Experimental and theoretical investigations of heat generation rates for a water cooled LiFePO4 battery

The final publication is available at Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2016.05.126 © 2016. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Understanding the rate of heat generation in a lithium-ion cell is critical for its safety and performance behavior. This paper presents in situ measurements of the heat generation rate for a prismatic Lithium-ion battery at 1C, 2C, 3C and 4C discharge rates and 5°C, 15°C, 25°C, and 35°C boundary conditions (BCs). For this work, an aluminum-laminated battery consisting of LiFePO4 cathode material with 20Ah capacity was adopted to investigate the variation of the rate of heat generation as a function of the discharge capacity. Ten thermocouples and three heat flux sensors were applied to the battery surface at distributed locations. The results of this study show that the highest rate of heat generation was found to be 91W for 4C discharge rate and 5°C BC while the minimum value was 13W measured at 1C discharge rate and 35°C BC. It was also found that the increase in discharge rate and thus the discharge current caused consistent increase in the heat generation rate for equal depth of discharge points. A model is later developed using the neural network approach and validated. The heat generation rate predicted by the model demonstrates an identical behavior with experimental results

Battery Efficiency Measurement for Electrical Vehicle and Smart Grid Applications Using Isothermal Calorimeter: Method, Design, Theory and Results

The chapter primarily explores the likelihood of heat measurement by means of the calorimeter in the lithium-ion battery cells for different applications. The presented focus applications are electrical vehicle and smart grid application. The efficiency parameter for battery cell is established using state of the art isothermal calorimeter by taking the consideration of heat related measurement. The calorimeter is principally used for the determination of the heat flux of the battery cell. The main target is to achieve the precision and accuracy of measurement of battery cell thermal performance. In this chapter, the assessment of battery efficiency parameter is proposed. A newly devised efficiency calculation methodology is projected and illustrated. The procedure ensures the precision an accurate measurement of heat flux measurement and turns into more comparable efficiency parameter. In addition, the issue is to investigate thermal sensitivity to factors that influence the energy storage system performance, i.e., current rate and temperature requirements. The results provide insight into the establishment of new key performance indicator (KPI) efficiency specification of the battery system. The usage of the calorimetric experiments is presented to predict the temperature distribution over a battery cell and an array of cells

Real-life comparison between diesel and electric car energy consumption

Vehicle electrification is one of the strategies with higher potential for increasing the efficiency of vehicle powertrains, reducing the dependency on dwindling fossil fuel sources and meeting stringent emissions targets set by policy makers. Despite all the theoretical assessments and manufacturer’s claimed efficiency and emissions records of current vehicles, there is a lack of data concerning real life comparisons of Electric Vehicles (EV) against Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) cars. A test program comparing the energy consumption of an EV and a diesel powered (ICE) car was carried out. Both short (at levelled ground and 6% up hill) and long distance tests were performed for several fixed vehicle speeds. Measurements enabling the assessment of average energy consumption, required power and energy suplied were performed for both vehicles. Results indicate that in terms of vehicle use (Tank to Wheel perspective) the electric powertrain is significantly more energy efficient than the Diesel powertrain, although the difference between the two is less pronounced for higher power events.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) - Project MOBI-MPP (MIT-Pt/EDAM-SMS/0030/2008), SFRH/BPD/51048/2010, SFRH/BPD/89553/2012MIT Portugal Program (EDAM), MOBI-MPP ProjectFEDER - Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade COMPET

Characterization and modeling of a hybrid electric vehicle lithium-ion battery pack at low temperatures

Although lithium-ion batteries have penetrated hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and pure electric vehicles (EVs), they suffer from significant power capability losses and reduced energy at low temperatures. To evaluate those losses and to make an efficient design, good models are required for system simulation. Subzero battery operation involves nonclassical thermal behavior. Consequently, simple electrical models are not sufficient to predict bad performance or damage to systems involving batteries at subzero temperatures. This paper presents the development of an electrical and thermal model of an HEV lithium-ion battery pack. This model has been developed with MATLAB/Simulink to investigate the output characteristics of lithium-ion batteries over the selected operating range of currents and battery capacities. In addition, a thermal modeling method has been developed for this model so that it can predict the battery core and crust temperature by including the effect of internal resistance. First, various discharge tests on one cell are carried out, and then, cell's parameters and thermal characteristics are obtained. The single-cell model proposed is shown to be accurate by analyzing the simulation data and test results. Next, real working conditions tests are performed, and simulation calculations on one cell are presented. In the end, the simulation results of a battery pack under HEV driving cycle conditions show that the characteristics of the proposed model allow a good comparison with data from an actual lithium-ion battery pack used in an HEV. © 2015 IEEE

Uneven temperature and voltage distributions due to rapid discharge rates and different boundary conditions for series-connected LiFePO4 batteries

