A 1+1D Thermal Dynamic Model of a Li-Ion Battery Cell

Li-ion batteries are today considered the prime solution as energy storage system for EV/PHEV/HEV, due to their high specific energy and power. Since their performance, life and reliability are influenced by the operating temperature, great interest has been devoted to study different cooling solutions and control algorithms for thermal management. In this context, this paper presents a computationally efficient modeling approach to characterize the internal temperature distribution of a Li-ion battery cell, conceived to serve as a tool to aid the design of cooling systems and the development of thermal management systems for automotive battery packs. The model is developed starting from the unsteady heat diffusion equation, for which an analytical solution is obtained through the integral transform method. First, a general one-dimensional thermal model is developed to predict the temperature distribution inside a prismatic Li-ion battery cell under different boundary conditions. Then, a specific case with convective boundary conditions is studied with the objective of characterizing a cell cooled by a forced air flow. To characterize the effects of the cooling system on the temperature distribution within the cell, the one-dimensional solution is then extended to a 1+1D model that accounts for the variability of the boundary conditions in the flow direction. The calibration and validation of the specific model presented will be presented, adopting a detailed 2D FEM simulator as a benchmark.