Numerical simulation of dimensions and arrangement of triangular fins mounted on cylindrical lithium-ion batteries in passive thermal management

This paper examines a battery pack consisting of three cylindrical lithium-ion batteries in an enclosure saturated with Phase Change Material (PCM) using COMSOL software. A two-dimensional longitudinal section of the enclosure is evaluated transiently. There are 6 circular fins on the batteries, which are triangular in two dimensions. The temperature of the battery cells, the liquid volume fraction of PCM, and the heat transfer coefficient (HTCO) are studied using two fin arrangements on the battery. The FEM is used to solve the equations. The results show that the use of a fin with a width of 1 cm to 4 cm reduces the maximum temperature (Tma) of the battery pack by 2.04 and 2.15, respectively, for models F1 and F2. Also, using a 1-cm wide fin instead of a 4-cm one enhances the HTCO for models F1 and F2 by 20% and 19.4%, respectively. However, the use of a fin with a width of 4 cm compared to 1 cm intensifies the amount of liquid PCM at different times. The values of battery temperature (TBa), the amount of liquid PCM, and the amount of HTCO are intensified with time. •A cylindrical lithium-ion battery pack with 3 rows of battery cells was simulated.•The batteries were placed in a cavity with phase change material.•Around the batteries, a number of disc-shaped blades were placed in two different arrangement models.•Increasing the thickness of the blades on the batteries increases the volume fraction of the PCM at steady state.