Experimental Investigation on Thermo-Hydraulic Performance of a Fin and Tube Heat Exchanger for Battery Thermal Management

Liu Yi; Du Yi; Wan Hongniu; Ma Keshuai; Ji Wentao

doi:10.12465/issn.0253-4339.20241105002

您当前的位置：

首页 >

文章列表页 >

Experimental Investigation on Thermo-Hydraulic Performance of a Fin and Tube Heat Exchanger for Battery Thermal Management

更新时间：2026-03-30

- Experimental Investigation on Thermo-Hydraulic Performance of a Fin and Tube Heat Exchanger for Battery Thermal Management
- Journal of Refrigeration Vol. 47, Issue 2, Pages: 1-11(2026)
- 作者机构：
  
  1.西安交通大学能源与动力工程学院热流科学与工程教育部重点实验室西安 710049
  2. 青岛求是工业技术研究院青岛 266427
- 作者简介：
- 基金信息：
- DOI：10.12465/issn.0253-4339.20241105002
  CLC： TB61⁺1;TB657.5
- CSTR：XXXXX.XX.XXX.20241105002
- Received：05 November 2024，
  
  Revised：2024-12-04，
  
  Accepted：06 December 2024，
  
  Published：16 April 2026
- 稿件说明：
移动端阅览
刘杙,杜毅,万红牛等.电池热管理散热器流动换热特性实验与数值仿真研究[J].制冷学报,2026,47(02):1-11.

Liu Yi,Du Yi,Wan Hongniu,et al.Experimental Investigation on Thermo-Hydraulic Performance of a Fin and Tube Heat Exchanger for Battery Thermal Management[J].Journal of Refrigeration,2026,47(02):1-11.
刘杙,杜毅,万红牛等.电池热管理散热器流动换热特性实验与数值仿真研究[J].制冷学报,2026,47(02):1-11. DOI： 10.12465/issn.0253-4339.20241105002. CSTR： XXXXX.XX.XXX.20241105002.

Liu Yi,Du Yi,Wan Hongniu,et al.Experimental Investigation on Thermo-Hydraulic Performance of a Fin and Tube Heat Exchanger for Battery Thermal Management[J].Journal of Refrigeration,2026,47(02):1-11. DOI： 10.12465/issn.0253-4339.20241105002. CSTR： XXXXX.XX.XXX.20241105002.

摘要

基于空气直接冷却的电池热管理因成本低、结构简单等优点被广泛应用。然而，随着风速的提高，噪声和功耗也会增加。针对一典型平直翅片电池热管理用管翅式散热器，采用实验和数值模拟方法研究了风速为2.1~6.1 m/s，冷却工质入口与空气进口温差为20~40℃，冷却工质质量流量为0.35~0.55 kg/s时的流动换热特性。研究结果表明：这3个参数对平直翅片散热器的换热性能均存在显著影响。随着风速的增加，空气侧表面对流传热系数最大提高了102.1%；随着水入口与空气进口温差Δ

w-a

的增加，表面对流传热系数提高了19.1%~28.9%，并与Δ

w-a

变化接近线性关系；冷却工质质量流量增加增强了换热，表面对流传热系数随之增加，且表面对流传热系数在相同流量增幅下增加的程度接近。为了更深入地研究散热器内部的流动状态，根据相同实验条件进行了数值模拟。研究了不同管径、管束列间距等参数变化对换热器换热性能的影响，分析了不同参数对散热器流动换热的影响，获得了相同结构和材料相对较优的换热器几何参数。

Abstract

Objective

Battery thermal management is crucial for ensuring the performance， safety， and longevity of batteries， particularly in electric vehicles and energy-storage systems. Direct air-cooling systems are widely used because of their simplicity， cost-effectiveness， and reliability. However， while increasing the air velocity leads to a higher heat-dissipation efficiency， it also leads to higher power consumption and noise. This study aims to experimentally and numerically analyze the flow and heat transfer characteristics of a typical flat fin-and-tube heat exchanger used in battery thermal management. This research focuses on investigating the effects of operational parameters， including air velocity， temperature difference between the coolant and air， and coolant mass flow rate， on the heat transfer performance.

