Design and optimization of a biomimetic vein-inspired liquid cold plate for enhanced thermal management of lithium-ion battery modules

In this study, a novel biomimetic liquid cooling channel design inspired by leaf venation patterns was proposed to address the challenge of high temperature and uneven temperature distribution in traditional channel-based cold plates for battery modules. The construction of a coupled network of primary and secondary channels with multiple levels of cross-branching enabled the new structure to achieve uniform coolant distribution and enhanced heat exchange efficiency. A classical battery heat generation model combined with numerical simulations was used to analyze the impact of cooling configurations on the thermal response of battery cells. The results showed that the biomimetic leaf-vein channel outperformed conventional serpentine and parallel straight channels in terms of temperature uniformity, pressure drop control, and overall heat dissipation capability. Furthermore, a parametric optimization study was conducted to evaluate the cooling performance under different structural configurations. Based on a comprehensive performance evaluation, the optimal parameter combination was identified, resulting in a 5.69% reduction in maximum temperature and a 6.79% reduction in temperature difference compared with the initial cold plate configuration, thereby achieving optimal cooling efficiency with low energy consumption.