Thermal modelling of large-format laminated Li-ion battery and experimental validation using embedded thermocouples

Thermal modelling for lithium ion batteries is important to evaluate battery thermal safety and to refine battery thermal designs. To develop a reliable and efficient thermal model, the following key factors needs to be addressed: the techniques to accurately determine the thermal parameters and heat generation rates, the reasonably simplified thermo-electrical equations and the experimental validation. In this study, a new transient method is developed to measure the thermal parameters of a large-format laminated battery. The reversible and irreversible heat generation rates were measured for different states of charge and temperatures. With the measured thermal parameters and heat generation rates, the temperature distribution of the battery was predicted based on a thermal-electrical coupled model. The prediction was found in good agreement with embedded-sensor experimental results.