Materials Today: Proceedings 72 (2023) 1543–1549

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Materials Today: Proceedings

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/matpr

Battery thermal management system based on PCM with addition of

nanoparticles
Govind Kadam a,⇑, Punit Kongi b
a
Department of Mechanical Engineering, COEP, Pune 411005, India
b
Automotive Research Association of India, Pune 410501, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: India, a country of over 295 million vehicles, witnessed an exponential rise in the number of electric vehi-
Available online 29 September 2022 cles mainly cars and bikes running on the Indian roads. As per the report by consulting firm RBSA
Advisors, India’s electric vehicle (EV) market is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate
Keywords: (CAGR) of 90 percent in this decade. For the development and success of the EV, the battery is the key
Battery cooling system component. But the fundamental problem with the battery is thermal management. As the temperature
Thermal management of the battery rises, performance and life degrade. This is main reason electric vehicle requires battery
Phase change material
thermal management system (BTMS). Different methods can be used for employing the BTMS like air, liq-
Paraffin
Graphene
uid, thermoelectric module and phase change material (PCM). Considering the Indian market PCM would
be the cost-effective solution for the battery problem. In this paper, with the help of graphene nanopar-
ticles thermal conductivity of paraffin increased and is used for the thermal management of the 12 cylin-
drical 18,650li-ion cells. A 3D model is created with the help of the SOLIDWORKS software. Then the
model is imported into ANSYS for thermal simulation. A thermal simulation is performed at the different
C rates like 1C, 2C, and 3C and for varying thicknesses like 1 mm, 3 mm, 5 mm, 7, mm and 9 mm of PCM
material around the periphery of the cells. The model is validated with the experimental results. As the
thickness of matrix PCM material around periphery of the 18,650li-ion cell increases, temperature drops
within the battery pack but at the same time the weight of battery pack increases. So to get the optimum
conditions for the battery pack we have to trade-off between maximum battery temperature and weight
of the battery pack.
Copyright Ó 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 2nd International Con-
ference and Exposition on Advances in Mechanical Engineering.

1. Introduction one of the best and most feasible solutions right now, unless the
advent of the technology to use the hydrogen for small vehicles.
The automobile sector has evolved significantly over the last (See Fig. 1. Fig. 2. Table 1. Table 2.).
centuries. The first few decades focused on the design of the vehi- Also, in the 21st century, increased environmental pollution
cle, in the next few decades on the efficiency of an automobile, awareness and global warming have made the automobile indus-
then comfort level of the vehicle, and now searching for the fuel try shift from the IC engine to zero-emission vehicles. Many two-
alternative to power the vehicle, because of the limited availability wheeler manufacturers are entering in EV market to capture
of the fossil fuels. In the coming century, the automobile will be opportunities in the EV segment. Though EV technology is develop-
transformed completely due to this limitation. In the last decade, ing rapidly, unfortunately, some EV accidents are mainly due to the
we are witnessing a major shift from the internal combustion vehi- thermal runaway condition of vehicles reported [5]. After failure
cle to the electric vehicle powered by different sources like fuel analysis of accidents, it happened due to an uncontrolled rise in
cells, hydrogen, batteries, or some other sources as the technology the battery temperature [5]. EVs powered by batteries have two
will advent. Among these electric vehicles powered by batteries is major issues to solve (i) Electrolytic explosion and (ii) Thermal run-
away [2]. These two problems can be solved by battery thermal
management system (BTMS). This is the main reason that every
⇑ Corresponding author. electric vehicle that runs on the batteries needs BTMS to control
E-mail address: [email protected] (G. Kadam).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2022.09.384
2214-7853/Copyright Ó 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 2nd International Conference and Exposition on Advances in Mechanical Engineering.
G. Kadam and P. Kongi Materials Today: Proceedings 72 (2023) 1543–1549

Table 1
Battery Specifications.

Parameters Unit Value

Cell type – Cylindrical LFP
Diameter of cylindrical cell mm 18
Length of cylindrical cell mm 65
Rated capacity Ah 2.7
Rated voltage V 3.7
Rated discharge energy Wh 9.99
Internal resistance ohms 0.025
Equivalent density kg/m3 2700
Volume m3 1.654*10–5
Equivalent specific heat J/kg-K 1282
Radial thermal conductivity W/m-K 0.9
Axial thermal conductivity W/m-k 25

Table 2
Properties of PCM.

