Thermal Characterization of Polymeric Nanocomposites in Microchannels of Lithium-Ion Battery Packs

The aim of this research is to develop a polymeric nanocomposite with acceptable thermal properties to replace aluminum microchannels in lithium-ion battery packs for electric vehicles. One of the main approaches of this research is to find nanoparticles and polymer matrices that are lighter (compared to aluminum), cost-effective and at the same time has high thermal conductivity. There are also other priorities which is taken into account including electrical insulation and low specific heat capacity which in this research. In this research, two nanocomposites include Polyurethane/Silicon Carbide and Polypropylene/Boron Nitride were selected and their thermal properties are calculated. Therefore, characteristics which are necessary for heat transfer analysis, including thermal conductivity, specific heat capacity and density are obtained which are involved in both transient and steady state heat transfer analyses. First, analytical equations used to measure thermal properties of polyurethane/silicon carbide nanocomposites and results are compared with experimental data. To achieve thermal conductivity, both analytical and numerical methods (using MATLAB and Abaqus) are used and compared with experimental results. Finally, production process for nanocomposite is compared with aluminum and the challenges of its production from raw materials to final materials have also been discussed

کلیدواژه ها:

Thermal conductivity ، battery pack ، microchannel ، heat transfer ، nanocomposite