Impact of the number of tubes containing nanofluid flow on the melting and freezing of phase change materials in the thermal management of plate lithium-ion batteries

Phase change material (PCM) and nanofluids (NFs) flow are used in three-dimensional simulations for the thermal management (TMGT) of a plate battery. On each side of the battery, there are two enclosures in which the PCM is housed. Within the PCM, there is a tube that allows alumina/water NFs to flow. The two-phase model is used to simulate the NFs flow, the number of tubes inside the PCM is varied from 1 to 4, and the NFs velocity (VNF) is changed from 10 to 30 mm/s. Also, the distance of the tubes from the battery center changes to determine the volume fraction of molten PCM (VFMPC) and the maximum temperature of the battery (T-BT). For the simulations, the finite element technique (FEM) is used. The findings show that the lowest maximum T-BT and VFMPC are caused by a 5-mm distance between the tubes, whereas the greatest maximum temperature (T-MX) and VFMPC are caused by an 8-mm gap. The use of more tubes in PCM causes the VFMPC to be decreased. Besides, the maximum T-BT is reduced with time. Enhancing the VNF causes the maximum T-BT to decrease. The maximum T-BT is decreased by 45.37% in 1200 s by adjusting the VNF from 10 to 30 mm/s.

Automated summary

This study investigates the thermal management of a plate battery using phase change material (PCM) and nanofluids (NFs) flow simulations. The findings indicate that increasing the number of tubes inside the PCM reduces the volume fraction of molten PCM (VFMPC) and the maximum temperature of the battery (T-MX). Additionally, enhancing the velocity of the NFs decreases the maximum T-MX.