Passive Thermal Management Optimizes Lithium-ion Battery Pack Performance

Steve Wener, Senior Principal Engineer at Inventus Power, wrote an article for EDN Network (May 2019) that describes some practical and effective passive thermal management techniques that can optimize the performance of Li-ion battery packs.

When properly designed and manufactured, lithium-ion battery packs are very reliable and will usually live up to the lofty expectations people have for them. However, when exposed to certain events or conditions, lithium-ion battery packs can experience performance degradation or even failure.

Electrical or mechanical abuse, cell manufacturing defects, and unfavorable thermal conditions can cause problems for lithium-ion packs. Of these, unfavorable thermal conditions may be the most common reason for sub-par battery pack performance.

This article explains how passive thermal management in Li-ion battery packs promotes optimal pack performance. It also describes some practical and effective passive thermal management techniques.

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