Thermal management research for a 2.5 MWh energy storage power station on airflow organization optimization and heat transfer influential characteristics

• Published in: Numerical heat transfer. Part A, Applications Applications, 2023-05, Vol.83 (9), p.1014-1043
• Main Authors: Yan, Hanchao, Wang, Yan, Wang, Hewu, Li, Yalun, Lu, Languang, Du, Jiuyu, Feng, Xuning, Zhang, Xilong, Li, Desheng, Feng, Shouwang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Air conditioners; Air conditioning; Air cooling; Air flow; Air supplies; Air supply; battery energy storage system; Energy storage; Fins; Flow velocity; Heat; Heat transfer; Heat transmission; Optimization; Orifices; Parameter sensitivity; Power plants; Sensitivity analysis; Temperature gradients; temperature uniformity; Thermal management
• ISSN: 1040-7782; 1521-0634
• DOI: 10.1080/10407782.2023.2178987

Most of the thermal management for the battery energy storage system (BESS) adopts air cooling with the air conditioning. However, the air-supply distance impacts the temperature uniformity. To improve the BESS temperature uniformity, this study analyzes a 2.5 MWh energy storage power station (ESPS) thermal management performance. It optimizes airflow organization with louver fins and simulates its heat transfer behavior. To improve the flow rate distribution along the airflow passage, the air-supply organization of louver fins for the overhead air conditioner is optimized. It indicates that the air-supply angle (A) for louver fins and the battery spacing (D) impacts greatly on BESS thermal management performance. The air supply optimal organization with the A of 90° and the D of 18mm was determined, of which the average temperature (T A ) rise of the battery can be reduced by 18%, and the temperature difference (T D ) is decreased by 23%. Furthermore, a multi-parametric sensitivity analysis is conducted, and the different heat-flow parameter influential sequence for the T A and T D are revealed. The air supply volume flow rate (L) and the air supply temperature (AST) has a significant effect on the T A reduction, and the AST shows significance on the T D decreasing. When AST is reduced to 290 K, the T A rise of batteries decreased by 71%. When the L is increased 10 times, the T A rise of batteries decreased by 227%. When the AST is decreased to 290 K, the T D is reduced by 39%. When the L for air supply is increased by 10 times, the T D will increase by 28%. In this research, the louver fins are firstly adopted for orifices air supply organization to improve thermal field uniformity for BESS.