Innovative Thermal Management System for Electric Vehicle Batteries: Phase Change Material, Heat Pipe and Heat Sink Box Integration

The adoption of electric vehicles has significantly contributed to the reduction of greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions. However, the high heat release generated by the vehicle batteries poses a challenge. To tackle this issue, a passive cooling thermal management system was developed for the batteries, utilizing a combination of a heat sink box, phase change material, and heat pipe. Phase change material of soy wax was employed as the cooling medium, alongside an L-shaped heat pipe equipped with fins. Temperature measurements were conducted using a type-K thermocouple connected to the NI DAQ 9214 module, while the electric current power varied between 1.2 and 52.5 W. The results demonstrate that the implementation of heat pipes in the battery thermal management system led to temperature reductions of approximately 31%, while the utilization of box heat sinks resulted in temperature decreases of up to about 40% compared to cases without passive cooling. Moreover, when combining the heat sink box with soy wax phase change material and heat pipe, the temperature dropped by about 66% under maximum heat load conditions. This integrated approach showcases the effectiveness of a passive cooling method for battery thermal management in electric vehicles, particularly as soy wax's melting temperature aligns with the recommended working temperature range of the batteries.