A review of battery thermal management systems using liquid cooling and PCM

Pollution-free electric vehicles (EVs) are a reliable option to reduce carbon emissions and dependence on fossil fuels. The lithium-ion battery has strict requirements for operating temperature, so the battery thermal management systems (BTMS) play an important role. Liquid cooling is typically used in today's commercial vehicles, which can effectively reduce the battery temperature. However, it has some shortcomings in maintaining temperature uniformity and other aspects and thus needs further improvement. Using phase change material (PCM) coupled with liquid cooling is a promising choice. This paper first introduces the research status of PCM applied to BTMS and the thermal management system based on pure PCM. The development prospect of BTMS based on pure PCM is discussed. Then, the research status of liquid cooling BTMS is systematically reviewed. The factors affecting the cooling effect in the liquid cooling system and the improvement direction are discussed. Moreover, the research status and advantages of the combination of PCM and liquid cooling BTMS are introduced. In addition to PCM and liquid cooling, the BTMS operation strategy and system structure also impact the cooling effect and energy consumption. Finally, the development direction of the coupling between PCM and liquid cooling is prospected.