A novel heat dissipation structure based on flat heat pipe for battery thermal management system

Summary Flying car is an effective transport to solve current traffic congestion. The power batteries in flying cars discharge at a high current rate in the takeoff and landing phase, evoking a severe thermal issue. Flat heat pipe (FHP) is a relatively new type of battery thermal management technology, which can effectively maintain the temperature uniformity of the battery pack. We have constructed a resistance‐based thermal model of the batteries considering the impact of the state of charge (SOC), battery temperature, and current on the battery heat generation. The FHP model is developed based on segmental heat conduction model, and integrated into the battery model to form the battery‐FHP‐coupled model for a battery module. Experiments are carried out to verify its accuracy. Then, the battery thermal performance is analyzed under the different discharging conditions including constant discharge rates and dynamic discharge rates for flying cars. Under the condition of the flying cars, the battery maximum temperature appears at the end of takeoff stage, while the maximum temperature difference appears during the forward flight segment. Moreover, different FHP heat dissipation structures are studied to further improve the battery thermal performance. The configuration with the best performance is adopted for the battery pack, and it can meet the heat dissipation requirements of the pack at a discharge rate of 3C or that of flying cars. Finally, the influence of inlet cooling air velocity and temperature on battery thermal performance is investigated. According to the research results, air velocity has little effect on the battery maximum temperature at the discharge rate of flying cars, but it can obviously affect the temperature decrease rate. Besides, the battery maximum temperature and its temperature difference develop linearly with the air temperature. A battery‐FHP‐coupled model is established for an air‐cooled battery pack. The battery thermal performance in different FHP configurations at flying cars discharge rate is analyzed and compared. The influence of coolant parameters on battery thermal performance is investigated.