Thermal field investigation of lithium-ion battery with porous medium under vibration

• Effect of vibration on lithium-ion battery was examined. • Surface temperature profile under vibration was characterized under four different scenarios. • Heat transfer process through porous media under vibration was investigated. • Surface temperature increases with increasing discharge current rate. Operations of electric, hybrid and autonomous vehicles heavily rely on rechargeable battery packs. The degradation of the battery cell is influenced by several factors, e.g., heat generation, load cycle, and road condition. Vibration from the engine and uneven road can be transmitted to the battery pack and may significantly affect the rechargeable batteries' performance. Therefore, it is important to understand the effect of vibration parameters on the performance of batteries and battery thermal management systems. In this work, a series of experimental investigations have been conducted on the thermal performance of the 18,650 lithium (Li)-ion battery under a vibrating environment. The thermal behaviour of the battery surface has been studied under various discharge rates (i.e., 1C, 2C, and 3C) with three different vibrational frequencies (5 Hz, 10 Hz, and 15 Hz) and amplitudes (10 mm/s, 20 mm/s, and 30 mm/s). Moreover, this study has been extended with aluminium foam considering vibration with natural and forced convection conditions. Besides, thermal images of the battery surface have been investigated to examine the significance of aluminium foam. The experimental results indicate that the battery surface temperature surrounded by aluminium foam and under forced convection has dropped around 26 °C compared to without any heat transfer media.