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The purpose of this study is to improve the thermal management of lithium-ion batteries. The phase change material (PCM) cooling does not require additional equipment to consume energy. To improve the heat dissipation capacity of batteries, fins are added in the PCM to enhance the heat transfer process.

Computational fluid dynamics method is used to study the influence of number of vertical fins and ring fins (i.e. 2, 4, 6 and 8 vertical fins, and 2, 3, 4 and 5 ring fins) and the combination of them on the cooling performance.

The battery maximum temperature can be decreased by the PCM with vertical or ring fins, and it can be further decreased by the combination of them. The PCM with eight vertical fins and five ring fins reduces the battery maximum temperature by 5.21 K. In addition, the temperature and liquid-phase distributions of the battery and PCM are affected by the design of the cooling system.

This work can provide guidelines for the development of new and efficient PCM cooling systems for lithium-ion batteries.

The combination of PCM and fins can be used to reduce the battery maximum temperature and temperature difference.

The purpose of this study is to design a new type of cold plate to improve the thermal performance of liquid-cooled thermal management system of lithium-ion batteries.

A cold plate with leaf type channels is proposed to enhance the cooling performance. Effects of the leaf type channel parameters (i.e. channel angle 20°, 40°, 60°, 80°; coolant mass flow rate 0.25 × 10^–3, 0.50 × 10^–3, 0.75 × 10^–3, 1.00 × 10^–3, 1.25 × 10^–3 kg·s⁻¹; channel number 1, 3, 5, 7) on the performance are numerically investigated by using a 3D mathematical model.

Compared to the traditional I type channels, the leaf type channels have better cooling performance. It is found that the battery temperature variation and channel pressure drop are decreased with decreasing channel angle and increasing channel number. In addition, the cooling performance can be improved by increasing the coolant mass flow rate.

This study can provide guidance for the development of novel effective cold plates.

The design of cold plates with leaf type channels can be used in liquid-cooled thermal management system to reduce the battery temperature difference.