Potential Viability of Air-cooled Phase Change Materials as an Alternative Thermal Management System for EV Batteries

Abstract

This study aimed to simulate and compare the thermal performance of a liquid cooling system and a phase change material (PCM) system for an electric vehicle battery pack. The liquid cooling system operates through the active dissipation of heat, where a fluid circulates around the thermal source, absorbing heat and transferring it away, thereby preventing excessive temperature rise. In contrast, the PCM system functions passively by storing thermal energy as it undergoes a phase change, typically from solid to liquid. This allows the PCM to regulate temperature by absorbing heat without immediately dissipating it, providing a buffering effect. However, a PCM has no way of effectively dissipating the heat it has absorbed through its phase change. This is where convective air cooling becomes essential, providing a continuous heat removal pathway that enables the PCM to maintain its thermal buffering capacity and prevent long-term temperature rise within the system. We constructed models of both systems in order to compare them in a direct context. However, the simulations failed to converge due to improper meshing techniques or inherent complexities with modeling the thermal behavior of PCMs around boundaries. Despite these difficulties, the proposed design remains viable, and with improved modeling techniques, future simulations could provide a direct comparison between the two systems and show the potential of an air-cooled PCM system.