Thermal management

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Cooling plate

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.

Heat generation

The heat a cell produces in operation: an irreversible part equal to current times overpotential, and a reversible part from the entropy change, I·T·dE/dT. The Bernardi equation sums them and feeds every thermal model.

Operating temperature

The temperature range a cell may be charged and discharged in, typically 0–45 °C for charging and −20–60 °C for discharging. Charging below 0 °C risks lithium plating; above the range the cell ages fast and may vent.

Preconditioning

Warming or cooling the battery to its preferred temperature before a fast charge or a hard drive, using the vehicle’s own heaters and pumps. Navigating to a charger triggers it in many cars, because a cold pack cannot accept high current safely.

Temperature sensor

Usually a negative-temperature-coefficient thermistor glued to a busbar or cell surface, with a few per module. Because sensors read the surface, the hottest point inside a cell can run several degrees higher than the BMS sees.

Thermal interface material

A soft, thermally conductive paste or pad that fills the gap between cells and the cooling plate so heat does not have to cross air. It is dispensed by the kilogram in a pack and is a surprising share of its cost.

References & further reading

Further reading on this topic

These sources provide broader context; they are not presented as citations for every statement in this entry.

1. A General Energy Balance for Battery Systems

   Dawn Bernardi, Ellen Pawlikowski, John Newman · Journal of The Electrochemical Society · 1985

   Topic background · Battery energy balance and irreversible and reversible heat contributions. Reduced thermal models require explicit assumptions and current-sign conventions.

2. University Physics Volume 2, §1.6: Mechanisms of Heat Transfer

   OpenStax, Rice University

   Topic background · Conduction, convection, radiation and thermal resistance.