Investigation of 3-D multilayer approach in predicting the thermal behavior of 20 Ah Li-ion cells

Abstract

Numerous research groups have adopted a 1D single-layer cell approach to model the thermal behavior of the Li-ion battery systems. However, as the size of a Li-ion cell increases, the 1D single-layer approach is not enough to determine the thermal behavior of the high capacity batteries. In this study, a multilayer approach is proposed to consider the effects of the number of layers on the thermal behavior of the cell. 3D electrochemical-thermal model with multilayer approach is designed and temperature predictions at various discharge rates are calculated. The results are validated at 30 degrees C for various discharge rates. Thermal behavior of the single-layer and multilayer cell approaches are compared with the experimental measurements. The results show that the error of estimates is halved if multilayer approach is applied. The proposed model is also used to study the effects of the number of layers on the temperature non-uniformity of the large sized Li-ion batteries. The results showed that multilayer cell approach represents the thermal behavior of the Li-ion cell more accurately. The study is promising for the development of an efficient thermal management system with a better prediction of the potential hot spots on the single cells and battery packs.