2022 Asia Power and Electrical Technology Conference

A Model-Based Approach for Temperature

Estimation of a Lithium-ion Battery Pack
Seyed Saeed Madani Carlos Ziebert
2022 Asia Power and Electrical Technology Conference (APET) | 978-1-6654-5334-9/22/$31.00 ©2022 IEEE | DOI: 10.1109/APET56294.2022.10072755

Institute of Applied Materials- Institute of Applied Materials-

Applied Materials Physics, Applied Materials Physics,
Karlsruhe Institute of Karlsruhe Institute of
Technology Karlsruhe, Germany Technology Karlsruhe, Germany
[email protected] [email protected]

Abstract—Temperature is an essential factor that substantially lithium-ion pouch cells were determined by employing an
impacts lithium-ion batteries' cycle lifetime, capacity, safety, and isothermal battery calorimeter. It was concluded that immense
heat loss. The present investigation analyses the influence of the growth in the lithium-ion battery temperature through the cell's
lithium-ion battery cell's current rate on its temperature and surface was found on the lithium-ion battery cells surface [7].
thermal behaviour. The experiments were fulfilled at different
discharge and charge cycles with different current rates. In this Throughout the discharge process, electrical power is
study, the thermal behaviour of a lithium-ion battery was analyzed withdrawn from the lithium-ion battery and generated heat
at different current rates by employing a model-based approach transferred from the lithium-ion battery. The aforementioned is
from MATLAB. A correlation was seen between the current rate vice versa throughout the charging process. The thermal
of the lithium-ion battery and the most remarkable temperature behaviour of lithium-ion cells throughout discharge and charge
growth. The results would produce a more robust understanding at different current rates was investigated. Several experiments
of the temperature evolution of the lithium-ion battery cell for were accomplished in an adiabatic environment by employing
various applications. A smaller temperature was seen on the upper an accelerating rate calorimeter. The impact of entropy variation
part of the lithium-ion battery pack. on generated heat was lower at more enormous current rates.
The aforementioned caused a more significant irreversible heat
Keywords—lithium-ion battery pack, temperature estimation, a throughout discharging and charging at big current rates [8].
model-based approach
The heat loss modelling of lithium-ion batteries was done. In
I. INTRODUCTION addition, the influencing parameters, such as the working
There are growing concerns over the environmental, climate, temperature, state of charge, and current rates on the lithium-ion
and health impacts caused by using non-renewable fossil fuels. battery's heat generation rate, were determined. When the
Electric vehicles can significantly reduce fossil-fuel operating temperature was 50 °C, the heat generation amount
consumption and relieve environmental pollution. However, a was approximately the same as 20 °C at the lower current rates
universal acceptance of low-cost electric vehicles is highly and increased comparatively toward big current rates. The heat
dependent on developing a highly efficient energy storage generation level increases with the increase of charge and
device with high energy and power densities, long cycle and discharge current rates. The non-uniformity of the temperature
calendar life, and low prices [1,2]. distribution on the lithium-ion battery cell's surface overreaches
10 K, as was reported by the experimental data [9].
Among various energy storage devices, rechargeable
batteries, especially lithium-ion batteries, are the most mature In [10-12], the influential parameters that affect the
technique and have the most significant potential to meet the contributions of irreversible and reversible heating were
requirements for electric vehicles. Lithium-ion batteries have determined. It was concluded that the heat of mixing rose at
been prominent in portable electronics and are expected to be bigger discharge rates and was considered a consequential
widely used in high-end applications such as electric vehicles. contributor to lithium-ion batteries' heat generation at discharge
However, the energy density of current lithium-ion batteries rates greater than 1C. The increased efficiency at the cycles with
technology is still relatively low, the charging capability is still bigger charge and discharge current rates could be connected
not fast, and the cycle/calendar life is not long enough to meet with raised lithium-ion battery overpotentials at bigger current
the requested car life. In addition, safety and appropriate thermal rates. The increase in heat generation at the cycles with bigger
management are other issues of the current lithium-ion batteries, charge and discharge current rates could be connected with
especially in large-scale applications such as electric vehicles [3- reversible and irreversible heat generation and heat mixing. Both
6]. irreversible heat generation and reversible heat generation are a
function of current. Notwithstanding, their contribution could be
Comprehension of heat generation behaviour during different at different charge and discharge cycles [10-12].
discharging and charging a lithium-ion battery is essential to
developing superior thermal management systems for lithium- The heat of phase change is another source that contributes
ion batteries. The performance and behaviour of commercial to the heat generation of lithium-ion batteries. Nevertheless, it

