Thermal Control in Battery Systems: Experimental Analysis using Phase Change Materials

Effective thermal management of lithium-ion batteries is essential for the safe operation of electric vehicles in optimal temperature conditions. The proposed study suggests a battery thermal management systems (BTMS), using Paraffin Wax as a solid-liquid phase-change material (PCM), with a latent heat of melting of 195.7 kJ/kg with a nominal melting temperature of 58-60°C. In the experimental setup, four cylindrical heaters are installed each having a capacity of 20 W, Paraffin Wax PCM is filled around the heaters and submerged inside the PCM which absorbs heat from PCM. To reproduce the discharge rate of an 18650 Li-ion battery, a battery with cylindrical cartridge heaters (20 W, 18 mm 65 mm) was employed in the experimental setup. The experimental setup is run for 15W, and 20W as a heat input. The thermal response of Paraffin wax was captured every 10sec time interval using a data logger, Time versus Temperature graphs were plotted for each heat input.