Improved Cooling Performance by Staggered Cell Arrangement of Lithium-ion Battery Pack

Lithium-ion batteries are being applied to transportation vehicles because of their advantages of being environmentally friendly and having a high energy density and low self-discharge. However, the life span and durability of lithium-ion batteries can be shortened due to their direct relationship with increases in temperature. Therefore, a technology that can efficiently cool a battery pack is critical. In this study, heat generation is obtained from a discharge experiment with single-cell 18650 lithium-ion batteries (1C, 2C, 3C, 4C). The relationship between the cell arrangement and cooling performance based on the air flow rate is simulated using the method of three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics when applying the heat generation to the battery pack. The results show that the cooling performances can be compared and predicted in a staggered and rectangular arrangement when varying the cooling air flow rate.