Experimental Investigation of Phase Change Materials Thermal Barriers in Electric Vehicle Battery Module

The use of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) as thermal barriers inside the Electric Vehicles (EV) battery module is experimentally investigated. Generally a proper Battery Thermal Management System is required to maintain the battery system in its optimum performance. In this study, paraffin is selected as the PCM for the BTMS and is applied in the battery module in form of a thermal wall between some battery cells. The location of the PCM-filled tubes and their subsequent effect is experimentally evaluated as the module is connected to dummy loads under forced convection from a blower. The PCM is also used as an airflow barrier to prevent the upstream battery cells getting too much cooling air while the rests have temperature rise. It is found that a suitable placement of the PCM could notably reduce the temperature non-uniformity that may lead to an increase of the battery module overall performance and durability.