| Abstract: |
Battery-pack thermal management must limit peak temperature, suppress cell-to-cell gradients, and recover heat over repeated cycles. This paper presents an empirical secondary-data synthesis of published experimental and computational studies of phase-change-material (PCM) cooling combined with liquid cooling. No new cells were tested and no CFD runs were performed; reported values were extracted without pooling incompatible tests. Evidence includes triplicate 2C tests on three parallel 18650 cells at 20 °C, a validated channel-resolved model, a 96-cell 21700 pack simulated over three 2C-discharge/0.5C-charge cycles, and experiments on five-cell prismatic modules. In the matched test, maximum surface temperatures were 126.1 °C for natural convection, 73.6 °C for silicone oil, 59.4 °C for thermal adhesive, and 52.7 °C for PCM. PCM sustained the reported post-discharge 30–50 °C interval for 56 min, although uniformity depended on direction and melting progression. A numerical channel-D case reported 41.2 °C after 30 min and identified 0.108 L/min as an efficient flow, with smaller gains at higher rates. In the 96-cell model, cycle peaks rose from 46.22 to 49.93 °C; pack temperature was reported below 30 °C at cycle endpoints. Evidence supports a mechanism-level relationship: PCM buffers transient heat, while liquid circulation rejects heat and restores latent capacity. Cell formats, loads, and metrics differ, precluding a universal effect estimate. Source inconsistencies, unavailable raw records, and the distinction between PCM-model validation and numerical hybrid-channel testing are documented. The synthesis identifies design implications and validation needs for future design. |
