Design, Development and Thermal Analysis of Reusable Li-Ion Battery Module for Future Mobile and Stationary Applications

open access articleThe performance, energy storage capacity, safety, and lifetime of lithium-ion battery cells of different chemistries are very sensitive to operating and environmental temperatures. The cells generate heat by current passing through their internal resistances, and chemical reactions can generate additional, sometimes uncontrollable, heat if the temperature within the cells reaches the trigger temperature. Therefore, a high-performance battery cooling system that maintains cells as close to the ideal temperature as possible is needed to enable the highest possible discharge current rates while still providing a sufficient safety margin. This paper presents a novel design, preliminary development, and results for an inexpensive reusable, liquid-cooled, modular, hexagonal battery module that may be suitable for some mobile and stationary applications that have high charge and or discharge rate requirements. The battery temperature rise was measured experimentally for a six parallel 18650 cylindrical cell demonstrator module over complete discharge cycles at discharge rates of 1C, 2C and 3C. The measured temperature rises at the hottest point in the cells, at the anode terminal, were found to be 6, 17 and 22 °C, respectively. The thermal resistance of the system was estimated to be below 0.2 K/W at a coolant flow rate of 0.001 Kg/s. The proposed liquid cooled module appeared to be an effective solution for maintaining cylindrical Li-ion cells close to their optimum working temperature

Towards Better Understanding of Failure Modes in Lithium-Ion Batteries: Design for Safety

In this digital age, energy storage technologies become more sophisticated and more widely used as we shift from traditional fossil fuel energy sources to renewable solutions. Specifically, consumer electronics devices and hybrid/electric vehicles demand better energy storage. Lithium-ion batteries have become a popular choice for meeting increased energy storage and power density needs. Like any energy solution, take for example the flammability of gasoline for automobiles, there are safety concerns surrounding the implications of failure. Although lithium-ion battery technology has existed for some time, the public interest in safety has become of higher concern with media stories reporting catastrophic cellular phone- and electric vehicle failures. Lithium-ion battery failure can be dangerously volatile. Because of this, battery electrochemical and thermal response is important to understand in order to improve safety when designing products that use lithium-ion chemistry. The implications of past and present understanding of multi-physics relationships inside a lithium-ion cell allow for the study of variables impacting cell response when designing new battery packs. Specifically, state-of-the-art design tools and models incorporate battery condition monitoring, charge balancing, safety checks, and thermal management by estimation of the state of charge, state of health, and internal electrochemical parameters. The parameters are well understood for healthy batteries and more recently for aging batteries, but not for physically damaged cells. Combining multi-physics and multi-scale modeling, a framework for isolating individual parameters to understand the impact of physical damage is developed in this work. The individual parameter isolated is the porosity of the separator, a critical component of the cell. This provides a powerful design tool for researchers and OEM engineers alike. This work is a partnership between a battery OEM (Johnson Controls, Inc.), a Computer Aided Engineering tool maker (ANSYS, Inc.), and a university laboratory (Advanced Manufacturing and Design Lab, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee). This work aims at bridging the gap between industry and academia by using a computer aided engineering (CAE) platform to focus battery design for safety

Electro-thermal optimization of an energy storage sytem based on Li-Ion batteries

