Battery Cooling System Optimization for Battery Electric Bus

Electric vehicles are gaining significant importance due to the depletion and adverse impact of fossil fuels on the environment. Electric vehicles are preferred as it is not dependent on fossil fuel and have zero tail pipe emissions. Many automobile manufacturers are shifting from internal combustion engine to electric vehicles. Battery being the main source of energy to power these vehicles, its life and performance are critical to vehicle life & performance. Battery Thermal Management design is key to ensure life & performance of the Vehicle. Efficiency of battery cooling system is dependent on proper selection of refrigeration system, coolant flow, its uniformity & cooling circuit configuration with multiple packs in application like Bus. In recent times, 1D simulations have gained a high importance to conduct thermal simulations of vehicle and to understand the complex interactions. 1D simulation reduces the product development time and helps in bringing quicker products to the market. Coolant flow and Thermal performance are critical for battery and vehicle performance, so accurate prediction is critical at the initial product development stage. The existing layout was analyzed, and the proposed layout was simplified with the use of restrictor to achieve the uniform flow and uniform temperature through all the battery packs. Physical testing was done, and the results were compared with the simulation.