Numerical investigation of the parameters of a prismatic lithium ion battery under load for electrical vehicle

Electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles are a suitable alternative for vehicles with hydrocarbons fuels to reduce pollution and fossil resources. The batteries operate as the driving force for these vehicles. One of the most critical parameters of the battery is computing the state of charge (SOC). The best range for SOC of lithium-ion battery is between 20% and 90%, and charging and discharging cycles outside of this range causes to decrease the battery life-span. Therefore, the battery SOC must be specified during the charging and discharging processes in order to the SOC to be within a safe range. In this paper, a single cell of lithium ion battery during the constant current discharge cycle with the electrochemical-thermal method has been simulated with 3D CFD in AVL FIRE software. First, numerical results are validated with experimental results of voltage and temperature. Then, the electrical potential distribution in the current collector, SOC, the lithium ion concentration in the electrodes, the temperature distribution at the battery surface, and generated heat during the discharge process at different rates are presented. Finally, a charge/discharge cycle with the variable current was simulated, and the output voltage and SOC were calculated.