Transient Thermal Analysis of a Li-Ion Battery Module for Electric Cars Based on Various Cooling Fan Arrangements

This paper presents a three-dimensional modeling approach to simulate the thermal performance of a Li-ion battery module for a new urban car. A single-battery cell and a 52.3 Ah Li-ion battery module were considered, and a Newman, Tiedemann, Gu, and Kim (NTGK) model was adopted for the electrochemical modeling based on input parameters from the discharge experiment. A thermal–electrochemical coupled method was established to provide insight into the temperature variations over time under various discharge conditions. The distribution temperature of a single-battery cell was predicted accurately. Additionally, in a 5C discharge condition without a cooling system, the temperature of the battery module reached 114 °C, and the temperature difference increased to 25 °C under a 5C discharging condition. This condition led to the activation of thermal runaway and the possibility of an explosion. However, the application of a reasonable fan circulation and position reduced the maximum temperature to 49.7 °C under the 5C discharge condition. Moreover, accurate prediction of the temperature difference between cell areas during operation allowed for a clear understanding and design of an appropriate fan system.