978-1-6654-5334-9/22/$31.00 ©2022 IEEE 357

Authorized licensed use limited to: National Institute of Technology Patna. Downloaded on January 31,2024 at 05:53:29 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
has been chiefly disregarded in literature. The rise in irreversible resistance values including R1 and R2 were incorporated into
heat generation at big current rates is attributable to raised over the lithium-ion model. The open circuit voltage values of
potential [13]. lithium-ion batteries were determined by charging and
discharging the batteries. The battery model from MATLAB
The surface temperature of the lithium-ion battery at was used for simulation and modelling of the lithium-ion battery
different working temperatures was determined. It was pack.
concluded that the lithium-ion battery cell's most significant
temperature at the end of the discharge and charge cycles
depends almost linearly on the charge and discharge currents. A
slight deviation was seen at specific currents from this linear
trend. A considerable decrease in slope was not seen by
decreasing working temperature. This linear correlation might
arise from the relation between different parameters such as
current, energy loss, temperature, and the lithium-ion battery
cell's internal resistance. [14].
A systematic technique was employed to investigate the
temperature effects. In this investigation, discharge-charge
experiments were accomplished using the Maccor system, and
the heat generation data was gathered through an isothermal
calorimeter. It could be seen that the lithium-ion battery heat
flux evolution correspondent to discharge and charge currents.
It can be concluded that the heat generation inside lithium-ion
batteries leads to the non-homogeneity of the surface
temperature. The maximum temperature was found on the
lithium-ion battery cell's upper part neighbouring the tabs. The Fig. 1. Procedure for determination of battery model.
minimum temperature was found on the nether portion of the
lithium-ion battery cell. This finding can acknowledge the III. RESULTS
significant quantity of heat flux in that region. The A constant current charge and discharge profile was applied
heterogeneous temperature distribution attributable to interior to the lithium-ion batteries, as shown in Fig. 2. A schematic of
losses in the lithium-ion battery cell could be decreased by the lithium-ion battery pack and battery pack model in
putting the terminals on the opposite side of the lithium-ion MATLAB is illustrated in Fig. 3. As can be seen, there is thermal
battery cell [15]. insulation on one end, and the other end is exposed to the
Electric vehicles should work in different conditions, such as surroundings. The recommended model was constructed on
high temperatures in the summer and low temperatures in the MATLAB Simulink, which is significantly advantageous for
winter. These temperature oscillations could intensely influence comprehending the thermal phenomena of lithium-ion batteries
lithium-ion battery-powered vehicles' durability, driving range, in a model-based manner. According to the recommended
and performance [16]. Consequently, it is essential to study the model's comprehension of the lithium-ion battery's thermal
influence of working temperature on lithium-ion battery thermal behaviour, temperature-control strategies for lithium-ion battery
characteristics to develop effective thermal management packs could be developed. Simulation results of the lithium-ion
systems to lengthen the lithium-ion battery systems' output battery pack are demonstrated in Fig. 4.
capabilities and lifetime.
The principal difficulty in lithium-ion battery thermal
management is accurately estimating temperature and heat
generation in lithium-ion batteries throughout discharging and
charging. The oscillations in heat generation rate, temperature,
and efficiency at different operating temperatures and current
lithium-ion battery rates challenge additional research to better
comprehend the heat generation mechanisms of lithium-ion (a)
batteries.
II. BATTERY MODEL
A diagrammatic of the lithium-ion battery model that was
employed for the remaining part of this investigation is
illustrated in Fig. 1. The mathematical equations are taken from
battery model in MATLAB. This model was selected
attributable to its simplicity in characterizing behaviour of an
(b)
electrochemical system. To develop the model for lithium-ion
batteries electrical parameters were considered for the battery. Fig. 2. Constant current charge and discharge profile applied to the lithium-ion
The state of charge-dependent open circuit voltage and batteries.

