Three-Dimensional Modeling of the Thermal Behavior of a Lithium-Ion Battery Module for Hybrid Electric Vehicle Applications

This paper reports a modeling methodology to predict the effects of operating conditions on the thermal behavior of a lithium-ion battery (LIB) module. The potential and current density distributions on the electrodes of an LIB cell are predicted as a function of discharge time based on the principle of charge conservation. By using the modeling results of the potential and current density distributions of the LIB cell, the non-uniform distribution of the heat generation rate in a single LIB cell within the module is calculated. Based on the heat generation rate in the single LIB cell determined as a function of the position on the electrode and time, a three-dimensional thermal modeling of an LIB module is performed to calculate the three-dimensional velocity, pressure, and temperature distributions within the LIB module as a function of time at various operating conditions. Thermal modeling of an LIB module is validated by the comparison between the experimental measurements and the modeling results. The effect of the cooling condition of the LIB module on the temperature rise of the LIB cells within the module and the uniformity of the distribution of the cell temperatures are analyzed quantitatively based on the modeling results.