Properties Unit Value

PCM Name – RT-58
Melting temperature K 331
Manufacturer (formula) K Rubitherm (CnH2nþ14)
Latent heat kJ/kg 179
Density of liquid kg/m 760
Density of solid kg/m3 900
Specific heat of liquid (Cpl) kJ/kg.K 2.4
Specific heat of solid (Cps) kJ/kg.K 1.8
Supercooling temperature K 327
Thermal conductivity of solid W/m.K 0.2

and SEI (Solid Electrolytic Interphase) layer formed around the

anode[3]. Batteries behave abnormally when the temperature of
batteries exceeds 60 °C. These effects were studied by Wright
et al. [4] Thermal cooling can be done in two ways. The first one
Fig. 1. Methodology Block Diagram. is by active cooling method, and another is passive cooling. Active
cooling requires auxiliary power from the vehicle, so it reduces the
efficiency of the vehicle. Considering the efficiency of the vehicle
the battery temperature to avoid catastrophic accidents. Tempera- type of the cooling system is very important. Zhao et al. discussed
ture is among many factors which dominate the performance of a different methods of battery cooling like (i) liquid cooling (ii) air
battery. Waldman et. Al studied the temperature–time-dependent cooling (iii) PCM [2]. Air cooling and liquid cooling require the
aging of the li-ion batteries [3]. They concluded that the below external power supply to run the components like compressors,
25 °C lithium plating occurs and above 25 °C cathode degeneration pumps, fans, etc. of systems which reduces the efficiency of the

Fig. 2. Block Diagram of Experimental Setup.

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G. Kadam and P. Kongi Materials Today: Proceedings 72 (2023) 1543–1549

vehicle and also requires a mass balancing of parts in the vehicle. A Table 4
liquid cooling system is used in the Tesla Model S with the serpen- Properties of Graphene.

tine structure to do thermal management of batteries. The liquid Properties Unit Value
used in Tesla Model S is glycol and water mixture. Career et al. Density kg/m3 2250
[1] studied the thermal cooling of batteries with help of propane Specific heat J/ kg.K 710
which is used as a fuel in the vehicle. In another research work, Thermal conductivity W/m.K 2000
Zareer et al. [1] investigated thermal cooling of batteries by hydro-
gen before entering into the engine. Yuqi Huang et al. developed
models of the lithium-ion battery to study the temperature distri- ing all these properties of the PCM, paraffin is one of the best mate-
bution of temperature within the battery pack and heat dissipation rials which can be used for this application [8]. But the problem
from the battery pack [6]. Weixiong et al. studied the PCM which with paraffin is the low thermal conductivity. Paraffin has very
has the property of flexibility depending on the temperature of low thermal conductivity. Thermal conductivity can be increased
the PCM [7]. in a number of ways like by the addition of the fins, encapsulation,
Over the last decade, lots of research work is going on the PCM metallic foam, and addition of the nanoparticles. In this study gra-
due to its properties like high latent heat, which is effective in phene nanoparticles were added to improve the thermal conduc-
absorbing the maximum temperature of batteries. Also, there are tivity and studied the temperature variation at different C-rates
several options available for PCM like capric acid, paraffin, fused [10]. Table 3 contains the properties of the copper [9].Table 4.
salt, hydrous salt, metal &alloy, metallic oxide, sugar alcohol, ali- Table 5..
phatic acid/alcohol, polyethylene glycol, and eutectic PCM. Paraffin
is one of the most promising materials as a PCM for EV due to its 2.3. Mathematical modelling
high heat-absorbing capacity, cheapness, easily available, and
environment-friendly. So in this work paraffin with the addition
of graphene is used as thermal storage to cool down battery pack.
This research work can solve the battery heating problem cost- Assumptions.
effectively.

Melting of the PCM is not assumed during the analysis.

2. Material and method
Ambient conditions are taken as an average value of the two
temperature conditions i.e. 273 K and 323 which is 308 K during
The methodology starts from the cell benchmarking and selec- the analysis.
tion of another parameter, CAD modelling, thermal simulation,
Initial battery pack temperature is assumed to be at the ambi-
experimentation, and finally validation of the simulation results ent condition
with the experimental data.
Radiation effect is neglected.

Rate of heat generation is constant and uniform throughout the
2.1. Battery details cell.

Boundaries conditions are mentioned in the table for different
The 18,650 lithium-ion cylindrical type cells were selected for C-rates.
this study considering the wide usage of this type of the cell in
Natural heat convection coefficient is assumed to be 10 W/m2.K
electric vehicle market and from the cost point of view. 3D CAD
model was prepared in SOLIDWORKS software by taking the
@ðqHÞ
dimension mentioned in the specifications. Then CAD model was ¼ Dð K þ DT Þ þ S ð1Þ
@t
converted into the IGES file type. This IGES file was used for the
transient thermal analysis in ANSYS software. H ¼ h þ DH ð2Þ

