Experimental investigation of the thermal management system of a battery pack using a thermoelectric air-cooling module

In this paper, the temperature response of a lithium-ion type 18650 battery pack cooled by a thermoelectric air-cooling module is presented. The effects of the airflow rate, on-off cooling fan position, charging and discharging rate and cooling by the thermoelectric air-cooling module are investigated. The charging and discharging procedures with different current rates of 2 A (0.06 C), 3 A (0.09 C), and 4 A (0.12 C) are investigated. The results showed that different test conditions of the thermoelectric air-cooling module have a substantial effect on the temperature of the battery pack. It was demonstrated that a thermoelectric air-cooling module has a decreased battery temperature of lower than 40 degrees C. The operating conditions of the cooling fans have a substantial effect on battery temperature. The experiment in which all the cooling fans are turned on shows a higher cooling capacity than natural air cooling by approximately 16%-57%. However, when setting the on-off position of the fans that are installed in different positions, the cooling capacity when the fans at the inlet and thermoelectric cooling heat sink are turned on and the fan at the outlet battery pack is turned off is slightly less than that when all the cooling fans are turned on by approximately 25%-57%. Therefore, it can be selected as an optimum for cooling the battery pack due to less power consumption and noise issues. The proposed research can be implemented as a guideline for the cooling system of energy storage, such as small electric vehicle platforms, ground batteries, and solar energy storage.