Numerical investigations on liquid cooling plate partially filled with porous medium for thermal management of lithium-ion battery pack

In order to address the thermal management of lithium-ion battery pack, a liquid cooling plate partially filled with porous medium is proposed and effects of filling ratio, filling position and segment number of porous medium on the maximum temperature and temperature difference of each cell in the pack and pressure drop of liquid cooling plate are investigated. Results suggest that the maximum temperature and temperature difference of each cell in the pack cooling by liquid cooling plate partially filled with porous medium are firstly decreased with the increase of filling ratio, reaching the minimum value at the filling ratio of 75 %, and finally increased with the filling ratio rising up to 100 %, but the pressure drop of the liquid cooling plate partially filled with porous medium is increased with the increase of filling ratio. However, positive effects of porous medium are weakened when the filling position is moving from microchannel downstream to microchannel upstream and segment number is increasing from one to three. This is because that the heat dissipation ability of liquid cooling plate at the microchannel downstream and upstream is affected by the filling ratio, filling position and segment number. [Display omitted] •A liquid cooling plate partially filled with porous medium is designed.•Liquid cooling plates partially and fully filled with porous medium are compared.•Effects of filling ratio, filling position and segment number of porous medium are investigated.•Optimal design parameters of partially filled porous medium are proposed.