{
  "node": {
    "id": "term:heat-exchanger",
    "type": "Term",
    "label": "Heat exchanger",
    "properties": {
      "id": "heat-exchanger",
      "name": "Heat exchanger",
      "section": "topic-thermal",
      "definition": "A device that moves heat between two fluids without mixing them, through thin metal walls with as much area as possible. In battery systems the main examples are the chiller, between refrigerant and coolant, and the radiator, between coolant and air; a cooling plate does the same job between cells and coolant.",
      "related": [
        "chiller",
        "radiator",
        "coolant",
        "cooling-plate",
        "refrigerant-loop"
      ],
      "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/heat-exchanger/",
      "mentions": [
        "mixing"
      ]
    }
  },
  "edges": [
    {
      "id": "edge:4715",
      "source": "term:heat-exchanger",
      "target": "topic:topic-thermal",
      "type": "belongsTo",
      "properties": {
        "sourceFile": "terms.json"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "edge:4716",
      "source": "term:heat-exchanger",
      "target": "term:chiller",
      "type": "relatedTo",
      "properties": {
        "sourceFile": "terms.json",
        "meaning": "Related context; not a causal claim"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "edge:4717",
      "source": "term:heat-exchanger",
      "target": "term:radiator",
      "type": "relatedTo",
      "properties": {
        "sourceFile": "terms.json",
        "meaning": "Related context; not a causal claim"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "edge:4718",
      "source": "term:heat-exchanger",
      "target": "term:coolant",
      "type": "relatedTo",
      "properties": {
        "sourceFile": "terms.json",
        "meaning": "Related context; not a causal claim"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "edge:4719",
      "source": "term:heat-exchanger",
      "target": "term:cooling-plate",
      "type": "relatedTo",
      "properties": {
        "sourceFile": "terms.json",
        "meaning": "Related context; not a causal claim"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "edge:4720",
      "source": "term:heat-exchanger",
      "target": "term:refrigerant-loop",
      "type": "relatedTo",
      "properties": {
        "sourceFile": "terms.json",
        "meaning": "Related context; not a causal claim"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "edge:mentions/heat-exchanger/mixing",
      "source": "term:heat-exchanger",
      "target": "term:mixing",
      "type": "mentions",
      "properties": {
        "sourceFile": "terms.json",
        "method": "build_glossary.mention_index + mentions",
        "field": "definition",
        "meaning": "Text mention; not a causal claim"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "edge:4722",
      "source": "term:heat-exchanger",
      "target": "reference:openstax-heat",
      "type": "cites",
      "properties": {
        "sourceFile": "wiki-references.json",
        "scope": "direct technical reference"
      }
    }
  ],
  "neighbors": [
    {
      "id": "topic:topic-thermal",
      "type": "Topic",
      "label": "Thermal management and heat transfer",
      "properties": {
        "id": "topic-thermal",
        "name": "Thermal management and heat transfer",
        "lede": "How heat is made, moved and removed in cells and packs, and the hardware that keeps a battery at the right temperature.",
        "context": "Select spatial detail for the question.",
        "example": "Equal total heat in different layouts can produce different gradients. Average temperature can miss a hot spot.",
        "lesson_url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/fundamentals/battery-aging/",
        "lesson_label": "Open temperature and aging"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "term:chiller",
      "type": "Term",
      "label": "Chiller",
      "properties": {
        "id": "chiller",
        "name": "Chiller",
        "section": "topic-thermal",
        "definition": "A heat exchanger in which evaporating refrigerant from the air-conditioning circuit cools the battery coolant below ambient temperature. A radiator can only bring coolant close to outside air temperature; the chiller is what lets a pack fast-charge on a 35 °C day. Stationary storage containers use packaged chiller units for the same job.",
        "related": [
          "refrigerant-loop",
          "coolant",
          "radiator",
          "heat-exchanger",
          "fast-charging",
          "thermal-management"
        ],
        "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/chiller/",
        "mentions": [
          "stationary-storage"
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "term:radiator",
      "type": "Term",
      "label": "Radiator",
      "properties": {
        "id": "radiator",
        "name": "Radiator",
        "section": "topic-thermal",
