Investigation of Flow Channel Configurations in Liquid-Cooled Plates for Electric Vehicle Battery Thermal Management

Mitigating heat generation in electric vehicle (EV) batteries is crucial for safety, operational efficiency, and battery lifespan. Liquid-cooled cold plates are widely used; however, comparative studies of channel geometries are often hindered by inconsistent experimental conditions. This study systematically compares six cold plate configurations under identical cross-sectional areas and uniform thermal boundary conditions. These controls isolate the effect of geometry on performance. Computational fluid dynamics (CFDs) was used to evaluate six configurations, derived from three main channel layouts (serpentine with eight U-turns, serpentine with six U-turns, and elliptical) and two cross-sectional shapes (circular and square). The serpentine square-tube design with eight U-turns exhibited the lowest thermal resistance (0.0159 K/W). The circular-tube variant achieved the most uniform temperature distribution (TUI > 0.53). The six U-turn circular-tube configuration demonstrated the lowest pressure drop (11.7 kPa). The results indicate that no single design optimizes all performance metrics, highlighting trade-offs between cooling effectiveness, temperature uniformity, and hydraulic efficiency. By isolating geometric variables, this study offers targeted design recommendations for engineers developing battery thermal management systems (BTMS).