Porous medium-based efficient cooling for high heat-generating prismatic battery pack with radiation effects: constructal design for temperature homogeneity

In this study, four different cooling systems are designed for prismatic cell battery packs with high heat generation rates. A steady-state 3D numerical simulation is carried out using four different domains: constant area Z domain (domain 1), constant area C domain (domain 2), varying area Z domain (domain 3) and varying area C domain (domain 4). The maximum surface temperature of cells in domain 1 was 317–347 K, whereas it was 310–335 K for domain 4. In addition, domain 4 has the lowest pumping power requirement and entropy generation for a similar space utilisation factor. Furthermore, a porous medium was applied based on the constructal law to the cells of domain 4, which had a higher surface temperature than the average. A maximum reduction of 5.5°C (9.5%) was achieved with domain 4, which features a porous medium, resulting in lower Reynolds numbers and improved temperature homogeneity. With higher heat transfer characteristics for a similar pumping power, domain 4, featuring a porous medium with a higher thermo-hydraulic performance for a similar space utilisation factor, can be implemented as an efficient cooling design for a prismatic battery without compromising space constraints.