Thermal management of lithium-ion batteries using Kraft paper honeycomb wall based novel cooling system for electric vehicles- An experimental investigation

Lithium-ion batteries widely used for electric vehicles encounter challenges associated with thermal management. The thermal cycling process induces chemical reactions that result in the deposition of lithium metal on the anode surface and subsequent electrode degradation. In severe cases, these reactions can escalate to thermal runaway. Therefore, the implementation of an efficient Battery Thermal Management System (BTMS) is vital to prevent overheating and degradation of the batteries. Various passive and active techniques have been proposed and implemented for BTMS, such as Phase Change Material (PCM) cooling, forced air cooling, evaporative and water cooling. In this study, a novel BTMS comprising a honeycomb wall pad and evaporative cooling has been experimentally evaluated. The honeycomb pad is made of cellulose Kraft paper which acts as a medium for water evaporation and thermal insulator. The thermal performance of an 8-cell lithium-ion battery pack with a capacity of 6000 mAh has been analyzed at 2.5C, and 3C discharge rates under different air flow rates, with and without evaporative cooling modes. It has been observed that during evaporative cooling, the temperature of the battery pack reduced by 39.27 % at 2.31 Cubic Feet Per Minute (CFM), 35.02 % at 0.98 CFM, and 36.86 % at 1.48 CFM, respectively. The proposed technique, based on a simple structure, environmentally friendly nature, low maintenance cost, and promising performance, emerges as a compelling option among other BTMS solutions.