Augmentation of multi-stage Tesla valve design cold plate with reverse flow to enhance thermal management of pouch batteries

With the active promotion of the green energy vehicle sector in recent years, electric vehicles have garnered widespread attention as their future direction. The operating temperature substantially influences the functioning of power batteries, as being one of the key components of electric vehicles. Battery thermal management is vital for improving electric vehicles' performance and durability. Concerning this, a novel 4-channelled liquid cooling plate with reverse flow multi-stage Tesla valve (MSTV) design developed in our previous work is further analysed to effectively manage an undesirable temperature distribution in a cell. The effects of structural parameters, including channel width, outer curve radius, and valve angle, are investigated numerically for a wide range of Reynolds number by applying heat flux on the cooling plate's upper and lower surfaces using COMSOL Multiphysics software. Results indicate that a large channel width, a large outer curve radius, and a small valve angle in MSTV can effectively reduce peak temperature rise of a standard 20Ah pouch li-ion battery of 160 mm x 227 mm x 7.25 mm dimension. Alongside, the variation in pressure drop is minimal with the increase of outer curve radius and valve angle except for the channel width for a given Reynolds number. & COPY; 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.