Thermal Design of Lithium Sulfur Batteries

R. Purkayastha [1], S. Schleuter [1], G. Minton [1], S. Walus [1], M. Wild [1],
[1] Oxis Energy Ltd, E1 Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, United Kingdom
Published in 2016

OXIS Energy Ltd is a pioneer in the research and development of Lithium Sulfur batteries. Scaling up from R&D level coin cells to pouch cells for automotive use, engineering design and thermal management start to become critical. In this study, heat flow at various levels of the cell is investigated. We analyzed different heat flow scenarios of the cell, and found that standard pack arrangements might require for tab cooling to be used. Besides the behavior of the tab region, a close look is taken at the weld between the tabs and the electrodes, as well. It was found that the values of the weld resistances are low in comparison to the actual tab resistance, but this will change when wider and/or thicker tabs are used, due to the Joule heating present in the tabs themselves.