Lithium-ion batteries are well-suited for fully electric and hybrid electric vehicles due to their high specific energy and energy density relative to other rechargeable cell chemistries. However, these batteries have not been widely deployed commercially in these vehicles yet due to safety, cost, and poor low temperature performance, which are all challenges related to battery thermal management. In this paper, a critical review of the available literature on the major thermal issues for lithium-ion batteries is presented. Specific attention is paid to the effects of temperature and thermal management on capacity/power fade, thermal runaway, and pack electrical imbalance and to the performance of lithium-ion cells at cold temperatures. Furthermore, insights gained from previous experimental and modeling investigations are elucidated. These include the need for more accurate heat generation measurements, improved modeling of the heat generation rate, and clarity in the relative magnitudes of the various thermal effects observed at high charge and discharge rates seen in electric vehicle applications. From an analysis of the literature, the requirements for lithium-ion thermal management systems for optimal performance in these applications are suggested, and it is clear that no existing thermal management strategy or technology meets all these requirements.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/1.3515880/pdf

A Critical Review of Thermal Issues in Lithium-Ion Batteries

An experimental investigation was conducted to examine the effects of variations in the temperature and volume fraction on the steady-state effective thermal conductivity of two different nanoparticle suspensions. Copper and aluminum oxide, CuO and Al2O3, nanoparticles with area weighted diameters of 29 and 36nm, respectively, were blended with distilled water at 2%, 4%, 6%, and 10% volume fractions and the resulting suspensions were evaluated at temperatures ranging from 27.5to34.7°C. The results indicate that the nanoparticle material, diameter, volume fraction, and bulk temperature, all have a significant impact on the effective thermal conductivity of these suspensions. The 6% volume fraction of CuO nanoparticle/distilled water suspension resulted in an increase in the effective thermal conductivity of 1.52 times that of pure distilled water and the 10% Al2O3 nanoparticle/distilled water suspension increased the effective thermal conductivity by a factor of 1.3, at a temperature of 34°C. A two-factor ...

Experimental investigation of temperature and volume fraction variations on the effective thermal conductivity of nanoparticle suspensions (nanofluids)

Advanced models of fuel droplet heating and evaporation

Durability of concrete — Degradation phenomena involving detrimental chemical reactions

Energy storage components improve the energy efficiency of systems by reducing the mismatch between supply and demand. For this purpose, phase-change materials are particularly attractive since they provide a high-energy storage density at a constant temperature which corresponds to the phase transition temperature of the material. Nevertheless, the incorporation of phase-change materials (PCMs) in a particular application calls for an analysis that will enable the researcher to optimize performances of systems. Due to the non-linear nature of the problem, numerical analysis is generally required to obtain appropriate solutions for the thermal behavior of systems. Therefore, a large amount of research has been carried out on PCMs behavior predictions. The review will present models based on the first law and on the second law of thermodynamics. It shows selected results for several configurations, from numerous authors so as to enable one to start his/her research with an exhaustive overview of the subject. This overview stresses the need to match experimental investigations with recent numerical analyses since in recent years, models mostly rely on other models in their validation stages.

A review on phase-change materials: Mathematical modeling and simulations

The following numerical analysis examines the pressure drop and heat transfer characteristics associated with flows of modified power law fluids through concentric annular ducts. The flows considered are steady, fully developed and laminar with constant properties, except for viscosity. The boundary conditions for the heat transfer problem are constant heat flux at the inner tube, and an adiabatic outer tube. Results are presented for the friction factor-Reynolds number product and for the Nusselt number as a function of a dimensionless shear rate parameter. These are expressed as correlation equations which give a convenient description of the results throughout the complete domain of the analysis: from low shear rates where the viscosity is Newtonian, to the higher shear rates where the behavior is purely power law, and at the intermediate shear rates where the viscosity is transitional.

Predictions of pressure drop and heat transfer in concentric annular ducts with modified power law fluids

The use of data from the falling needle viscometer to determine the rheological properties of purely viscous non‐Newtonian fluids is described. From the solution of the basic flow equation, which is given in tabular and graphical form, a method is presented to determine rheological flow curves for both power law and more generalized rheological fluids. The use of the instrument to determine the zero shear rate viscosity is also described and a method of fitting appropriate constitutive equations to the data is discussed and illustrated by examples. Finally, a technique for measuring fluid densities using the falling needle viscometer is presented that is applicable to both Newtonian and power law fluids.

Measurements of rheological fluid properties with the falling needle viscometer

A simple expression for estimating the turbulent forced-convection heat transfer performance of liquid metals flowing through noncircular ducts is presented. This equation requires the knowledge of the slug Nusselt number evaluated for the specific geometry and for the pertinent boundary conditions. Such Nusselt values are presented herein for a number of technically important geometries. One check on the heat transfer prediction given by Equation (4) is in the case of an annular duct with constant heat flow through the outer wall with the inner wall insulated, for which experimental data exist. The prediction agrees within 20% with the experimental data.

Several possible boundary conditions that may exist in noncircular cross sections are throughly discussed, and it is hoped that as a result this paper may serve to clarify some of the confusion existing in the literature.

Thomas F. Irvine

Papers

Predictions of pressure drop and heat transfer in concentric annular ducts with modified power law fluids

Measurements of rheological fluid properties with the falling needle viscometer

Nusselt values for estimating turbulent liquid metal heat transfer in noncircular ducts

Laminar conjugated forced convection heat transfer in curved rectangular channels

Laser-based thermal pulse measurement of liquid thermophysical properties