Investigation of the Performance of Battery Thermal Management Based on Direct Refrigerant Cooling: Simulation, Validation of Results, and Parametric Studies

Abstract

This study proposes a simulation technique for investigating a battery thermal management system based on direct refrigerant cooling (BTMS-DRC). The main focus is to investigate the temperature uniformity and working temperature of the module housing. The simulation technique employs a finite element method for a combined conduction–convection heat transfer to predict the module housing temperature. The refrigerant side is based on two-phase flow evaporation, which is represented by the convection heat transfer under a certain refrigerant saturation temperature. The real BTMS-DRC, which is based on the dual-evaporator vapor compression refrigeration system, is constructed for experimentation with the test bench. The simulated result is validated with the experimental results to ensure correction of the modelling. Error rates of approximately 2.9–7.2% are noted throughout the specified working conditions. The BTMS can produce temperatures of less than 35 °C under conditions where 80–320 W heat is generated. The difference in the temperature of the module is around 1.7–4.2 °C. This study also investigates the impact of heat generation, the convection heat transfer coefficient (href), the refrigerant saturation temperature, and thermal conductivity on the module’s temperature. The thermal conductivity ranges from 25 to 430 W/m·K, while the href ranges from 80 to 400 W/m2·K.