Exploring the potential of various nanofluids for thermal management of a lithium-ion battery

As favorable energy storage devices, lithium-ion batteries have always required effective cooling and thermal management. This study attempts to compare the capability of eight types of nanofluids as liquid coolants for 14.6 Ah lithium-ion battery systems. To achieve this goal, a set of 3D numerical simulations is conducted to evaluate the effect of key parameters, including eight nanofluids with different volume fractions, convective heat transfer coefficient, and ambient temperature, on the maximum temperature, temperature deviation, performance of LIB, and pumping power consumption. Results indicate that in comparison to the LIB without liquid cooling, utilizing various nanofluids leads to keeping the maximum temperature of LIB within the safe operating temperature range and decreases the maximum temperature of LIB by 26.46 K (from "321.69 '' K to "295.23 '' K). It is also shown that augmenting the convective heat transfer coefficient and volume fraction of the nanofluids can decrease the maximum temperature by 0.22 K and 0.09 K, respectively, and also reduce the temperature deviation by 14.71 % and 2.98 %, leading to an improvement in the lifespan and operation of LIBs. Furthermore, among the eight types of nanofluids, the Graphene/Water nanofluid can be a suitable candidate as a liquid coolant from the standpoint of pumping power consumption, potential, and temperature uniformity of LIB.