This thesis consists of three main objectives: fundamental and literature review of EV batteries, experimental development, and validation of two liquid cooling battery modules, thermal modeling and comparison of the inter-cell cooling battery module. / The traditional vehicles with internal combustion engine have resulted in severe environmental pollution, which motivates the development of electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles. Due to a low energy density and long refueling time of the battery pack, it is still hard for electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles to be widely accepted by the consumers. As the batteries with a better ultra-fast charging capability are massively produced, the range anxiety issue is somewhat alleviated. During a charging with large current magnitude, the battery generally has a great amount of heat generation and evident temperature rise. Therefore, a thermal management system is necessary to effectively dissipate the battery loss and minimize the degradation mechanisms caused by extreme temperature. The motivation of this thesis is to study the discipline of the battery thermal management system as an application for electric vehicles. The design methodologies are presented in both experiment test and numerical simulation. For the comparative study between active liquid cooling methods for a lithium-ion battery module using experimental techniques, two battery modules with three Kokam Nickel Manganese Cobalt battery cells connected in parallel are developed. One has liquid coolant flowing along the edge of the model, and another with liquid coolant flowing between the cells. Several characterization tests, including thermal resistance tests, fast charging tests up to 5C, and drive cycle tests are designed and performed on the battery module. The inter-cell cooling module has a lower peak temperature rise and faster thermal response compared to the edge cooling module, i.e., 4.1⁰C peak temperature rise under 5C charging for inter-cell cooling method and 14.2⁰C for edge cooling method. The thermal models built in ANSYS represent the numerical simulation of the inter-cell cooling module as a comparison with the experiment. A cell loss model is developed to calculate the battery heat generation rate under ultra-fast charging tests and a road trip test, which are further adopted as the inputs to the thermal models. The simulation of the 5C ultra-fast charging test gives the peak temperature rise just 0.47⁰C lower than the experimental measurement, it indicates that the FEA thermal models can provide an accurate temperature prediction of the battery module. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / With a demanding market of electric vehicles, battery technologies have grown rapidly in recent years. Among all the battery research topics, the development of ultra-fast charging, that can fully charge the battery pack within 15 minutes, is the most promising direction to address the range anxiety and improve the social acceptance of electric vehicles. Nevertheless, the application of ultra-fast charging has many challenges. In particular, an efficient thermal management system is significant to guarantee the safety and prolong the service life of the battery pack. This thesis contributes to study the fundamentals of the battery field, and design liquid cooling systems to observe the thermal behavior of a battery prototype module under fast charging and general use. FEA thermal modeling of the battery module is developed to provide a guide for further test validation.

The electric vehicle market has rapidly expanded due to technological advancements for the last decade and a key enabler is the development of high-performance batteries with greater energy density, faster charging, and longer lifespan. The construction equipment sector faces unique challenges in electrification, including high power demands, extended operating hours, and the need for minimal downtime. To address these challenges Volvo Construction Equipment is investigating a battery swap system solution that allows for quick battery swaps, reducing downtime and a decoupled lifetime from the machines. The aim for this study is to design a battery pack used for the battery swap system while answering the following research questions: RQ1: What configuration of battery modules, rack and auxiliary systems achieve the highest energy density when designing a battery pack for construction equipment? RQ2: What factors should be considered when designing the battery modules, rack, and auxiliary systems to achieve the highest energy density of a battery pack for construction equipment? This project followed a limited version of Ulrich et al.'s (2019) product development process, focusing on concept development and system-level design for a battery swapping system. An inductive research approach was taken, gathering qualitative and quantitative data from interviews, literature, documents, and meetings to create a holistic understanding of the project challenges. A structured literature review was conducted using relevant keywords across multiple databases, employing techniques like forward and backward snowballing. Data analysis methods, including conversation analysis, were employed to structure and analyze collected data, ensuring validity and reliability through triangulation, and cross-referencing with experts at Volvo. Empirical studies were conducted through benchmarking and a case study, providing quantitative data on specifications and qualitative insights from internal documentation and communication with product developers. The findings formed an iterative concept generation process, emphasizing the importance of exploring diverse possibilities in the early stages. The design process involved evaluating previous battery pack solutions, working within predefined constraints like using a specific shell, internally developed battery modules, auxiliary components while satisfying a set of stakeholder needs. Some auxiliary components and a rack that supports the battery modules were also developed as there is a new internal layout of the battery pack. This resulted in a conceptual battery pack that theoretically have a 30% higher energy density than the previous battery pack solutions. The proposed solution enables Volvo Construction Equipment to offer machines with longer runtimes and increased productivity by maximizing the energy storage capacity within the given constraints.

