Thermal Management of Lead Acid Battery (Pb-A) in Electric Vehicle 2011-01-0653

This paper deals with the development of a generic approach for the thermal management of batteries used in electric vehicles. A lumped parameter model was used to determine the worst case scenario of the battery operation from thermal management standpoint. Certain driving conditions were identified as the worst load cases of battery thermal management and these driving conditions were then used to conduct on-road tests. Using the results obtained from the vehicle performance simulation and on-road tests CFD simulations were carried out to establish a relationship between the air flow requirements and the heat generated from the battery. These relations help to obtain a quick estimate of the air flow requirement to keep the battery within safe temperature limits. This methodology developed is valid for all types of batteries used in electric vehicles such as Lead Acid, Lithium Ion, Ni-MH etc.