Investigation of Flow Channel Configurations in Liquid-Cooled Plates for Electric Vehicle Battery Thermal Management
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Mitigating heat generation in electric vehicle (EV) batteries is crucial for safety, operational efficiency, and battery lifespan. Liquid-cooled cold plates are widely used; however, comparative studies of channel geometries are often hindered by inconsistent experimental conditions. This study systematically compares six cold plate configurations under identical cross-sectional areas and uniform thermal boundary conditions. These controls isolate the effect of geometry on performance. Computational fluid dynamics (CFDs) was used to evaluate six configurations, derived from three main channel layouts (serpentine with eight U-turns, serpentine with six U-turns, and elliptical) and two cross-sectional shapes (circular and square). The serpentine square-tube design with eight U-turns exhibited the lowest thermal resistance (0.0159 K/W). The circular-tube variant achieved the most uniform temperature distribution (TUI > 0.53). The six U-turn circular-tube configuration demonstrated the lowest pressure drop (11.7 kPa). The results indicate that no single design optimizes all performance metrics, highlighting trade-offs between cooling effectiveness, temperature uniformity, and hydraulic efficiency. By isolating geometric variables, this study offers targeted design recommendations for engineers developing battery thermal management systems (BTMS).
Source: World Electric Vehicle Journal
DOI: 10.3390/wevj16090536
Institutions: Politeknik Negeri Batam, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember
Language: English
Subfield: Automotive Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,689
OpenAlex ID: W4414349378