2.2. PCM matrix DH ¼ bH ð3Þ

Ideal PCM should have the thermodynamic properties like great @u

Q ¼ IðU  V Þ  IT: ð4Þ
thermal conductivity, per unit volume high latent heat of fusion as @t
well as high density, great specific heat and small volume changes
on phase change. PCM material should be non-corrosiveness, no @T
K ¼ hðT  Tabm:Þ ð5Þ
flammable. It should be chemically stable and should have good @x
dielectric properties. From an economic point of view, the PCM
should be available at a cheaper price in large quantities. Consider- @T @Tc
K ¼ Kc ð6Þ
@x @x
Where,
Table 3
Properties of Copper.
S = rate of heat generation.
DH = latent heat.
Properties Unit Value h = sensible heat.
Melting temperature K 1356 b = liquidfraction.
Thermal conductivity W/m.K 39.1 H = enthalpy.
Coefficient of thermal expansion 1/K 17.6*10–6 U = potential of open circuit.
Specific heat J/ kg.K 380
Density kg/m3 8940
V = potential of cell.
Electrical resistivity nO.m 17.1 In the background ANSYS gives the solution with the help of
Electrical conductivity MS/m 59.1 some numerical methods [11]. ANSYS also uses some governing
Poisson’s ratio – 0.33 equation to solve the problem. Equations (1) to (6) are energy
Young’s modulus Gpa 120
equations required for the analysis [11].Equation (1), 2 and 3 are
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G. Kadam and P. Kongi Materials Today: Proceedings 72 (2023) 1543–1549

Table 5
C-rate calculation.

C-rates Current (A) Resistance (ohm) The heat generated by Ohmic law in Watts = I2R Cylindrical cell volume (m3) Volumetric heat generation(W/m3)
-5
1C 10.8 0.025 0.27 1.654*10 10,217
2C 21.6 0.025 0.54 1.654*10-5 40,869
3C 32.4 0.025 0.81 1.654*10-5 73,564

used for the PCM. For direct contact between the cylindrical cell Figures no. 5, 6, and 7 are the plots between the time on the x-
and PCM equation (6) is used. For natural convection to the ambi- axis and average battery pack temperature for different discharge
ent air equation (5) is used. rates and different thicknesses of PCM around the cylindrical cell.
With the addition of the PCM material, there is a drop in battery
pack average temperature. There is a sudden drop in the tempera-
3. Experimental Setup ture for the 1 mm thickness of PCM as compared to the other cases.
Figures no. 5, is the plot between the time on the x-axis and
Thermal cooling of battery pack is done with help of paraffin as average battery pack temperature for 1C discharge rate and differ-
a PCM material is used. The thermal conductivity of paraffin is very ent thicknesses of PCM like without PCM, 1 mm, 3 mm, 5 mm,
low, to improve the thermal conductivity graphene nanoparticles 7 mm and 9 mm around the cylindrical cell. Total run time of
are added to the paraffin above its melting temperature. There is the analysis is 3600 s. The maximum temperature is around
a difference in the densities of the two materials, so there are 43 °C for the case of the no PCM around the periphery of the cylin-
chances that the graphene nanoparticles will settle down. That’s drical cell.
why the Solution is continuously stirred. A copper plate of 2 mm Figures no. 6, is the plot between the time on the x-axis and
thickness is cut, bent, drilled, and joined in the desired shape to average battery pack temperature for 2C discharge rate and differ-
form a cuboid of the given dimensions. Inside this copper cuboid ent thicknesses of PCM like without PCM, 1 mm, 3 mm, 5 mm,
paraffin with graphene is added to the molten state. Then Li-ion 7 mm and 9 mm around the cylindrical cell. Total run time of
18,650 battery was inserted into this matrix for thermal manage- the analysis is 1800 s. The maximum temperature is around
ment. To record the inside temperature of the PCM matrix one k- 54 °C for the case of the no PCM around the periphery of the cylin-
type thermocouple is inserted into the matrix. Another tempera- drical cell. Figures no. 7, is the plot between the time on the x-axis
ture sensor to measure the ambient temperature is used. Both and average battery pack temperature for 3C discharge rate and
thermocouples are connected to the Arduino Uno board to display different thicknesses of PCM like without PCM, 1 mm, 3 mm,
the temperature on the OLED screen. The experiment is done on 5 mm, 7 mm and 9 mm around the cylindrical cell. Total run time
the PCM matrix which has a 5 mm thickness around the cylindrical of the analysis is 1200 s. The maximum temperature is around
cell. 60 °C for the case of the no PCM around the periphery of the cylin-
drical cell for 1C, 2C and 3C, as we increase the thickness of the
PCM matrix, temperature drops increases. But at the same time
4. Result and discussions total weight of battery pack increases. Also as the run time of anal-
ysis increases average temperature vs time graphs diverges. This
This section includes the results of transient thermal analysis. indicates that effectiveness of the PCM matrix to reduce the tem-
The maximum temperature of the battery pack for different thick- perature is not increasing in the same proportion as the thickness.
nesses of the phase change material like 1 mm, 3 mm, 5 mm, Tables 6, tabulated the average temperature value with a dis-
7 mm, and 9 mm is compared with the battery pack without any charge rate of 1C, total percentage decrement in temperature and
application of the phase change material. Figs. 3 & 4 compares consecutive percentages in a decrease in battery pack temperature
the temperature profiles between the 5 mm thickness of phase for various cases of the thickness like 0 mm, 1 mm, 3 mm, 5 mm,
change material matrix and no phase change material matrix. From 7 mm, and 9 mm. There is maximum temperature drop for the
this figure, we can say maximum temperature is at battery pack 1 mm thickness of the PCM and after that temperature drop is
center for all cases and as the discharge rate increases temperature almost constant for each subsequent case. Tables 7, tabulated the
of the battery pack increases.(See Fig. 5. Fig. 6. Fig. 7.). average temperature at 2C discharge rate, total percentage

