Latent Heat Storage Systems for Thermal Management of Electric Vehicle Batteries: Thermal Performance Enhancement and Modulation of the Phase Transition Process Dynamics: A Literature Review

Abstract

Electric vehicles battery systems (EVBS) are subject to complex charging/discharging processes that produce various amount of stress and cause significant temperature fluctuations. Due to the variable heat generation regimes, latent heat storage systems that can absorb significant amounts of thermal energy with little temperature variation are an interesting thermal management solution. A major drawback of organic phase change materials is their low thermal conductivity, which limits the material charging/discharging capacity. This review paper covers recent studies on thermal performance enhancement of PCM thermal management for electric vehicles batteries. A special focus is placed on the constraints related to electric vehicles battery systems, such as mass/volume minimization, integration with other battery thermal management systems, operational temperature range, adaptability to extreme regimes and modulation of the melting/solidification behavior. The main research outcomes are as follows: quantitative/comparative assessment of common enhancement technique in terms of performance; approaches to deal with special constraints related to EVBS from the thermal control point of view.