A study on the cooling characteristics of radiator for battery hot spots based on temperature hydrogel adaptive valve

As lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) continue to see pervasive application, the safety issues related to high-temperature accumulation arising from local hot spots have become increasingly critical. Therefore, the development of adaptive cooling measures and temperature management strategies is paramount. This study delves into a liquid cooling device for LIBs, based on a temperature sensitive hydrogel that adapts its flow control. The heat generated from LIBs at a 1C discharge rate is used as the boundary heat source. This research scrutinizes the effects of different flow rates, hot spot dimensions, and hot spot energy intensities on the cooling performance of the hydrogel-infused flow control plate. The results show that, compared with traditional liquid cooling device, the hydrogel augmented device can adjust its hydrogel volume in response to temperature variations, thereby effectively controlling flow distribution and efficiently dissipating heat at hot spot areas. Even with an increase in the hot spot's size and intensity, this adaptive hydrogel-based cooling apparatus maintains a relatively stable maximum temperature and homogeneous temperature distribution. Under various operational conditions, the heat transfer coefficient in scenarios employing the adaptive hydrogel exceeds 8000 W/(m²·K), demonstrating its strong cooling capacity. The results furnish valuable insights into thermal management and provide a solid basis to improve battery safety and promote its commercial applications.