A copper nanoparticle enhanced phase change material with high thermal conductivity and latent heat for battery thermal management

In order to maintain the safety temperature of power battery pack within electric vehicle, an anti-leakage composite phase change materials (CPCM) of paraffin (PA)/expanded graphite (EG)/copper nanoparticle (CN) with enhanced thermal conductivity was proposed. Its thermal properties and heat dissipation were verified by thermal property test and discharge experiment respectively. The results show that PA/EG/CN can well control the temperature of the battery pack within a safe range. The CPCM-based battery module shows excellent heat dissipation, the maximum temperature (T-max) decrease 2.6 degrees C and 7.2 degrees C during 1 C and 2 C discharge tests. The temperature difference is 1.0 degrees C and 0.8 degrees C. The cooling effect is better under high-rate discharge. During multiple discharge-charge cycle, we find that although the latent heat of the CPCM is limited, the latent heat of the CPCM can be effectively recovered for the abeyance time, which proposes a guiding strategy for the design of CPCM battery thermal management system.

Automated summary

This study proposes an anti-leakage composite phase change material with enhanced thermal conductivity for electric vehicle battery packs, which effectively controls the temperature within a safe range and demonstrates excellent heat dissipation performance.