Methods

Both experimental and numerical approaches were employed to evaluate the heat transfer performance of the heat exchanger. The experimental setup featured a copper-fin and 316L stainless steel tube unit with two fans to enhance forced convection， and tests were conducted across air velocities of 2.1-6.1 m/s， coolant-to-air temperature differences of 20-40 ℃， and coolant mass flow rates of 0.35-0.55 kg/s. The performance was evaluated using the heat transfer coefficients， pressure drops， and overall heat dissipation rate， with an uncertainty of 6.5% and repeatability within 2.2%. A three-dimensional steady-state CFD model of a unit was developed by adopting no-slip wall conditions， symmetry/periodic boundaries， and wall contact resistance with the corresponding boundary conditions. Mesh independence was achieved with approximately 1.41 million cells， solver residuals established at 10⁻⁷， and parametric analysis was conducted for tube outer diameters ranging from 3 mm to 6 mm and bundle spacings from 7 mm to 11 mm.

Results and Discussions

The results illustrate the effects of air velocity， temperature difference， and coolant mass flow rate on the thermohydraulic performance of the heat exchanger. As the air velocity increases， the airside heat transfer coefficient improves owing to the enhanced convective heat transfer， with a maximum increase of 102.1% in the 2.1-6.1 m/s velocity range. Similarly， increasing the temperature difference from 20 ℃ to 40 ℃ leads to a rise in the heat transfer coefficient by 19.1% to 28.9%， showing a nearly linear relationship. A higher coolant mass flow rate enhances the heat transfer rate， leading to a proportional increase in the heat transfer coefficient. Numerical simulations confirm these trends and provide insights into the flow behaviors， including the formation of cross-flow vortices that enhance heat transfer， particularly at higher air velocities. The simulations also reveal that transverse vortices form in the fin gaps， which shrink with increasing air velocity. Furthermore， the simulation results indicate that the optimal pipe diameter for maximizing heat transfer performance is 6 mm， with a tube bundle pitch of 9 mm.

Conclusions

This study concludes that the air velocity， coolant temperature difference， and coolant mass flow rate are the primary factors influencing the heat transfer performance of flat fin-and-tube heat exchangers for battery thermal management. Both the experimental and numerical results indicate that increasing the air velocity and coolant mass flow rate significantly enhances the heat transfer. Furthermore， the temperature difference between the coolant and air directly affects the heat transfer coefficient. Based on these findings， the optimal heat exchanger design should have a pipe diameter of 6 mm and tube bundle pitch of 9 mm. This configuration provides the optimum heat transfer performance and is recommended for improving the efficiency of air-cooled thermal management systems for high-performance battery applications.

关键词

Keywords

references

彭苏萍 . 中国氢能源与燃料电池发展战略及未来展望［J］. 中国工业和信息化， 2023 （ 4 ）： 36 - 41 .

PENG Suping . Development strategy and future prospect of hydrogen energy and fuel cell in China ［J］. China Industry & Information Technology ， 2023 （ 4 ）： 36 - 41 .

DONG Feng ， LIU Yajie . Policy evolution and effect evaluation of new-energy vehicle industry in China ［J］. Resources Policy ， 2020 ， 67 ： 101655 .

YANG Xiaolong ， HU Xiaobo ， CHEN Zhuo ， et al . Effect of ambient dissipation condition on thermal behavior of a lithium-ion battery using a 3D multi-partition model ［J］. Applied Thermal Engineering ， 2020 ， 178 ： 115634 .

WESTBROOK M H . The electric car： development and future of battery， hybrid and fuel-cell cars ［M］. London ： Institution of Engineering and Technology ， 2001 .

LIU Huaqiang ， WEI Zhongbao ， HE Weidong ， et al . Thermal issues about Li-ion batteries and recent progress in battery thermal management systems： a review ［J］. Energy Conversion and Management ， 2017 ， 150 ： 304 - 330 .

ZHAO G ， WANG X ， NEGNEVITSKY M ， et al . A review of air-cooling battery thermal management systems for electric and hybrid electric vehicles ［J］. Journal of Power Sources ， 2021 ， 501 ： 230001 .

WANG T ， TSENG K J ， ZHAO J . Development of efficient air-cooling strategies for lithium-ion battery module based on empirical heat source model ［J］. Applied Thermal Engineering ， 2015 ， 90 ： 521 - 529 .

SANTA ROSA D T ， PINTO D G ， SILVA V S ， et al . High performance PEMFC stack with open-cathode at ambient pressure and temperature conditions ［J］. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy ， 2007 ， 32 （ 17 ）： 4350 - 4357 .

