Numerical simulation of finned battery casing for enhanced thermal management in electric vehicles

The growing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) has heightened the need for efficient battery thermal management systems to ensure battery safety, performance, and longevity. This study analyses the irregular fin performance for enhancing heat dissipation from EV battery casings. Unlike conventional studies, the present work uses irregular fins to promote turbulence and convective heat transfer. The simulations were performed using Ansys Fluent under steady-state conditions for 4 configurations subjected to airflow velocities between 0.08 and 0.3 m. s −1 . The results indicate that raising velocity increases cooling performance, with 0.3 m. s⁻¹ providing the maximum temperature reduction. Among the investigated cases, the irregular fin design achieved the best thermal performance, reducing the surface temperature to 20.928 °C compared to 23 °C for the finless case. It enhances turbulence, with turbulent kinetic energy and eddy viscosity increasing to 0.995 m². s⁻¹ and 0.110 kg. m⁻¹. s⁻¹, respectively. In addition, the heat flux distribution indicates improved heat dissipation behavior compared to conventional fins. The results demonstrate that irregular fin geometries significantly improve battery cooling efficiency and offer a promising thermal management solution for EV battery casing applications.