The final publication is available at Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.icheatmasstransfer.2016.12.026 © 2017. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/This paper presents the surface temperature and voltage distributions on a prismatic lithium-ion battery pack at 1C, 2C, 3C, and 4C discharge rates and 5°C, 15°C, 25°C, and 35°C boundary conditions (BCs) for water cooling and ~22°C for air cooling methods. It provides quantitative data regarding thermal behaviour of lithium-ion batteries for designing thermal management systems and developing reliable thermal models. In this regard, three large LiFePO4 20Ah capacity, prismatic batteries are connected in series with four cold plates used between cells and eighteen thermocouples are placed at distributed locations on the principle surface of all three cells: the first six for the first cell, the second six for the second cell, and the third six for the third cell, and the average and peak surface temperatures as well as voltage distributions are measured and presented in this study. In addition, the simulated heat generation rate, temperature and voltage distributions are validated with an experimental data for the above mentioned C-rates and BCs. The present study shows that increasing discharge rates and BCs results in increase in the maximum and average surface temperatures at the three locations (near the anode, cathode, and mid surface of the body). The highest value of the average surface temperature is obtained for 4C and 35°C BC (36.36°C) and the lowest value is obtained for 1C and 5°C BC (7.22°C) for water cooling method

E-transportation: the role of embedded systems in electric energy transfer from grid to vehicle

Electric vehicles (EVs) are a promising solution to reduce the transportation dependency on oil, as well as the environmental concerns. Realization of E-transportation relies on providing electrical energy to the EVs in an effective way. Energy storage system (ESS) technologies, including batteries and ultra-capacitors, have been significantly improved in terms of stored energy and power. Beside technology advancements, a battery management system is necessary to enhance safety, reliability and efficiency of the battery. Moreover, charging infrastructure is crucial to transfer electrical energy from the grid to the EV in an effective and reliable way. Every aspect of E-transportation is permeated by the presence of an intelligent hardware platform, which is embedded in the vehicle components, provided with the proper interfaces to address the communication, control and sensing needs. This embedded system controls the power electronics devices, negotiates with the partners in multi-agent scenarios, and performs fundamental tasks such as power flow control and battery management. The aim of this paper is to give an overview of the open challenges in E-transportation and to show the fundamental role played by embedded systems. The conclusion is that transportation electrification cannot fully be realized without the inclusion of the recent advancements in embedded systems

Numerical modeling and experimental investigation of a prismatic battery subjected to water cooling

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Numerical Heat Transfer, Part A: Applications on 2017-03-19, available online: http:/dx.doi.org/10.1080/10407782.2016.1277938In this paper, a numerical model using ANSYS Fluent for a minichannel cold plate is developed for water-cooled LiFePO4 battery. The temperature and velocity distributions are investigated using experimental and computational approach at different C-rates and boundary conditions (BCs). In this regard, a battery thermal management system (BTMS) with water cooling is designed and developed for a pouch-type LiFePO4 battery using dual cold plates placed one on top and the other at the bottom of a battery. For these tasks, the battery is discharged at high discharge rates of 3C (60 A) and 4C (80 A) and with various BCs of 5°C, 15°C, and 25°C with water cooling in order to provide quantitative data regarding the thermal behavior of lithium-ion batteries. Computationally, a high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was also developed for a minichannel cold plate, and the simulated data are then validated with the experimental data for temperature profiles. The present results show that increased discharge rates (between 3C and 4C) and increased operating temperature or bath temperature (between 5°C, 15°C, and 25°C) result in increased temperature at cold plates as experimentally measured. Furthermore, the sensors nearest the electrodes (anode and cathode) measured the higher temperatures than the sensors located at the center of the battery surface

Lithium-ion battery aging experiments at subzero temperatures and model development for capacity fade estimation

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries widely used in electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid EVs (HEVs) are insufficient for vehicle use after they have degraded to 70% to 80% of their original capacity. Battery lifespan is a large consideration when designing battery packs for EVs/HEVs. Aging mechanisms, such as metal dissolution, growth of the passivated surface film layer on the electrodes, and loss of both recyclable lithium ions, affect the longevity of the Li-ion battery at higherature operations. Even vehicle maneuvers at low temperatures (T<0°C)contribute to battery lifetime degradation, owing to the anode electrode vulnerability to other degradation mechanisms such as lithium plating. Nowadays, only a few battery thermal management schemes have properly considered lowerature degradation. This is due to the lack of studies on aging of Li-ion batteries at sub-zero temperature. This paper investigates how load cycle and calendar life properties affect the lifetime and aging processes of Li-ion cells at low temperatures. Accelerated aging tests were used to determine the effect of the ambient temperature on the performance of three 100-Ah LiFeMnP04 Li-ion cells. Two of them were aged through a normalized driving cycle at two temperature tests (-20°C and 25°C). The calendar test was carried out on one single battery at -20 °C and mid-range of state of charge (50%). Their capacities were continuously measured every two or three days. An aging model is developed and added to a preliminary single-cell electrothermal model to establish, in future works, a thermal strategy capable of predicting how the cell ages. This aging model was then validated by comparing its predictions with the aging data obtained from a cycling test at 0 °C. © 1967-2012 IEEE