Simulation Study of Using Refrigerant for Thermal Management of EV Battery Pack

Abstract

Battery Thermal Management system (BTMS) is critical in achieving performance and extended life of batteries in electric vehicle (EV) under real driving conditions. In this work, the impact of cooling strategies using liquid which is water and refrigerant (R134-A) were investigated. Liquid cooling system are more effective in heat transfer and take up less volume than air cooling system. A cooling system of battery which efficiently cools a high voltage battery is mounted in an electric vehicle is necessary to maintain the battery performance. The cooling system can be done by using a refrigerant cycle of an air-conditioning system which is provided with an electric compressor outside heat exchanger and control device. Appropriate modeling for predicting thermal behavior of battery system in vehicles help to make decision for improved design and shorten the development process. Results of Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) Fluent model simulation implied that 3D cell model are important for the improved prediction of battery thermal behaviors. The better and suitable cooling system was chosen by making comparison between the water cooling system and R134-A cooling system based on the maximum temperature of the battery pack.