        "definition": "A finned coolant-to-air heat exchanger, usually behind the vehicle’s front grille, through which a fan draws air. It can only cool the coolant to a few degrees above the outside air, so it handles the battery in mild weather and the chiller takes over when it is hot or the charging load is high.",
        "related": [
          "heat-exchanger",
          "chiller",
          "coolant",
          "heat-sink",
          "thermal-management"
        ],
        "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/radiator/",
        "mentions": []
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "term:coolant",
      "type": "Term",
      "label": "Coolant",
      "properties": {
        "id": "coolant",
        "name": "Coolant",
        "aka": [
          "water–glycol",
          "glycol coolant",
          "ethylene glycol"
        ],
        "section": "topic-thermal",
        "definition": "The liquid pumped through cooling plates and heat exchangers, usually a roughly 50:50 mix of water and ethylene glycol that stays liquid to about −35 °C. It carries heat better than air or dielectric oils, but it conducts electricity, so a leak inside a pack threatens insulation resistance and can short live parts.",
        "related": [
          "cooling-plate",
          "chiller",
          "radiator",
          "heat-exchanger",
          "immersion-cooling",
          "insulation-resistance"
        ],
        "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/coolant/",
        "mentions": []
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "term:cooling-plate",
      "type": "Term",
      "label": "Cooling plate",
      "properties": {
        "id": "cooling-plate",
        "name": "Cooling plate",
        "aka": [
          "cold plate"
        ],
        "section": "topic-thermal",
        "definition": "A flat aluminium channel assembly under or between the cells through which coolant, usually a water–glycol mix, is pumped. Heat crosses from cell to plate through a thermal interface material; the plate also sets the pack’s temperature uniformity.",
        "related": [
          "thermal-management",
          "thermal-interface-material",
          "immersion-cooling"
        ],
        "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/cooling-plate/",
        "mentions": [
          "thermal-gradient",
          "coolant"
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "term:refrigerant-loop",
      "type": "Term",
      "label": "Refrigerant loop",
      "properties": {
        "id": "refrigerant-loop",
        "name": "Refrigerant loop",
        "aka": [
          "vapour-compression cycle",
          "air-conditioning circuit",
          "evaporator",
          "condenser",
          "compressor",
          "R1234yf",
          "R744"
        ],
        "section": "topic-thermal",
        "definition": "A closed vapour-compression circuit: a compressor raises refrigerant pressure and temperature, a condenser rejects that heat to air, an expansion valve drops the pressure, and an evaporator absorbs heat as the refrigerant boils. Batteries draw on it through a chiller or through refrigerant plates that act as evaporators; R1234yf and CO₂ (R744) are the usual refrigerants.",
        "related": [
          "chiller",
          "heat-pump",
          "heat-exchanger",
          "radiator",
          "thermal-management"
        ],
        "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/refrigerant-loop/",
        "mentions": []
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "term:mixing",
      "type": "Term",
      "label": "Mixing",
      "properties": {
        "id": "mixing",
        "name": "Mixing",
        "aka": [
          "slurry preparation"
        ],
        "section": "topic-manufacturing",
        "definition": "Dispersing active material, conductive carbon and binder in solvent to a uniform slurry with the right viscosity for coating. Order of addition and shear history matter: poorly dispersed carbon leaves particles electrically stranded.",
        "related": [
          "slurry",
          "coating",
          "binder",
          "conductive-additive",
          "nmp"
        ],
        "lesson": "fundamentals/cell-production/#electrodes",
        "example": {
          "title": "Composition is not the process",
          "text": "Equal component masses with different mixing histories can produce different dispersion and coating behavior."
        },
        "url": "https://lemonergy.com/learn/glossary/mixing/",
        "mentions": [
          "active-material"
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "reference:openstax-heat",
      "type": "Reference",
      "label": "University Physics Volume 2, §1.6: Mechanisms of Heat Transfer",
      "properties": {
        "title": "University Physics Volume 2, §1.6: Mechanisms of Heat Transfer",
        "publisher": "OpenStax, Rice University",
        "url": "https://openstax.org/books/university-physics-volume-2/pages/1-6-mechanisms-of-heat-transfer",
        "type": "Textbook section",
        "scope": "Conduction, convection, radiation and thermal resistance.",
        "accessed": "2026-10-27"
      }
    }
  ]
}