Design of a PCM-based thermal management system for cylindrical Li-ion battery using topology optimization

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) offer a promising solution for Li-ion battery thermal management systems (BTMS) due to their ability to store and release latent heat. However, their low thermal conductivity necessitates the integration of Thermal Conductivity Enhancers (TCEs) to improve heat dissipation. This study employs topology optimization to design optimal TCE structures within a PCM-based cylindrical Li- ion BTMS. Topology optimization is performed using the Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization (SIMP) method within a steady-state heat conduction model, with the objective of minimizing temperature variance in the PCM domain. Parametric studies are conducted to assess the impact of key BTMS parameters on the optimized structures, followed by a detailed thermal performance comparison for each case. To evaluate the effectiveness of the optimized designs, a transient numerical analysis is performed using COMSOL, comparing the topology-optimized design with three benchmark designs from the literature. The results demonstrate that topology-optimized structures achieve significant improvements, with cell temperature reductions of up to 4.9 degrees C, more uniform PCM melting, and uniform temperature distribution throughout the PCM domain. These findings confirm that topology-optimized structures achieve superior thermal performance compared to conventional fin designs. Further, this study provides valuable insights into the application of topology optimization for Li-ion battery thermal management, highlighting its potential to enhance battery performance and efficiency.