A comprehensive investigation on the electrochemical and thermal inconsistencies for 280 Ah energy storage lithium-ion battery

Energy storage batteries have emerged a promising option to satisfy the ever-growing demand of intermittent sources. However, their wider adoption is still impeded by thermal-related issues. To understand the intrinsic characteristics of a prismatic 280 Ah energy storage battery, a three-dimensional electrochemical-thermal coupled model is developed and experimentally verified. The purpose of this study is to explore the physiochemical and thermal behaviors of battery under different operational scenarios. Since electrochemical reactions show inhomogeneous distribution, the maximum heat generation and temperature position move from tab-near region towards central region during the discharge process. When the ambient temperature declines from 25 to 5 °C, total heat generation shows an increment ratio of 36.9 % because of the increase in ionic transport resistance and polarization effect. Additionally, five electrochemical-thermal coupled models that incorporate different levels of simplification are comprehensively discussed. In contrast to lumped model, full-size coupled model demonstrates superior prediction accuracy in describing temperature inconsistency. Furthermore, an electro-thermal-fluidic model is established to evaluate the efficacy of three cooling strategies at battery module level. Results reveal that the indirect liquid cooling provides a higher heat transfer efficiency than air cooling and immersion cooling, but adds 16.3 % to the weight of battery module.