Investigations on a novel cold plate achieved by topology optimization for lithium-ion batteries

A necessary research topic about thermal management design of lithium-ion batteries has been attracted extensive attentions. A novel cold plate designed by topology optimization method for lithium-ion batteries under 3 C discharge rate is proposed in this paper. Different types of topology mini-channel models are obtained by using double objective optimization functions. The numerical simulation is realized by three-dimensional electrochemical-thermal coupling model in COMSOL Multiphysics 5.4. The effects of cold plate type, channel depth and mass flow rate on lithium-ion batteries are studied, and the cooling performance is evaluated. Compared with the straight mini-channel, the topology mini-channel cooling performance can be improved by 61.82%. The topology mini-channel with four stagger-inlet, flow depth of 4 mm, inlet width of 6 mm and mass flow rate of 3 × 10−3 kg s−1 is considered as the best choice for cooling 20 Ah pouch type LiFePO4 battery, and the pressure drop, j/f factor and heat transfer coefficient are 17.5 Pa, 0.41 and 1068.55 W m−2 K−1, respectively. Finally, the optimal topology configuration is tested experimentally, and the experimental results prove the correctness of the simulation results. •Cold plate topology optimization is achieved by coupling electrochemical model.•3D electrochemical thermal coupling model is established.•Cold plate type, inlet number, channel depth and mass flow rate are investigated.•The experimental results agree well with the simulation results.