Thermal Management Design for Prefabricated Cabined Energy Storage Systems Based on Liquid Cooling

With the energy density increase of energy storage systems (ESSs), air cooling, as a traditional cooling method, limps along due to low efficiency in heat dissipation and inability in maintaining cell temperature consistency. Liquid cooling is coming downstage. The prefabricated cabined ESS discussed in this paper is the first in China that uses liquid cooling technique. This paper explores its thermal management design. The layout of liquid cooling piping is studied. The specifications of cooling piping, cooling units and dehumidifying air conditioners are discussed. The thermal management strategy is analyzed. Besides, important design steps are simulated. On-site operation data show that the thermal management system automatically regulates temperature according to the predetermined strategy. Cell temperature is modulated to the bound 15°C-30°C and the maximum cell temperature disparity is 3℃. Techno-economic comparison shows that the designed thermal management system consumes 45% less electricity and enhances 43% more energy density than air cooling. This paper aims to provide reference for thermal management design of future ESSs.