Thermal analysis for EV battery cooling systems by using AcuSolve

7th July 2015 Dr S Lin

Jaguar Land Rover

Contents 1. Electrical vehicle battery pack cooling

strategies 2. System thermal modelling 3. AcuSolve used for CFD modelling in

research projects 4. Conclusions

Cooling Strategies - Air Cooling

Ford C-Max Energi

Audi Q5

Mitsubishi i-MiEV

Used to cool prismatic and pouch cells

Draws in cabin air via a centrifugal suction fan, may include A/C evaporator

Cooling Strategies – Liquid Cooling

Chevrolet Volt Audi A3 e-tron

• Liquid is water/glycol cooled by low temperature radiator and/or A/C chiller.

• Typically pouch cells cooled by plates between cells, prismatic cells cooled by a base plate, and cylindrical cells cooled by a tube formed to wrap the cylindrical surface.

Cooling Strategies – Refrigerant Cooling • Cylindrical or prismatic cells cooled at their base by an evaporator

plate. Used by BMW & Mercedes for MHEVs, and BMW i3 BEV

Mercedes S400 Bluehybrid

BMW ActiveHybrid 7 BMW i3

System thermal modelling - for battery cooling system design across mild hybrids (MHEV), plug-in

hybrids (PHEV) and battery electric vehicles (BEV).

Concept of liquid cooling of cylindrical cells

AcuSolve used to simulate flow and heat transfer of liquid cooling within a battery pack module

AcuSolve used to evaluate different cooling method /design within a battery pack module

A simple procedure for using AcuSolve to simulate flow and heat transfer in research

Input geometry (STP format) from designer into HyperMesh, fix geometry and export Parasolid or Nastran file

Read Parasolid or Nastran file into AcuSolve and generate mesh

Define model and BCs in AcuSolve

Run model in AcuSolve

Obtain required results in AcuFieldView

Create report in Word or Power Point

Conclusions

• AcuSolve has been used successfully for cooling solution

selections in junction with system modelling.

• In the research projects, AcuSolve models were created to

establish coolant pressure drop correlations.

• This enables pressure drop to be accurately predicted for any

flow rate and temperature within system modelling.

• The mathematical pressure drop correlations created through

AcuSolve, were also used as an input in the Matlab/Simulink

system model.