Thermal Management of a Battery Pack Using a Phase Change Material
Application ID: 115571
Thermal management of a battery pack is simulated considering two scenarios, air (natural convection) and phase change material (PCM) in the gap between the batteries. The PCM considered is a composite material of paraffin wax and graphite additive. Graphite is typically added for improving the thermal conductivity of pure paraffin wax.
In this model, the temperature of the battery pack during a discharge operation is monitored. It is observed that the battery pack is maintained at a lower temperature and at a more uniform temperature with PCM cooling than with air cooling. The thermal safety of a battery pack can be improved by using PCMs.
This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products:
however, additional products may be required to completely define and model it. Furthermore, this example may also be defined and modeled using components from the following product combinations:
- COMSOL Multiphysics® and
- Battery Design Module and
- either the Heat Transfer Module, Porous Media Flow Module, or Subsurface Flow Module
The combination of COMSOL® products required to model your application depends on several factors and may include boundary conditions, material properties, physics interfaces, and part libraries. Particular functionality may be common to several products. To determine the right combination of products for your modeling needs, review the Specification Chart and make use of a free evaluation license. The COMSOL Sales and Support teams are available for answering any questions you may have regarding this.