A Simulation Approach in Analyzing Performance of Fly Ash Nanofluid for
Optimizing Battery Thermal Management System used in EVs
Abstract
Driven by the goal to achieve sustainable mobility, mitigate climate
change, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, electric vehicles (EVs)
represent a radical paradigm shift in the automotive industry.
Significant progress has been made in electric vehicle (EV) technology
in recent times, including enhancements in battery efficiency, range,
and charging infrastructure. As the main energy storage option for
electric vehicles, lithium-ion battery technology has advanced
significantly, increasing energy density and lowering costs. Wider
acceptance of EVs has also been encouraged by the development of
fast-charging stations and smart grid integration, which have greatly
solved issues with convenience and charging time. However, lithium-ion
cells used currently have a working temperature range of 15
o C to 35 o C. The temperature above
or below can affect the battery performance and range of the vehicle.
Thus, implementation of proper Battery Thermal Management System (BTMS)
is required to achieve effective cooling performance and maintain the
cells within operating range of temperatures. The current study focuses
on the use of fly ash nanoparticles dispersed in base fluid
water-ethylene glycol to be used as coolant in indirect liquid cooling
system. An ANSYS FLUENT model is developed for 14 LFP cylindrical cells
having 2S7P arrangement with serpentine cooling channel in between the
cells. The current study uses 5 % particle concentration fly ash
nanofluid as coolant to understand the rise in temperature at the outlet
for different flow velocities. The better cooling performance was
observed for fluid flow rate of 0.1 m/sec with an outlet temperature
rise of 311.976 K along with rise of 4 % in temperature compared to
inlet fluid flow temperature of 300 K. The percentage difference between
the rise in temperature of the outlet for the fluid at 0.1 m/sec and 3
m/sec is 3.07 % indicating effective cooling at lower fluid flow
velocities. Thus, by the use of Fly ash as nanofluid in battery cooling
application will certainly help to reduce the temperature of battery
pack and can provide to be a sustainable solution leading to lesser
degradation of environment.