Research Projects

Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) technology is expected to be the energy storage of choice for electric drive vehicles in the coming years due to their relatively high specific energy and power. The temperature has a significant impact on the performance, life, safety and cost of LIBs. To avail the necessary driving force for electric vehicles (EV), a battery module can be made from multiple small cells connected in series and parallel. However, large lithium-ion batteries are very sensitive to temperature compared to other chemistries, and can suffer if exposed to extreme or imbalanced temperatures. This drives the necessity for battery thermal management systems (BTMS) in large Li-ion modules, particularly when longevity and reliability are paramount. The BTMS needs to be designed appropriately with right tools. A detailed study of battery thermal management is essential with hybrid cooling system to maintain operating temperature range provided by the cell manufacturer. Efficacy of thermoelectric cooler (TEC) based hybrid cooling system will be considered to determine suitable thermal management cooling channel specifications and recovered heat will be utilized through thermoelectric generator (TEG).