MOHAMMADIAN S K ， ZHANG Y . Thermal management optimization of an air-cooled Li-ion battery module using pin-fin heat sinks for hybrid electric vehicles ［J］. Journal of Power Sources ， 2015 ， 273 ： 431 - 439 .

HE Fan ， LI Xuesong ， MA Lin . Combined experimental and numerical study of thermal management of battery module consisting of multiple Li-ion cells ［J］. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer ， 2014 ， 72 ： 622 - 629 .

SAW L H ， YE Y ， TAY A A O ， et al . Computational fluid dynamic and thermal analysis of lithium-ion battery pack with air cooling ［J］. Applied Energy ， 2016 ， 177 ： 783 - 792 .

SIRIKASEMSUK S ， WIRIYASART S ， NAPHON P . Experimental investigation of the thermal management system of a battery pack using a thermoelectric air-cooling module ［J］. Heat Transfer ， 2022 ， 51 （ 7 ）： 6384 - 6402 .

JISHNU A K ， GARG A ， SU S ， et al . A novel procedure combining computational fluid dynamics and evolutionary approach to minimize parasitic power loss in air cooling of Li-ion battery for thermal management system design ［J］. Energy Storage ， 2021 ， 3 （ 1 ）： e210 .

刘雨龙，付森，柴田武志 . 某燃料电池车散热器冷却风扇的控制策略优化［J］. 天津科技， 2022 ， 49 （ 7 ）： 22 - 25 .

LIU Y L ， FU S ， SHIBATA T . Control strategy optimization for radiator cooling fan of a fuel cell vehicle ［J］. Tianjin Science & Technology ， 2022 ， 49 （ 7 ）： 22 - 25 .

王婷 . 燃料电池汽车整车散热系统仿真模拟和实验研究［D］. 武汉：华中科技大学， 2019 .

WANG Ting . Simulation and experimental study on heat dissipation system of fuel cell vehicle ［D］. Wuhan ： Huazhong University of Science and Technology ， 2019 .

傅秦生 . 热工基础与应用［M］. 2版 . 北京：机械工业出版社， 2007 .

FU Qinsheng . Fundamentals and applications of thermal engineering ［M］. 2nd ed . Beijing ： China Machine Press ， 2007 .

陶文铨 . 传热学［M］. 5版 . 北京：高等教育出版社， 2019 .

TAO Wenquan . Heat transfer ［M］. 5th ed . Beijing ： Higher Education Press ， 2019 .

SHEN Shengqiang ， ZHOU Shihe ， YANG Yong ， et al . Study of steam parameters on the performance of a TVC-MED desalination plant ［J］. Desalination and Water Treatment ， 2011 ， 33 （ 1-3 ）： 300 - 308 .

GNIELINSKI V . On heat transfer in tubes ［J］. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer ， 2013 ， 63 ： 134 - 140 .

倪育才 . 实用测量不确定度评定［M］. 5版 . 北京：中国质检出版社， 2016 .

NI Yucai . Evaluation of uncertainty in practical measurement ［M］. 5th ed . Beijing ： Standards Press of China ， 2016 .

Views

911

下载量

CSCD

Alert me when the article has been cited

提交

Tools

Publicity Resources

Effect of Different Cooling Method and Cold Storing on the Quality of Pakchoi

Study on Performance of R417A Heat Pump Water Heater and Heat Transfer of Spiral Tube Condenser

Experiment and Simulation of Semiconductor Refrigeration Device for Air-cooled Garment

Related Author

Ji Wentao

程哲铭

李彬

欧阳新萍

苏博文

Liu Sheng

Yosihiro Takeda

Sigeki Hori

Related Institution

上海理工大学能源与动力工程学院

National Engineering Research Center for Vegetables, Beijing Vegetable Research Center

School of Engineering, Xi'an University of Science and Technology

School of Energy and Power Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology

Zhoukou Normal University

Address：10/F, Yindu Mansion, 67 Fucheng Road, Haidian Dist, Beijing, China Postal code：100142
Tel：010-68711412 Email：editor@car.org.cn
Technical support is provided by Beijing Founder electronics co., LTD 京ICP备09064830号-19 京公网安备11010802024621
It is recommended to read the content of this site in Chrome&IE9+. Please switch to extreme mode in browser 360.
Cookies We use cookies to help provide and enhance our service and tailor content. By continuing, you agree to the use of cookies.

⁰