Designing a Battery Cooling Plate: Strategies & Innovations
When batteries are in use, they produce heat. If their temperature is not carefully controlled, it can lead to reduced performance, premature aging, or safety risks.
Effective battery cooling can be achieved through methods such as air cooling, liquid cooling, and phase change cooling. These methods may be combined with other techniques to manage the battery temperature, including fans, heat exchangers, pumps, and refrigerants.
This article will focus on EV battery cooling plates and cold plate design. Proper thermal management systems are required to prevent excessive heating during speed charges or operations to guarantee the optimum performance of battery packs in electric vehicles (EVs).
We will also introduce virtual testing methods, ranging from classic temperature distribution simulation methods to novel advancements in Artificial Intelligence.
What Is a Battery Cooling Plate?
Cold Plates provide localized cooling of devices by transferring heat from the device to a liquid that flows to a remote heat exchanger, which dissipates heat, for instance, via air cooling and fans. A battery cooling plate is a flat component manufactured from thermally conductive materials like aluminum or copper. Its function efficiently removes excess heat generated during the battery's fast charging and discharging processes.
Two simple schemes will show what is a cold plate and the main principles of thermal management.
Plates are attached to the surface of battery cells or modules. They are engineered with the largest possible surface area to maximize contact with the battery and facilitate heat transfer away from the cells. The coolant fluid flowing inside the plate also enhances heat transfer. The serpentine design increases the contact area between the cooling fluid and the battery cells, promoting efficient heat transfer.
The cooling plate's thermally conductive material provides heat to move away from the battery cells. When heat is generated within the battery during operation, it naturally flows towards areas of lower temperature. The cooling plate acts as a conduit drawing heat away from the cells and dispersing it into the surrounding environment or to other thermal management system components, such as heat exchangers or coolant loops. To assess thermal performance, heat exchanger design software is used.
Importance of Cooling Plate Cooling
The importance of battery cooling cannot be overstated in high-performance or high-capacity battery systems for electric vehicles (EVs). High temperatures degrade battery performance and reduce its lifespan.
Excessive heat buildup in batteries can lead to thermal runaway, a dangerous condition where the battery temperature increases, leading to fires or explosions. Proper cooling helps mitigate this risk by dissipating heat and keeping the battery within a safe temperature range.
Understanding Battery Cold Plates - Mechanical Properties
Battery cooling plates manage cell temperature to ensure optimal battery performance, longevity, and safety. They are typically made from materials with high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum or copper, to transfer heat from the battery cells. These plates must be strong, durable, and corrosion-resistant, ensuring maximum contact for efficient heat transfer.
Understanding Battery Cold Plates - Managing Cell Temperature
The EV battery cooling system challenge is the dissipation of heat generated during battery operation, including charging and discharging. They provide a pathway for the heat to escape from the cells and dissipate into the surrounding environment.
Cooling plates help maintain uniform temperatures across the battery cells, preventing localized spots of heating that degrade cell performance and battery life span. By distributing heat evenly, cooling plates ensure that each cell operates within its optimal temperature range.
In addition to dissipating heat, cooling plates contribute to temperature regulation within the battery system. They can be integrated into a thermal management system solution that includes fans, heat exchangers, and coolant loops to control the battery pack's temperature actively. This ensures that the battery operates within safe temperature limits.
Cooling plates effectively manage temperature, enhancing battery system safety. By preventing overheating and thermal runaway events, cooling plates reduce the risk of battery fires or explosions, especially in high-stress environments like electric vehicles or grid storage systems.
Cold Plate Design Methods
3D simulation involves CAD and CAE tools to analyze detailed thermal system models, enabling precise thermal performance and structural integrity evaluation under realistic conditions.
Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Deep Learning (DL) in cold plate design accelerates the exploration of the design space. DL can predict the performance of new designs, suggest improvements, and generate novel design concepts, expanding innovation in thermal management systems.
Battery Cold Plate Manufacturing Process
Manufacturing battery cooling plates requires producing components that effectively manage the temperature of battery systems. It involves processing the selected material into flat sheets, shaping and machining them, applying surface treatments or coatings to enhance thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance, and implementing quality assurance to verify structural integrity and thermal performance.
Integration in Battery Packs and Liquid Cooling
The battery cooling plate dissipates the heat generated during battery operation, maintaining optimal temperature levels. This ensures longevity and efficiency and prevents overheating, which can lead to reduced performance and thermal runaway.
Benefits of Liquid Cooling Method
Battery pack design prefers liquid cooling to air cooling because of more efficient and uniform heat dissipation for enhanced battery performance, increased energy density, and longer battery life span while allowing for a more compact and lightweight battery pack.
Optimizing Coolant Flow
Optimizing the coolant flow involves designing the cooling system to ensure uniform temperature distribution and minimize pressure drop within the battery pack. This can be achieved by placing cooling channels, adjusting flow rates, and selecting appropriate coolant types, ultimately enhancing the cooling efficiency and reliability of the thermal management system.
Conclusion
Battery cooling is essential for performance, longevity, and safety. Battery cooling plates are designed to dissipate the heat generated during battery operation by transferring it away from the cells.
Innovations in cold plate design leverage simulations and deep learning to optimize thermal management.
Optimizing coolant flow ensures uniform temperature distribution and minimal pressure drop, improving the cooling system's efficiency and reliability. Manufacturing battery cooling plates involves material processing, shaping, surface treatments, and quality assurance to ensure effective thermal management.