Fig. 3. (a) Without PCM @1C rate; (b) Without PCM @2C rate; (c) Without PCM @3C rate.

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G. Kadam and P. Kongi Materials Today: Proceedings 72 (2023) 1543–1549

Fig. 4. (a) PCM 5 mm @1C rate; (b) PCM 5 mm @2C rate; (c) PCM 5 mm @3C rate.

Fig. 5. Average Battery Pack Temp. vs Time @1C.

Fig. 6. Average Battery Pack Temp. vs Time @2C.

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G. Kadam and P. Kongi Materials Today: Proceedings 72 (2023) 1543–1549

Fig. 7. Average Battery Pack Temp. vs Time @3C.

Table 6 is maximum temperature drop for the 1 mm thickness of the PCM

Percentage decrease in temperature @1C. and after that maximum temperature drop is for the 5 mm thick-
PCM Avg. temp. % decrease in temp. w.r. Consecutive % decrease ness of the PCM matrix. For other cases the consecutive tempera-
thickness @1C t. 0 mm in temp. ture drops is almost constant. Tables 7, tabulated the average
0 mm 43.129 0 0 temperature at 3C discharge rate, total percentage decreases in
1 mm 41.37 4.078462 4.07846 temperature and consecutive percentages in a decrease in battery
3 mm 40.544 5.993647 1.99662 pack temperature for the different cases of the thickness like
5 mm 39.876 7.542489 1.64759
0 mm, 1 mm, 3 mm, 5 mm, 7 mm, and 9 mm. For the 1 mm and
7 mm 39.314 8.845556 1.40937
9 mm 38.855 9.909805 1.16752 3 mm thickness of the PCM matrix, there is maximum temperature
drop. One thing common in the entire three table is that as the
thickness of PCM matrix increases the effectiveness of the temper-
Table 7 ature drop decreases.(See Table 8.).
Percentage decrease in temperature @2C.

PCM Avg. temp. % decrease in temp. w.r. Consecutive % decrease

thickness @2C t. 0 mm in temp.
0 mm 54.813 0 0 5. Conclusion
1 mm 49.742 9.251455 9.25145
3 mm 48.368 11.75816 2.76225
This study shows that temperature variation of the battery pack
5 mm 46.893 14.44913 3.04954
7 mm 45.497 16.99597 2.97699 without phase change material matrix and with phase change
9 mm 44.357 19.07577 2.50566 material matrix with the varying thickness like 1 mm, 3 mm,
5 mm, 7 mm, and 9 mm of the phase change material matrix with
the addition of the graphene nanoparticles around the periphery of
the li-ion cylindrical cell 18650. With the increase of the thickness
Table 8 of the phase change material battery pack temperature drops but
Percentage decrease in temperature @3C. at the same time weight of the battery packs increases signifi-
PCM Avg. temp. % decrease in temp. w.r. Consecutive % decrease
cantly. We have to do the tradeoff between the temperature drops
thickness @3C t. 0 mm in temp. and the weight of the battery pack depending on the application.
The varying thickness of the PCM material according to the appli-
0 mm 60.479 0 0
1 mm 52.184 13.7155 13.7155 cation, battery pack capacity, and discharge rates will give the
3 mm 50.441 16.5975 3.3401 maximum benefit. Thermal conductivity can be improve by addi-
5 mm 49.383 18.34686 2.0975 tion of the metal foam in phase change material matrix. In case
7 mm 48.355 20.04663 2.08169
of a high temperature rise within the phase change material we
9 mm 47.03 22.23747 2.74015
can design a hybrid cooling system which may consist of either a
forced-air cooling system or thermoelectric module cooling system
decreases in temperature and consecutive percentages in a or both the system. Also, this method can solve the problem of the
decrease in battery pack temperature for the different cases of electric two-wheeler with a cost-effective solution considering the
thickness like 0 mm, 1 mm, 3 mm, 5 mm, 7 mm, and 9 mm. There Indian market.
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