PhD Studentship: Internal Temperature Sensing Towards Advanced Thermal Management for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Supervisory Team: Dr Haijun Ruan, Dr Taz Amietszajew, Prof. Yue Guo

Project description

Lithium-ion batteries have become predominant in e-mobility and grid-level energy storage, and their lifetime and safety is highly sensitive to their working temperatures. The thermal management system is thus essential, however, only the surface temperature is considered, neglecting the internal non-uniformities. The core temperatures of batteries are generally higher, especially at high currents, and this high temperature gradient commonly leads to an inhomogeneous degradation and potential lithium plating, resulting in accelerated deterioration and safety hazards. Here, this project will develop an advanced thermal management system through multi-objective optimization and sensing internal temperatures of batteries. Four specific objectives are:

• Utilise in-house developed, in-cell implantable thermal sensors to observe internal temperature and gradients, and understand the resulting current inconsistency within batteries.
• Develop an advanced electro-thermal coupled model to virtually sense internal states (temperatures and currents) of batteries.
• Investigate battery degradation under different cooling scenarios to relate battery aging behaviours with internal states.
• Develop a cooling optimisation framework that considers internal states, battery degradation, and cooling energy consumption to optimise the cooling parameters.

The successful candidate will start with developing a model using the existing data tested with internal thermal sensors, and then gradually include high-performance and cooling tests, as well as optimization. Training, including technical, personal and professional courses/development/skills, will be provided at the beginning of the project to help the candidate start these investigations. It is expected that, throughout the PhD programme, the applicant will be interacting and collaborating with the industry contacts to ensure that the approach meets their needs. The final goal is to provide the industry with a solution that can extend battery lifetime at high loads while reducing energy consumption.

If you wish to discuss any details of the project informally, please contact Dr Haijun Ruan, Email: haijun.ruan@coventry.ac.uk.

Essential and Desirable Criteria

Essential: A good first degree (2:1 or above) in Physics, Engineering, or related disciplines. More details refer to:  https://www.coventry.ac.uk/research/research-opportunities/research-students/making-an-application/research-entry-criteria/

Desirable: Prior experience of experimental testing, battery background/knowledge, electrical/control knowledge/experience, sensor/systems development, and data-processing skills.

Funding: Fully funded, Funding for tuition fees and a living stipend are available on a competitive basis. Funding will be awarded on a rolling basis, so apply early for the best opportunity to be considered.

The applicant is not required to submit a research proposal as part of their application. Within the supporting statement (2000 words max), candidates should articulate why they believe they are suited for this position.

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