358
Authorized licensed use limited to: National Institute of Technology Patna. Downloaded on January 31,2024 at 05:53:29 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
 This configuration illustrates that the heat transfer rate was
more significant at the top part of the lithium-ion battery pack.
This finding presumably results from more excellent heat
transmission via the surroundings. It could be seen that the
temperature of the lithium-ion batteries lessens with the
environment temperature and raises with the current.
Accordingly, the temperature enhances all over the lithium-ion
batteries with bigger transferred heat. The aforementioned might
acknowledge the explanation; the lithium-ion batteries' (a)
electrical system is principally changeable regarding
temperature variations.

(b)

(a)

(c)
Fig. 4. Simulation results of the lithium-ion battery pack (a): 0.5 C, (b):1 C,
(c):1.5 C.

While the lithium-ion battery discharge ends, the heat

produced within the lithium-ion battery must go to zero.
Accordingly, the presence of mixing heat could be found by
investigating and evaluating the lithium-ion battery's heat loss
characteristics in the discharge termination [17]. The internal
resistance of lithium-ion batteries is the principal source of
irreversible heat. These essential parameters are dependent on
temperature. Preceding research on lithium-ion batteries has
presented a significant dependency on lithium-ion batteries'
internal resistance to temperature [18]. The irreversible heat
produced during discharge is more significant than the charge
[19].
Heat generation level at a definite temperature could be
approximated. Heat generation is proportionate to the
temperature. For all cases, heat generation during discharge
(b) cycles is bigger than during charge cycles. The aforementioned
Fig. 3. (a): A schematic of the lithium-ion battery pack. (b): Lithium-ion battery may correspond to the higher inner resistance of the lithium-ion
pack model in MATLAB. battery during discharge. Notwithstanding, a distinguishable
variation in the lithium-ion battery's heat flux was evident from
Lithium-ion batteries have a heat generation boundary with the charge and discharge process.
individual compounds and materials as a function of operating
temperature. Besides, it varies for different current rates. In Furthermore, a considerable increase in the temperature was
addition, an immense current leads to more significant energy seen for the lithium-ion batteries near the thermal insulation,
loss, which causes bigger temperatures. The lithium-ion indicative of a decline in their performance as the working
batteries' heat flux and generation at the charging termination temperature was raised. The cooling of the lithium-ion battery
are lesser than discharge. Nevertheless, the heat generation is provides a restricted temperature growth to stop further
approximately identical between charging and discharging at the exothermic reactions. Consequently, the heat generation could
commencement. This finding might be due to the increase of the be controlled. The aforementioned can prevent thermal runaway.
lithium-ion battery's terminal voltage, and the reversible heat It can be concluded that the lithium-ion battery cell cannot be an
takes up the heat while the lithium-ion battery is charging [14]. acceptable nominee for a system that requires significant
thermal safety, especially throughout ultra-fast

