Use of Nanofluid in Multiple Channels Toward Cooling Lithium-Ion Battery

Abstract

Cooling lithium-ion batteries has been an interesting research subject in the energy sector. This paper addresses the means for a better cooling mechanism in this context. Two different fluids are used, mainly distilled water and nanofluid composed of 2%vol titanium oxide and 98% distilled water. The channel totaling six, has rectangular shapes with 2 mm in height. The channels are sandwiched between two sets of lithium-ion batteries used in a commercial application. The model governing equations for flow and heat transfer have been solved using the finite element technique. COMSOL software has been used in this analysis. Furthermore, pin-fins have been used to improve the cooling process. Results revealed that adding metallic nanoparticles (i.e., nanofluid) could enhance water as a cooling liquid. A 12% heat enhancement is noticeable using nanofluid but at the expense of the pressure drop. On the other hand, using pin-fins combined with nanofluid has been shown to have created a reverse flow in the channel and improved heat extraction by up to 29%. The location of the pin fin also demonstrates an additional parameter to be considered for heat enhancement.