Design of large-scale battery pack for regional electric aircraft

Abstract

Since 2007, the impact of aviation industry emissions on climate change has garnered significant scientific attention. Electric aircraft (EA) are emerging as a promising solution to mitigate these effects. However, the design of battery packs capable of withstanding particular obstacles encountered by EA remains a challenge. During flight, critical challenges include meeting flight energy demands with batteries that have a lower energy density compared to conventional fuel aircraft, managing thermal conditions to ensure optimal battery performance, and reducing the weight of the battery system without compromising functionality. The integration of battery thermal management systems (BTMS) to maintain battery efficiency further increases the energy requirements and weight of the battery system. This paper aims to optimize mass energy density and Battery Thermal Management System ( BTMS ) energy consumption under the condition of meeting the energy, power and temperature requirements of large-scale battery packs for regional All-Electric Aircraft (AEA).
This thesis presents the design of an efficient and lightweight battery pack and its BTMS for pure electric aircraft. Based on a predefined flight cycle, the size of the battery required to meet the energy demands of the electric aircraft is calculated. Using experimental data on battery charging and discharging under varying temperatures and C-rates, an equivalent circuit model (ECM) of the battery cell is established. This ECM predicts the electrical and thermal behavior of the battery during flight. Subsequently, the material selection, specifications, dimensions, and structure of the battery module and BTMS are designed. With a focus on maintaining cell temperature and minimizing BTMS energy consumption, simulations of the packaged battery module are conducted. These simulations are used to explore and optimize various parameters. Finally, the modeling and simulation of the complete battery pack are performed. The simulation results demonstrate that the design effectively meets the operational requirements of pure electric aircraft in the targeted use scenario.