Dynamic performance analysis of a thermoelectric cooling-based thermal management system for lithium-ion power batteries

Power batteries are crucial for electric vehicles and require effective thermal management due to significant heat generation. Thermoelectric cooling offers a promising solution for heat dissipation and thermal stability in power batteries. This paper presents a theoretical model for a thermoelectric cooling-based thermal management system (TCTMS) for lithium-ion batteries. Analytical solutions for temperature distribution are derived, and thermal stresses from material property mismatches between the thermoelectric legs and ceramic plates are analyzed. The impact of battery charging rate, cooling current, configurational parameters, and heat dissipation conditions of thermoelectric coolers (TECs) on thermal management performance of the TCTMS is investigated. With a thermoelectric leg height of 4 mm, a fill factor of 0.3, and ambient temperature of 298 K, numerical results show that TEC reduces the average battery temperature by 11.1 K and 5.2 K under 1C and 3C charging, respectively, compared to air cooling at a heat convection coefficient of 100 W/(m2K). When the heat convection coefficient is 70 W/(m2K), the required cooling currents to minimize the maximum battery temperature during 0.5C, 1C, 1.5C, and 2C charging are 0.85 A, 0.87 A, 0.9 A, and 0.93 A. This model provides insights for optimizing TCTMS design for lithium-ion power batteries.