Enhancing Battery Cell Cooling Efficiency: Integration of Phase Change Materials with Innovative Fin Structures

Excessive heating of the batteries and their efficiency loss is major issue needs focussed attention. The presented modelling and simulation work explore the thermal behaviour of battery cells under a 5C (Amp. Hour) discharge rate. The impact of phase change materials (PCMs) and fins design investigated to find response on thermal behaviour of the battery system. In this investigation three PCM and fins configurations adopted for testing. These are RT33, N-Octadecane and Caprice with 2-fins and 4-fins setups. Investigation reveals that among three N-Octadecane with 4-fins configuration exhibits optimum result. Liquid % of melted PCM reaches 75.23% for N-octadecane with 4 fins configuration, 64.56% for RT33and lowest melting fraction for Capric acid that is 49.15%. Voltage observation analysis confirms maximum value 4V and cut off at 3V, associated with n-Octadecane and the smallest voltage drop during 660 seconds of working. Surface heat flux from battery data revealed a sharp fall to -784 W/m² for n-Octadecane, whereas RT33 maintains higher flux before getting stabilize. Capric acid exhibited a slower rise, peaking at -800 W/m² later in the cycle. N-octadecane with 4 fins design exhibited the lowest temperature (311.68K), better than the Capric acid peak of 315.87K. RT33’s high latent heat ensured consistent cooling, while capric acid’s lower latent heat led to reduced heat absorption. These results highlight the importance of PCM selection and fin design in enhancing battery safety, temperature control, and overall performance in electric vehicle applications.