Contact mode analyses of phase change material and liquid cooling channels with batteries in hybrid battery thermal management system

Hybrid battery thermal management system (BTMS) coupling phase change material (PCM) with liquid cooling channels (LCCs) is promising for battery temperature control. However, the contact modes of PCM and LCC with the batteries are critical for battery thermal management but they are rarely studied. In this work, three contact modes of PCM and LCCs with batteries are studied, where only PCM directly contact with batteries in Type 1, PCM and LCCs contact with batteries alternatively in Type 2, while PCM and LCCs contact with batteries separately in Type 3. Merits and demerits of the different contact modes are systematically analyzed. Insertion of ultrathin PCM layer between LCCs and batteries is proposed to alleviate the temperature non-uniformity resulted from low temperature zone at battery and channel interface in Type 2 and 3. The improved BTMSs with suitable PCM layer thickness (0.2 mm) could control T_max and ∆T_max at 36.12 °C and 2.91 °C in Type 2 and 36.09 °C and 3.19 °C in Type 3 even under a high discharge rate of 5C. Environmental adaptabilities of the hybrid BTMSs are also compared under various ambient temperatures and convection conditions. The results highlight the significance of hybrid BTMS, especially in the design of improved Type 2 with ultrathin PCM layer, for the development of advanced cooling systems.