An energy-saving battery thermal management strategy coupling tubular phase-change-material with dynamic liquid cooling under different ambient temperatures

In advanced battery thermal management systems for electric vehicles, liquid cooling (LC) is typically coupled with a phase-change material (PCM) cooling for secondary heat dissipation. However, a continuous LC consumes a considerable amount of energy without considering the operating conditions. In this study, the thermal behaviors of tubular PCMs were examined under different liquid temperatures (25, 45, and 65 °C) to simulate the complex operating conditions of battery modules. In addition, a thermal management module coupling the PCM and copper pipe (CP) with LC was assembled to enhance the secondary heat dissipation of PCM cooling, particularly in a high-temperature environment. The experimental results confirmed the superior cooling effect of the PCM–CP module, even at high temperatures. Moreover, a dynamic LC (DLC) mode was proposed to reduce the energy consumption caused by LC, where LC operates intermittently. The effects of the LC activation time on the cooling behavior were explored. A coefficient illustrating the energy efficiency ratio (EER) was defined to evaluate the cooling performance and energy consumption of the two DLC modes with varying working times. The results proved that DLC-2 performed better than DLC-1 with EER¯_j values of 0.35 and 0.24, respectively. These results are expected to provide insights into the development of advanced energy-saving thermal management systems.