Thermostatic Cooling Structure and Temperature Uniformity Optimization for Energy Storage Batteries Based on Phase Change

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Abstract
To address the challenges of achieving thermostatic control and mitigating temperature non-uniformity in battery packs using conventional liquid cooling methods, this study proposes an optimized cooling strategy that combines PCMs with mini-channel structures. To investigate the influence of PCMs on enhancing heat dissipation performance, a three-dimensional transient temperature field analysis is conducted to compare the impact of different cooling media on lithium-ion battery temperatures under identical cooling structures. The results indicate that when a phase change medium is utilized as the coolant, the peak temperature and overall temperature difference of the battery pack are fundamentally consistent with the cooling performance achieved by conventional liquid cooling. However, the global uniformity of the battery pack is significantly improved, accompanied by a substantial reduction in the required coolant flow rate. Two PCM-based optimization models are proposed: a dual-channel cold plate and a mini-channel cold plate, both evaluated at a 1C charging rate. Theoretical calculations and simulation analyses reveal that the dual-channel model reduces the peak temperature and overall temperature difference by 1.5 ℃ and 1.0 ℃, compared to a conventional liquid cooling system. In contrast, the mini-channel model achieves further improvement, lowering the peak temperature and temperature difference by 1.7 ℃ and 1.2 ℃. These findings demonstrate that an optimized heat dissipation architecture and medium can achieve robust thermostatic control and effectively enhance thermal uniformity. This work lays a theoretical foundation and provides technical references for designing thermal management systems in energy storage power stations, ensuring optimal operating temperatures and improved overall efficiency.

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