Guest Post by Mr. Mohamed Afraaz Sultan, BEACON
A detailed CFD and structural analysis was carried out to evaluate the thermal behaviour and resulting mechanical stresses in a liquid-cooled battery pack. Using 3DEXPERIENCE Fluid Dynamics Engineer, temperature distribution under operational conditions was simulated, followed by thermal stress evaluation in Durability and Mechanics Engineer. This coupled approach helps ensure better design reliability and highlights how cooling strategies directly impact structural integrity, especially in critical components like busbars.
3DEXPERIENCE Fluid Dynamics Engineer provides a user-centric interface designed to simplify the simulation workflow for designers and analysts alike. With contextual assistant toolbars and guided actions, users can quickly move from product geometry to fluid simulation. One of its standout features is the ability to generate a fluid domain with just a single face selection from the solid product geometry, eliminating the need for manual enclosure creation. This intuitive approach streamlines the setup of internal and external flow problems, making CFD simulations more accessible without compromising on accuracy or control.
In this setup, a dielectric fluid enters the battery pack at 0.5 m/s to absorb heat generated by the cells, modelled with a uniform heat source of 160 W. The fluid flow extracts thermal energy and exits through an ambient outlet, while the pack walls are exposed to convective heat transfer to the surrounding atmosphere (20 W/m²·K). With an initial system temperature of 296 K, this configuration effectively mimics real-world cooling conditions and provides insight into the thermal behaviour of the pack during operation.
After running the simulation, the results show that the maximum temperature reaches 320 K (47 °C), mainly concentrated on the battery cells. The temperature contours and streamline plots clearly demonstrate how the dielectric fluid helps carry heat away, assisted by convective cooling from the outer walls. The average temperature on the busbars is also tracked, revealing a gradual rise that could lead to thermal expansion—an important consideration for Fluid–Structure Interaction (FSI) analysis. Overall, the simulation confirms that active cooling plays a key role in maintaining safe thermal limits across the battery pack.
With the thermal simulation completed, the next step was to assess how the temperature rise impacts the structural integrity of critical components, particularly the busbars. Using 3DEXPERIENCE Durability and Mechanics Engineer (FGM), which is powered by the Abaqus solver, a structural analysis was performed by mapping the temperature field from the CFD results. This enabled accurate evaluation of thermal expansion, stress development, and potential deformation under realistic operating conditions. Since busbars play a vital role in electrical connectivity, even small distortions can lead to performance or durability issues. This fluid–structure interaction (FSI) approach ensures a seamless coupling between thermal and mechanical domains, providing deep insights into material response, constraint design, and overall structural resilience of the battery pack.
In this setup, the busbars—made of high-conductivity C11000 (N38) copper for efficient current flow—are tied to the battery cells, edge constraints are applied, and temperature input from the CFD simulation is mapped as a thermal load. This allows for accurate evaluation of thermal expansion and stress behavior in the structure. Coupling the CFD and structural analyses within the 3DEXPERIENCE platform is straightforward—thermal results can be directly selected and applied. With both simulations managed in a single environment, the process becomes more streamlined, collaborative, and consistent across disciplines.
The structural simulation reveals that the maximum Von Mises stress developed in the busbars is approximately 86.7 MPa, as shown in the stress contour. This stress is higher than the typical yield strength of N38 copper (~70 MPa) but remains well below its ultimate tensile strength (~210 MPa). Thanks to copper’s ductility, the material can withstand this level of stress without immediate failure, though plastic deformation may occur in localized regions. The minimum factor of safety based on yield strength is around 0.8, indicating areas of concern but not critical failure. However, to improve performance, the design can be optimized by either selecting a stronger material or incorporating allowances for thermal expansion. The accompanying temperature graph confirms that the average temperature on the busbars increases steadily, with the final value nearing 318 K (45 °C), which correlates directly to the regions of highest thermal stress in the structure.
This thermal–structural simulation workflow demonstrates how a complete and streamlined setup enables accurate thermal stress analysis of liquid-cooled battery packs. The use of advanced post-processing tools enhances result interpretation, while design validation powered by the robust Abaqus solver ensures reliable performance insights. The seamless integration with SOLIDWORKS and the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform supports a true MODSIM (Modeling & Simulation) approach, enabling smooth transitions from design to simulation. By leveraging cloud computing, the platform also offers faster solving capabilities and reduces reliance on local IT infrastructure—making high-performance simulation more accessible than ever.
Guest Post by Mr. Mohamed Afraaz Sultan, BEACON
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