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Volume 12
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10.3390/batteries12020047
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Article

Thermally Aware Design of Large-Format Batteries Driven by an Equivalent Circuit Network-Based Electro-Thermal Model

by
Junlong Niu
1,
Hua Tang
1,
Hongwei Li
1,
Caiping Zhang
2,
Linjing Zhang
2,
Bingxiang Sun
2,3,
Kai Gao
2,
Tong Li
4 and
Tao Zhu
2,5,*
1
Beijing Capital International Airport Co., Ltd., Beijing 100621, China
2
National Active Distribution Network Technology Research Center (NANTEC), Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China
3
Key Lab of Vehicular Multi-Energy Drive Systems (VMEDS), Ministry of Education, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, China
4
CNPC Offshore Engineering Company Limited, Beijing 100176, China
5
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Batteries 2026, 12(2), 47; https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries12020047
Submission received: 10 December 2025 / Revised: 25 January 2026 / Accepted: 29 January 2026 / Published: 30 January 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Lithium-Ion Battery Safety and Fire: 2nd Edition)
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Abstract

Large-format pouch cells enable higher pack-level energy density and simplified system architecture, yet they pose significant thermal challenges due to long internal conduction paths, pronounced spatial gradients, and limited access to core temperature. This work develops a high-fidelity electro-thermal model for large-format cells based on an equivalent circuit network that mirrors the physical assembly of tabs, welds, and electrode stacks. The model couples three-dimensional ohmic conduction in tabs, welds, and current collectors with node-level equivalent circuit models in the stack, and uses measurement-anchored parameters. The model is used to study thermally critical design factors for a 44 Ah pouch cell, including thermal management configurations, tab width, tab thickness, and tab welding. Simulation results indicate that among four active cooling options, two-sided stack surface cooling achieves the lowest temperatures and the best uniformity, lowering the average temperature by about 11 °C relative to natural convection and reducing the temperature standard deviation to 1.43 °C. It also decreases the core maximum temperature by more than 9 °C, whereas other configurations provide only 4 to 5 °C core reductions. Changes to tab geometry and welding have minor effects except under one-sided tab cooling.
Keywords: large-format battery; distributed equivalent circuit network; electro-thermal coupling; battery cooling; tab welding large-format battery; distributed equivalent circuit network; electro-thermal coupling; battery cooling; tab welding

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MDPI and ACS Style

Niu, J.; Tang, H.; Li, H.; Zhang, C.; Zhang, L.; Sun, B.; Gao, K.; Li, T.; Zhu, T. Thermally Aware Design of Large-Format Batteries Driven by an Equivalent Circuit Network-Based Electro-Thermal Model. Batteries 2026, 12, 47. https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries12020047

AMA Style

Niu J, Tang H, Li H, Zhang C, Zhang L, Sun B, Gao K, Li T, Zhu T. Thermally Aware Design of Large-Format Batteries Driven by an Equivalent Circuit Network-Based Electro-Thermal Model. Batteries. 2026; 12(2):47. https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries12020047

Chicago/Turabian Style

Niu, Junlong, Hua Tang, Hongwei Li, Caiping Zhang, Linjing Zhang, Bingxiang Sun, Kai Gao, Tong Li, and Tao Zhu. 2026. "Thermally Aware Design of Large-Format Batteries Driven by an Equivalent Circuit Network-Based Electro-Thermal Model" Batteries 12, no. 2: 47. https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries12020047

APA Style

Niu, J., Tang, H., Li, H., Zhang, C., Zhang, L., Sun, B., Gao, K., Li, T., & Zhu, T. (2026). Thermally Aware Design of Large-Format Batteries Driven by an Equivalent Circuit Network-Based Electro-Thermal Model. Batteries, 12(2), 47. https://doi.org/10.3390/batteries12020047

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