Advances in the field of energy have contributed significantly to the development of our society. The increase of the energy consumption joined to the possible extinction of fossil fuels requires finding the maximum efficiency possible in all the applications, and demands alternative energy sources, for instance renewable ones, to support this consumption. Besides, energy storage systems are considered another solution, due to the possibility of storing energy during low consumption periods and release it during maximum demand ones. This work will focus on energy storage systems based on electrochemical devices, particularly in lithium-ion batteries, which are presented as a suitable alternative for power applications due to their high energy density and large cycle life. However, these batteries are very sensitive to their working temperature because it affects their performance and reduces their cycle life. With this scenario, this thesis is oriented to the electro-thermal optimization of lithium ion battery based energy storage systems with the target of maximizing their cycle life taking advantage of their optimum performance.Energiaren arloan izandako aurrerapenek gure gizartearen garapenean izugarri lagundu dute. Energi kontsumoaren igoera eta erregai fosilen desagerpena direla eta gaur egungo erronka nagusia sistemen efizientzia energetikoan eta ordezko energia iturrien bilaketan datza. Bestalde, energia metatzeko sistemak agertzen dira kontsumo hauei aurre egiteko aukera modura, eguneko kontsumoak bajuak direnean energia metatu ahal dutelako, eta kontsumoak maximoak direnean entregatzeko. Lan hau energia metatzeko sistema elektrokimikoetan oinarritzen da, konkretuki litio-ioiez osatutako baterietan, beraien energia dentsitate altua eta bizitza luzea egokiak baitira potentzia aplikazioetan erabiltzeko. Hala ere, tenperaturak influentzia inportantea dauka bateria hauen errendimenduan eta bizitzan. Beraz, tesi hau litio-ioiez osatutako energia metatze sistemetan eta hauen optimizazio elektro-termikoan oinarritzen da, beraien bizitza ahalik eta gehien luzatzeko helburuarekin.Los avances en el ámbito de la energía han contribuido notablemente al desarrollo de nuestra sociedad. El incremento del consumo energético unido a la posible extinción de los combustibles fósiles obliga a buscar la máxima eficiencia energética en todas las aplicaciones además de exigir fuentes de energía alternativas, como pueden ser las renovables, para abastecer estos consumos. Además, existen otras soluciones como los sistemas de almacenamiento de energía que permitirían almacenar energía durante momentos de bajo consumo energético, y entregarla durante los momentos de máximo consumo. Este trabajo se centra en los sistemas de almacenamiento basados en células electroquímicas, concretamente en las baterías de litio, ya que su alta densidad de energía y su vida útil las hace adecuadas para aplicaciones de potencia. Sin embargo, la temperatura de trabajo es un factor clave ya que influye en las prestaciones de este tipo de batería y además afecta a su envejecimiento. Por tanto, esta tesis se centra en la optimización electro-térmica de sistemas de almacenamiento basados en baterías de litio con el fin de alargar la vida útil de los mismos aprovechando al máximo sus prestaciones

Global sensitivity analysis of the single particle lithium-ion battery model with electrolyte

The importance of global sensitivity analysis (GSA) has been well established in many scientific areas. However, despite its critical role in evaluating a model’s plausibility and relevance, most lithium ion battery models are published without any sensitivity analysis. In order to improve the lifetime performance of battery packs, researchers are investigating the application of physics based electrochemical models, such as the single particle model with electrolyte (SPMe). This is a challenging research area from both the parameter estimation and modelling perspective. One key challenge is the number of unknown parameters: the SPMe contains 31 parameters, many of which are themselves non-linear functions of other parameters. As such, relatively few authors have tackled this parameter estimation problem. This is exacerbated because there are no GSAs of the SPMe which have been published previously. This article addresses this gap in the literature and identifies the most sensitive parameter, preventing time being wasted on refining parameters which the output is insensitive to

Thermal Simulation of Phase Change Material for Cooling of a Lithium-Ion Battery Pack

A new heat transfer enhancement approach was proposed for the cooling system of lithium-ion batteries. A three-dimensional numerical simulation of the passive thermal management system for a battery pack was accomplished by employing ANSYS Fluent (Canonsburg, PA, USA). Phase change material was used for the thermal management of lithium-ion battery modules and as the heat transmission source to decrease battery temperature in fast charging and discharge conditions. Constant current charge and discharge were applied to lithium-ion battery modules. In the experimental part of the research, an isothermal battery calorimeter was used to determine the heat dissipation of lithium-ion batteries. Thermal performance was simulated for the presence of phase change material composites. Simulation outcomes demonstrate that phase change material cooling considerably decreases the lithium-ion battery temperature increase during fast charging and discharging conditions use. The greatest temperature at the end of 9 C, 7 C, 5 C, and 3 C charges and discharges were approximately 49.7, 44.6, 38.4, and 33.1 °C, respectively, demonstrating satisfactory performance in lithium-ion battery thermal homogeneity of the passive thermal management system

A 3D Framework for Characterizing Microstructure Evolution of Li-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries are commonly found in many modern consumer devices, ranging from portable computers and mobile phones to hybrid- and fully-electric vehicles. While improving efficiencies and increasing reliabilities are of critical importance for increasing market adoption of the technology, research on these topics is, to date, largely restricted to empirical observations and computational simulations. In the present study, it is proposed to use the modern technique of X-ray microscopy to characterize a sample of commercial 18650 cylindrical Li-ion batteries in both their pristine and aged states. By coupling this approach with 3D and 4D data analysis techniques, the present study aimed to create a research framework for characterizing the microstructure evolution leading to capacity fade in a commercial battery. The results indicated the unique capabilities of the microscopy technique to observe the evolution of these batteries under aging conditions, successfully developing a workflow for future research studies