Comparative Thermal Analysis of Single and Double Channel Cold Plates for LiFePO4 Battery Modules

Mohamad Yamin; Aldi Gufroni

doi:10.56741/IISTR.esl.002023

Authors

Mohamad Yamin
mohay@staff.gunadarma.ac.id
Gunadarma University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9694-8263
Aldi Gufroni Gunadarma University

Keywords:

CFD, Cold Plate, Electric Vehicle, LiFePO4, Parallel Channel

Abstract

Li-ion batteries provide many advantages and are essential components of energy-storage systems for electric automobiles. A crucial aspect of battery operation is the maintenance of optimal temperature levels, which necessitate the implementation of a robust battery thermal management system. This study assessed the efficacy of two cold-plate configurations, a single parallel channel and a double parallel channel, in regulating the temperature of a 7 Ah LiFePO4 battery module comprising of three cells. Employing ANSYS 2023 R1 Academic License, a numerical analysis was performed to evaluate their performance. A battery discharge rate of 5C was used to investigate the changes in the mass flow rates ranging from 0.001 to 0.005 kg/s. The cooling fluid and ambient temperatures were maintained at 25°C. This study shows that double parallel-channel cold plates can be more effective than single parallel-channel cold plates in reducing battery module temperatures. Additionally, the use of double parallel-channel cold plates can result in a lower cooling fluid pressure drop. In addition, the cooling fluid used in the double parallel channel cold plate had a lower heat-transfer coefficient and Nusselt number.

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Author Biographies

Mohamad Yamin, Gunadarma University

is the Center for Automotive Research Head at Gunadarma University, Jakarta, Indonesia. He received his undergraduate degree in Aeronautics from Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia (1993), and his doctorate (2003) in Aerodynamics from the Institute fuer Luft—und Rumfahrttechnik, TU-Berlin, Germany. His research interests include Computational Fluid Dynamics, Aerodynamics, Battery Thermal Management Systems, Electric Vehicles, and Machine Learning.

Aldi Gufroni, Gunadarma University

was born in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2000. He received his S.T. and M.T. degrees in mechanical engineering from Gunadarma University, Depok, in 2024. Since 2020 he has served as Laboratory Assistant at the Energy Conversion and Mechatronics Laboratory at Gunadarma University. His research interests include cooling systems and energy conversion.

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