Temperature control prediction and performance study of lithium battery based on thermoelectric cooling

With the increase in battery energy density, the risk of overheating rises during charging and discharging, and even triggers thermal runaway of the battery. Therefore, it is necessary to effectively control the temperature of the power battery. In this manuscript, thermoelectric cooling technology was adopted to effectively control the battery temperature through theoretical analysis and experimental verification. We established a predictive relationship between batteries at different discharge rates and the input current of a thermoelectric cooling system. As a result, the prediction was verified in two working conditions constant discharge rate and step alternating discharge rate. The results showed that the difference temperature between the battery and ambient was not more than 5°C during the whole discharge cycle at a constant discharge rate. Under the alternating discharge conditions of 0.75C and 1.5C steps, the TEC system enabled the average temperature of the battery pack to be in the range of 24.5°C-26.5°C, with a fluctuation of no more than 2°C. Meanwhile the maximum temperature difference between batteries not exceeding 1°C. This study could provide some theoretical reference for the development of battery temperature control by thermoelectric cooling.