Experimental investigation of lithium-ion battery cells for model-based thermal management systems

Thermal management is one of the most investigated features of modern energy storage systems, especially in automotive applications. The design of a battery pack in an electric vehicle requires accurate knowledge of the electric and thermal behavior of every single component. This work presents experimental measurements and numerical analysis for the simulation of the electro-thermal status of a battery cooled utilizing either natural convection or direct liquid cooling. The effect of different discharging currents, and ambient temperature has been experimentally investigated in natural convection, then a multidomain model has been validated with the measurements and used to simulate the battery-electric and thermal status with liquid cooling. The most critical condition is characterized by low temperature and high current. Results carried out evaluating the overall input/output energy balance have highlighted that the battery performance at low temperatures is improved using low current rates.