Simulation of nanofluid-cooled lithium-ion battery during charging: A battery connected to a solar cell

Abstract In this study, a lithium-ion battery hybrid cooling system is designed to cool the battery using nanofluid and extended surfaces (microchannels). The battery connected to a solar system is evaluated during charging mode. Initially, according to topology optimization based on the maximum heat transfer and minimum pressure drop, the model with maximum efficiency is proposed. A non-Newtonian hybrid nanofluid containing carbon nanotubes flows inside it. Numerical simulations are performed for this system. The Galerkin finite element algorithm is used to perform the calculations and the simulated results are performed to analyze the flow behavior and heat transfer of non-Newtonian nanofluid around the battery. The results demonstrate that the use of the A-3 model at the Reynolds number of 100 creates the lowest maximum temperature in the battery cell, which is 0.4 °C lower than that in the classic model. Also, at a Reynolds number of 1000, model A-2 has the lowest maximum temperature among different models, which is 0.11 °C lower than the classic model. The use of hybrid nanoparticles in all models reduces initial temperature value and enhances the amount of pressure drop at all Reynolds numbers. Among these, the classic model has the maximum and the A-4 model has the minimum pressure drop among different models at different Reynolds numbers, especially Re = 1000. Finally, it is revealed that adding carbon nanotubes to the base fluid and using the nanofluids in microchannels to cool the battery improves battery performance and enhances battery efficiency.