Stereoscopic Serpentine Channel-Based Cold Plate Design for Enhanced Liquid Cooling of EV Batteries

Abstract

This study examines the cooling performance of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries in electric vehicles, emphasizing the importance of maintaining temperatures below 35°C to ensure efficiency and safety. A simulation-based approach is used to study battery pack cooling using a liquid coolant (deionized water) within a cold plate system, focusing on a 16-cell battery pack connected in series-parallel. A novel stereoscopic-serpentine cold plate design is implemented. The thermal response of the battery pack is evaluated under constant and worldwide harmonized light vehicles test cycle (WLTC Class 3 drive) discharge rates. The inlet temperature and inlet flow velocities of the liquid coolant are varied. The simulation results for the stereoscopic-serpentine cold plate design are compared with those for the traditional serpentine bottom cold plate design. The new design improved coolant flow and effectively reduced temperature differences in the battery pack. The findings highlight that lowering the coolant temperature is significantly more effective for reducing the battery temperature than increasing the coolant flow speed, with a 1% decrease in coolant temperature leading to a 7.1% reduction in the maximum battery temperature, compared with a mere 0.21% reduction from a 1% increase in coolant flow speed.

Keywords

battery management system / cold plate / heat exchanger / liquid cooling / simulation / stereoscopic-serpentine design / temperature

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2026 The Author(s). Battery Energy published by Xijing University and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.