Anti-Gravity 3D Pulsating Heat Pipe for Cooling Electric Vehicle Batteries

Abstract

This study proposes an anti-gravity 3D pulsating heat pipe (PHP) for cooling pouch batteries in electric vehicles. The 3D PHP envelops the battery cells and rapidly transfers heat generated from the batteries to the bottom cold plate. While the batteries generate heat on their frontal surface during charging and discharging, structural characteristics lead to localized heat accumulation at the electrode lead tabs. Therefore, to address frontal heating, Pattern A with a consistent height for the 3D PHP and Pattern B with varying heights to enhance heat transfer in the localized heating area were designed. The target application involved creating a battery simulator for 340 × 100 mm pouch battery cells, considering the battery’s heat generation characteristics. The experiments for the thermal characteristics were conducted, considering factors such as the working fluid (methanol, Novec7100), filling ratio, supplied heat, and orientation. Additionally, to observe internal flow mechanisms, a special experimental apparatus was used, employing transparent fluorine rubber tubes to observe the flow mechanism of the 3D PHP. In the results of the thermal characteristics, the optimal filling ratio was 15% when heat generation levels of 50 W and 100 W were supplied and 20% when 150 W was supplied. The impact of orientation yielded varied results depending on the pattern and working fluid, attributed to the complex interplay of flow momentum due to orientation changes and the influence of the working fluid’s buoyancy under anti-gravity conditions. Pattern B, designed with the goal of applying a localized heat model, exhibited relatively decreased heat transfer performance in areas with varying heights. As the distance from the varying height portion increased, temperature oscillations and heat transfer became more active. These results suggest that variations in the shape of the 3D PHP could be a primary design variable for crafting localized heat models. Observations of internal flow revealed that the 3D PHP, with its unique shape and operation under anti-gravity conditions, exhibits longer and more irregular cycles compared to gravity-assist PHPs, transferring heat through rapid oscillations of internal working fluid liquid/vapor slug/plug. The potential of 3D PHPs for cooling electric vehicle batteries is suggested by these findings, and further experimentation is planned to evaluate the optimal design and applicability.