Computational Simulation of Bioinspired Indirect Liquid Cooling for EV Battery Systems

Lim, Jian Hung (2026) Computational Simulation of Bioinspired Indirect Liquid Cooling for EV Battery Systems. Final Year Project (Bachelor), Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology.

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Abstract

The optimization of a bioinspired indirect liquid cooling system based on leaf vein structures for electric vehicle (EV) battery thermal management is the subject of this study. The rising trend in electric vehicles (EV) adoption has resulted in the demand for capable battery thermal management systems (BTMS) to facilitate safe operation, maximize performance, and extend the battery lifespan. High pressure drops and uneven temperature distributions are common outcomes of conventional liquid cold plates inability to balance thermal and hydraulic capabilities. In order to overcome this difficulty, the effects of geometric parameters (channel height, width, branching angle) and operational conditions (inlet velocity, coolant type) on the maximum temperature, temperature difference and pressure drop across the battery were assessed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations and the Design of Experiments (DOE) approach. The results in parametric studies revealed that increasing the channel height to 10 mm and width to 8 mm significantly improves both thermal and hydraulic performance by lowering the maximum temperature and temperature difference and decreasing pressure drop due to a larger cross-sectional flowarea. With only a slight increase in flowresistance, temperature uniformity is further improved by adjusting the branching angle to an ideal 40°. Higher input velocities were also shown to result in a disproportionately large and unfeasible rise in pressure drop throughout the system, despite the fact that they enhance heat dissipation. According to the study, water is a more useful and efficient coolant than liquid metal. The best leaf vein arrangement, according to the results, has a channel height of 10 mm, a channel width of 8 mm, a branching angle of 40° and a coolant inlet velocity of 0.1 m/s. Compared to the initial leaf vein and conventional straight channel configurations, the optimized channel geometry reduces the maximum battery temperature (