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Dans le cadre du développement des véhicules électriques et hybrides, la connaissance et la gestion de l'énergie du pack de batteries est une problématique majeure. Pour cela, les constructeurs automobiles ont besoin de modèles numériques pour représenter le comportement dynamique des batteries. L'objectif de cette thèse est de développer, d'une part une méthodologie de caractérisation du comportement dynamique des cellules de batterie et de leurs assemblages et d'autre part des modèles numériques associés qui soient simples, rapides, robustes, présentant le meilleur compromis précision/simplicité. La première partie du travail de la thèse a consisté à développer une nouvelle méthode de caractérisation expérimentale avec un modèle de circuit électrique équivalent, qui permet de s'appliquer facilement à différentes batteries et de calibrer la complexité du modèle (nombre de circuits utilisés) en fonction de la durée des mesures de la phase de repos après une sollicitation. Le modèle généré est capable de suivre les évolutions rapides et lentes de la tension de la batterie, ce qui peut améliorer l'estimation de la tension dans les applications BMS (Battery Management System). Des essais de validations sur différentes batteries ont montré que les modèles générés permettent une prédiction précise du comportement dynamique de la batterie. Ensuite, le manuscrit aborde les assemblages des cellules en série avec la méthode de caractérisation élaborée. Elle commence par une définition énergétique de l'assemblage. Puis, la modélisation de l'assemblage avec la méthode de caractérisation est discutée. Les essais de validation ont été menés sur différents assemblages et ont montré que le comportement dynamique de l'assemblage peut aussi être bien représenté avec les modèles identifiés / As part of the development of electric and hybrid vehicles, energy management in the battery pack is a major issue. Car manufacturers need a numerical model to represent the dynamic behavior of batteries. The objective of this work is to develop, on the one hand, a characterization method of the dynamic behavior of battery cells and their assemblies, and on the other hand the combined numerical models which are simple, fast, robust and with the best accuracy/simplicity compromise. The first part of the work is dedicated to develop a new experimental characterization method with an equivalent circuit model, which can be applied easily to different battery cells and allows calibrating the complexity of the model (number of the RC circuits) according to the measurement duration of the resting phase after a solicitation. Therefore, the generated model is able to follow the rapid and slow voltage change of the battery cell, which improves voltage and state of charge estimation for the BMS (Battery Management System) applications. The validation tests on different battery cells show that the generated model allows accurate prediction of the battery cell’s dynamic behavior. The second part of the work studies the cell assemblies with cells connected in series. It begins with an energy definition of the cell assembly. Then modelling of the assembly with the developed characterization method is discussed. The validation tests were carried out on different assemblies and show that the dynamic behavior of the assembly can be also well represented with the identified models

Les travaux présentés dans cette thèse concernent l'étude thermique des batteries Li-ion en vue d'une application de gestion thermique pour l'automobile. La compréhension des phénomènes thermiques à l'échelle accumulateur est indispensable avant de réaliser une approche de type module ou pack batterie. Ces phénomènes thermiques sont mis en évidence à partir d'une modélisation thermique globale de deux accumulateurs de différentes chimies, en décharge à courant constant. La complexité du caractère résistif de l'accumulateur Li-ion a mené au développement d'un modèle prenant en compte l'interaction entre les phénomènes électrochimiques et thermiques, permettant une approche prédictive de son comportement. Enfin la réalisation de deux boucles expérimentales, de simulation de systèmes de gestion thermique d'un module de batterie, montre les limites d'un refroidissement classique par air à respecter les critères de management thermique. En comparaison, le second système basé sur l'intégration innovante d'un matériau à changement de phase (MCP) se montre performant lors de situations usuelles, de défauts ou encore lors du besoin d'une charge rapide de la batterie. / This work relates to the thermal study of Li-ion batteries in order to develop an optimized battery thermal management system. The understanding of thermal phenomena at cell scale is essential before to undertake an approach of the battery module or pack. Galvanostatic discharges of two kind of Li ion cells are modeled to highlight thermal phenomena. The complexity of the resistive behavior of Li-ion cell led to the development of an electrochemical-thermal coupled model to get a predictive approach. Then, two experimental tests benches were designed so as to compare two battery thermal management systems (BTMS). Restrictions of air cooling highlight its disability to achieve thermal management criteria. Innovative integration of a phase change material (PCM) was then tested under several uses of the battery module. This new BTMS showed really promising performances during intensive driving cycles, failure tests, and when a fast charge is needed.