Mechanical Engineering
Graduate Seminar
NOTICE OF SEMINAR PRESENTATION
CANDIDATE: Safayet Mahmud
DEGREE SOUGHT: MASc
DATE: 10/10/2025
TIME: 11:30am
PLACE: Room 1101 CEI
TITLE: Hybrid Cooling of Electric Vehicle Battery Packs Using Composite Phase Change Materials and Glycol-Based Systems
Abstract
This study presents the development and performance analysis of a hybrid cooling system designed to enhance the thermal management of lithium-ion battery packs used in electric vehicles. The proposed system integrates a composite phase change material (CPCM) with an active liquid cooling loop employing a water–glycol mixture as the coolant. The objective is to maintain optimal cell operating temperatures, ensure thermal uniformity, and improve overall system safety and durability under varying load conditions.
A three-dimensional computational model was developed in ANSYS Fluent to simulate coupled heat transfer and fluid flow within the hybrid configuration. The composite PCM incorporates thermally conductive additives and a porous metallic structure to enhance both latent heat absorption and thermal conductivity, while the liquid cooling plate is geometrically optimized to ensure uniform coolant distribution with minimal pressure losses. Parametric studies were performed to assess the influence of coolant velocity, PCM properties, and structural configurations on the thermal performance of the battery module.
Results indicate that the hybrid cooling configuration offers more stable and efficient temperature regulation compared to standalone systems. The integration of passive and active mechanisms effectively limits peak cell temperature and promotes uniform heat dissipation during dynamic operating cycles. This study provides valuable insights into the design and optimization of hybrid cooling architectures for electric vehicle batteries, contributing to the advancement of safe, reliable, and energy-efficient thermal management technologies.