Effective battery pack cooling by controlling flow patterns with vertical and spiral fins

Battery Thermal Management System (BTMS) is essential for dissipating heat and controlling temperature distribution within the battery pack of an electric vehicle to maintain its optimal operating temperature. This research focuses on the influence of cooling fins in achieving balanced temperature distribution inside the battery pack. Vertical and spiral fins are attached around 21,700 cylindrical cells for this investigation. ANSYS FLUENT software is employed to conduct the numerical simulations, where a finite volume approach is used to solve the mass conservation, Navier-Stokes, and energy transport equations. The study also uses a set of polynomial functions to calculate the heat generation inside the cells. It assesses the effects of the Reynolds number, fin loop number, and outlet section of BTMS at numerous discharge rates. The findings indicate that the spiral fins significantly impact the thermal performance, reducing T-max by 21.31 % due to the enhanced flow circulations within the BTMS. A high Reynolds number also positively affects T-max by reducing the temperature uniformity caused by the shorter time for air-cooling contact with the cell surfaces. More specifically, at a Reynolds number >= 9433, a Z-type BTMS with the spiral fins can maintain the temperature uniformity at a temperature difference of 5 degrees C. Among the six different BTMSs analysed, a U-type BTMS is reported to have the best performance, reducing T-max and Delta T-max by 4.11 % and 38.1 %, respectively. The pressure drop in this case is also reduced by 8.46 %, thus lowering the overall power consumption.