An innovative Battery Thermal Management System for a 3-cell Electric Vehicle module is proposed, involving Loop Heat Pipes and graphite sheets, with the particular aim of fast charging and reacting to automotive requirements. The design feasibility is verified through a Lumped Parameter Model, which has been validated comparing the data from an experimental demonstrator which included a copper/copper flat plate Loop Heat Pipe running ethanol. Results show that this solution is able to maintain the maximum temperature below 32°C after a 10 min fast charge cycle. System performance with a standard working fluid such as ethanol are compared with the system performance using a novel fluid, Novec™ 649, which has desirable features for the automotive industry, such as non-flammability, non-toxicity, below-zero freezing point and outstanding environmental properties (GWP = 1, ODP = 0). Nevertheless, comparison between the results with the two fluids reported no significant difference in thermal performance showing no contraindication in the use of the novel working fluid. Moreover, the model was used to estimate the effect of the Loop Heat Pipe building material, resulting in no sensible difference between the utilization of copper and aluminium, de facto justifying the choice of the lighter material for future applications.

Numerical investigation on a combined loop heat pipe and graphite sheets cooling system for automotive applications

Marco Marengo
2021-01-01

Abstract

An innovative Battery Thermal Management System for a 3-cell Electric Vehicle module is proposed, involving Loop Heat Pipes and graphite sheets, with the particular aim of fast charging and reacting to automotive requirements. The design feasibility is verified through a Lumped Parameter Model, which has been validated comparing the data from an experimental demonstrator which included a copper/copper flat plate Loop Heat Pipe running ethanol. Results show that this solution is able to maintain the maximum temperature below 32°C after a 10 min fast charge cycle. System performance with a standard working fluid such as ethanol are compared with the system performance using a novel fluid, Novec™ 649, which has desirable features for the automotive industry, such as non-flammability, non-toxicity, below-zero freezing point and outstanding environmental properties (GWP = 1, ODP = 0). Nevertheless, comparison between the results with the two fluids reported no significant difference in thermal performance showing no contraindication in the use of the novel working fluid. Moreover, the model was used to estimate the effect of the Loop Heat Pipe building material, resulting in no sensible difference between the utilization of copper and aluminium, de facto justifying the choice of the lighter material for future applications.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11571/1466329
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