Luis Enrique Marrón Ramírez

The sustained increase in energy density in lithium-ion battery modules requires robust thermal management strategies to mitigate excessive heat accumulation. In this study, a directional thermal decoupling strategy is systematically evaluated in an 8S2P module comprising 60 Ah pouch cells by implementing a three-dimensional coupled electrochemical–thermal conjugate framework. Under continuous 2C discharge at an elevated ambient temperature, five inter-cell insulation sheets and five lateral thermal interface materials coupled to serpentine cold plates are comparatively evaluated. Nanoporous aerogel-like barriers limit heat conduction along the stacking direction but significantly hinder lateral diffusion toward the module edges, raising the maximum temperature to between 332.5 and 333.7 K and the temperature difference to 13.5 K, while yielding lower heat rejection rates ranging from 169.8 to 171.7 W. Conversely, anisotropic graphite sheets enhance in-plane heat spreading, reduce maximum volumetric heat generation, decrease maximum temperature to 322.3K, and raise Q˙rej to 187.0W. At the lateral interface, a conformable AlN/PDMS composite minimizes conductive resistance, yielding an optimal heat rejection rate of 188.94 W and maintaining maximum temperature at 321.97K. These findings establish quantitative design criteria to effectively balance inter-cell thermal isolation with active heat evacuation under severe nominal operating regimes.

The following research focuses on the study of the behavior of air plasma developed inside a 200 kW arc-jet constrictor. The scope of the analysis performed in the present document is focused specifically on the velocity fields and their characteristics inside the constrictor domain. Among them, the velocity magnitude, the distribution of the radial profiles at different stations along the length of the constrictor, and the axial velocity profile distribution. The analytical study considers mathematical models, which include air properties like specific heat, thermal conductivity, electric conductivity and enthalpy. The axial enthalpy distribution is shown at different radii of the constrictor in order to explain the presence of the velocity fields inside the control volume of interest. In the present work, it was found that the magnitude of the air plasma velocity fields increases due to the contact with the electric arc along the constrictor, reaching maximum velocity values of 5000 m/s at 10,000 K in the center of the constrictor and gradually decreasing when the constrictor radius approaches the wall. These findings provide insight into performance aspects of an arc jet constrictor using atmospheric air as a propellant. A key limitation of the present study stems from the initial assumptions and restrictions detailed in the Materials and Methods section. These constraints inherently alter several plasma flow parameters, namely the Lorentz force, the radial variation of the electric potential, etc.