Numerical investigation for a coupled fin-PCM-liquid cooling system under multi-scenario of thermal management and thermal runaway mitigation in lithium-ion battery modules

To address the challenges of thermal management and thermal runaway suppression in lithium-ion battery (LIB) modules, this study proposes a fin-enhanced hybrid cooling plate integrating water-based liquid cooling and phase change materials (PCM). The cooling plate employs a serpentine flow channel and fins embedded with PCM to enhance heat dissipation and thermal buffering under diverse operating conditions. An orthogonal experimental design was conducted to optimize structural parameters (PCM thickness, coolant velocity, and channel width), with evaluation criteria focusing on battery module maximum temperature (T_max) and temperature difference (T_dif). Results indicated that the hybrid cooling plate with relatively optimal configuration reduced T_max by 1.4 °C and T_dif by 0.83 °C compared to an aluminum cooling plate with the same structure during 2C discharge. Under vehicle greenhouse thermal soak conditions, the hybrid cooling plate maintained the battery temperature below 31.95 °C, demonstrating a 34.7 % reduction in temperature rise compared to the aluminum cooling plate. In thermal runaway scenarios, the PCM-fin structure effectively isolated heat propagation, preventing adjacent cells from exceeding 100 °C. Numerical analysis demonstrates the superior thermal regulation and safety performance of the proposed system, effectively addressing battery safety challenges across diverse operational scenarios.