359
Authorized licensed use limited to: National Institute of Technology Patna. Downloaded on January 31,2024 at 05:53:29 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.
charging/discharging, without a well-designed thermal isothermal calorimeter," 2016 11th Int. Conf. Ecol. Veh. Renew. Energies,
management system. EVER 2016, 2016.
[8] A. Eddahech, O. Briat, and J. M. Vinassa, "Thermal characterization of a
IV. CONCLUSION high-power lithium-ion battery: Potentiometric and calorimetric
measurement of entropy changes," Energy, vol. 61, pp. 432–439, 2013.
In this study, the thermal behaviour of a lithium-ion battery [9] S. S. Madani, E. Schaltz, and S. K. Kær, "Study of temperature impacts
was analyzed at different current rates by employing a model- on a lithium-ion battery thermal behaviour by employing isothermal
based approach. The lithium-ion battery cell exhibited a calorimeter," in ECS Transactions, Vol. 87, No. 1, pp. 295-305, 2018.
considerable temperature increase, especially at bigger charge [10] K. Chen, G. Unsworth, and X. Li, "Measurements of heat generation in
and discharge current rates, which demonstrated it as prismatic Li-ion batteries," J. Power Sources, vol. 261, pp. 28–37, 2014.
comparatively not the most satisfactory alternative from the [11] K. E. Thomas and J. Newman, "Heats of mixing and of entropy in porous
thermal safety perspective without a proper thermal insertion electrodes," J. Power Sources, vol. 119–121, pp. 844–849, 2003.
management system, especially under high working conditions. [12] S. Al Hallaj, J. Prakash, and J. R. Selman, "Characterization of
commercial Li-ion batteries using electrochemical – calorimetric
Those mentioned earlier affirm a proper consideration in measurements," J. Power Sources, pp. 186–194, 2000.
designing a thermal management system for lithium-ion [13] R. Kantharaj and A. M. Marconnet, "Heat Generation and Thermal
batteries, especially in a hot climate. The most significant Transport in Lithium-Ion Batteries: A Scale-Bridging Perspective,"
temperature was found more adjacent to thermal insulation. The Nanoscale Microscale Thermophys. Eng., vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 128–156,
outcomes enable us to comprehend the impact of current rates 2019.
on the lithium-ion battery cell's temperature through a [14] Madani, E. Schaltz, and S. Knudsen Kær, "Heat Loss Measurement of
straightforward method. Lithium Titanate Oxide Batteries under Fast Charging Conditions by
Employing Isothermal Calorimeter," Batteries, Vol. 4, No. 4, PP. 1-15,
REFERENCES 2018.
[15] S. S. Madani, E. Schaltz, and S. K. Kær, "Simulation of thermal behaviour
[1] Sanguesa, J.A.; Torres-Sanz, V.; Garrido, P.; Martinez, F.J.; Marquez- of a lithium titanate oxide battery," Energies, Vol. 12, No. 4, PP. 1-15,
Barja, J.M. A Review on Electric Vehicles: Technologies and Challenges 2019.
[2] Sun, X.; Li, Z.; Wang, X.; Li, C. Technology Development of Electric [16] S. Ma et al., "Temperature effect and thermal impact in lithium-ion
Vehicles: A Review. Energies 2020, 13, 90. batteries: A review," Prog. Nat. Sci. Mater. Int., vol. 28, no. 6, pp. 653–
[3] Kim, Taehoon, Wentao Song, Dae-Yong Son, Luis K. Ono, and Yabing 666, 2018.
Qi. "Lithium-ion batteries: outlook on present, future, and hybridized [17] R. Kantharaj and A. M. Marconnet, "Heat Generation and Thermal
technologies." Journal of materials chemistry A 7, no. 7 (2019): 2942- Transport in Lithium-Ion Batteries: A Scale-Bridging Perspective,"
2964. Nanoscale Microscale Thermophys. Eng., vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 128–156,
[4] Blomgren, George E. "The development and future of lithium ion 2019.
batteries." Journal of The Electrochemical Society 164, no. 1 (2016): [18] J. H. Kim, S. J. Lee, J. M. Lee, and B. H. Cho, "A new direct current
A5019. internal resistance and state of chArge relationship for the li-ion battery
[5] Li, Matthew, Jun Lu, Zhongwei Chen, and Khalil Amine. "30 years of pulse power estimation," 7th Internatonal Conf. Power Electron. ICPE’07,
lithium‐ion batteries." Advanced Materials 30, no. 33 (2018): 1800561. pp. 1173–1178, 2007.
[6] Wakihara, Masataka. "Recent developments in lithium ion batteries." [19] J. S. Kim, J. Prakash, and J. R. Selman, "Thermal characteristics of
Materials Science and Engineering: R: Reports 33, no. 4 (2001): 109-134. LixMn2O4 spinel," Electrochem. Solid-State Lett. vol. 4, no. 9, pp. 4–8,
[7] M. R. Khan, M. J. Swierczynski, and S. K. Kaer, "Determination of the 2001.
behavior and performance of commercial Li-Ion pouch cells by means of

360
Authorized licensed use limited to: National Institute of Technology Patna. Downloaded on January 31,2024 at 05:53:29 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.