Immersion cooling of a cylindrical battery module: An optimum configuration using CFD, NSGA-II and desirability function approach

Immersion cooling offers promising advantages for cylindrical battery modules, particularly in applications where compact design, efficient thermal management, and enhanced safety are critical factors. In this study, the geometric, thermal, and dynamic parameters of an immersion-cooled battery module with 14 NCM cylindrical cells are analyzed using CFD methods. The developed battery model is experimentally validated, establishing the constraints through numerical analysis of the impact of design parameters on response values. The design parameters are optimized using a multi-objective optimization technique. The study models the battery module with mineral oil cooling and examines the impact of each parameter on variables such as maximum battery module temperature (Tmax), pressure drop (ΔP), maximum temperature variance (ΔTmax), and battery module mass index (Im). A Design of Experiment set, created with Central Composite Design (CCD), is solved using CFD methods, and quadratic correlation equations are derived using backward regression. The regression models for Tmax, ΔTmax, ΔP, and Im show high accuracy with R2 values close to 1.0. Optimization is performed using the entropy weight-based composite desirability function approach, yielding optimum values for cell center spacing (t), coolant mass flow rate (ṁc), and coolant inlet temperature (Ti) at 20.606 mm, 1.5 kg/s, and 23 °C, respectively. The optimized design sets are validated through CFD analysis, showing a maximum deviation of 4.27 %. Reducing t boosts thermal performance but lowers hydraulic performance, while the reverse occurs for ṁc. As Ti decreases, effective cooling improves, but temperature uniformity suffers. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd