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Thermal management is critical for lithium-ion battery efficiency in electric vehicles, as high temperatures accelerate aging, reduce power, and pose safety risks. This study investigates the use of phase change materials (PCM) combined with metal foams (AlSi10Mg, 316 L stainless steel, and CuCr1Zr) to enhance battery heat dissipation. Using ANSYS Fluent, numerical simulations were conducted to analyze the melting process, temperature distribution, and flow dynamics at a 4C discharge rate (10,000 mA) with a heat generation rate of 252,668 W/m 3 . Among the investigated materials, CuCr1Zr foam, owing to its high thermal conductivity (310–340 W/m·K), reduces battery temperature by 15% compared to pure PCM and achieves a PCM liquid fraction of nearly 90% at 3600 s. AlSi10Mg (111–260 W/m·K) and 316 L stainless steel (16.3–21.5 W/m·K) enhance cooling but are less effective. The CuCr1Zr–PCM composite generates convective flow intensities 2–3 times higher than those observed in pure PCM, thereby promoting enhanced heat transfer. Furthermore, the optimized Nusselt number and increased heat flux obtained with CuCr1Zr confirm its superior thermal performance. The CuCr1Zr-PCM composite demonstrates strong potential for electric vehicle battery thermal management, improving PCM melting, temperature uniformity, and safety, addressing thermal management challenges associated with high-rate battery operation.
Dibi et al. (Wed,) studied this question.