery thermal management system reduced the maximum battery temperature by up to 12.11 K and the maximum temperature difference by up to 5.83 K. Furthermore, maintaining the thermoelectric temperature approximately 5-10 K below the ambient temperature was identified as a critical design parameter to ensure both efficient cooling and thermal homogeneity. The use of different numbers of thermoelectric modules and the selection of appropriate operating temperatures were shown to play a decisive role in optimizing system performance.