Options for Coupled Thermal-Electric Modeling of Battery Cells and Packs 2014-01-1834

Integration of advanced battery systems into the next generation of hybrid and electric vehicles will require significant design, analysis, and test efforts. One major design issue is the thermal management of the battery pack. Analysis tools are being developed that can assist in the development of battery pack thermal design and system integration. However, the breadth of thermal design issues that must be addressed requires that there are a variety of analysis tools to address them efficiently and effectively.

A set of battery modeling tools has been implemented in the thermal modeling software code PowerTHERM. These tools are coupled thermal-electric models of battery behavior during current charge and discharge. In this paper we describe the three models in terms of the physics they capture, and their input data requirements. We discuss where the capabilities and limitations of each model best align with the different issues needed to be addressed by analysis. Model outputs are compared with measured data for various analysis scenarios, including simulation of constant current charge/discharge, and response to charge/discharge profiles derived from a standard drive cycle, for both single cell and multi-cell pack configurations. We conclude with recommendations for matching model competencies with analysis requirements.