Foo Shen Hwang

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-3411-460X

Research Project Title: Passive Battery Thermal Management in Electric Vehicles using Fin Embedded Composite Phase Change Materials (PCM)

Supervisors/s: Thomas Confrey, Colin Reidy, Dorel Picovici, Dean Callaghan, David Culliton, Cathal Notal

Project Funding: South East Regional Development (SERD) Fund

 

 

  • Biography
  • Research Project Description
  • Publications and Outputs

Biography

Hi, my name is Foo Shen and I have a background in Mechanical Engineering and have great interest in renewable energy technologies. I hold a First-Class Honors Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering followed by a Master’s degree where research was conducted on an Electric Vehicle (EV) Battery Passive Thermal Management System from the Institute of Technology, Carlow.

Additionally, I was a Solar Field Engineer at eLeaps Sdn Bhd at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. My primary role included designing, installing, managing, and maintaining solar projects for both on-grid and off-grid projects.

Currently, I am pursuing a Ph.D. at SETU Carlow to expand on the research topic conducted while I was pursuing my master’s with the intention of developing the Passive Battery Thermal Management system for a pack-level design.

Research Project Description

The performance of electric vehicle (EV) battery packs heavily relies on their operating temperature. Therefore, it is crucial to incorporate an effective battery thermal management system. While several existing options like air, liquid, and refrigerant cooling systems require additional energy, an innovative solution lies in passive thermal management systems utilizing phase change materials (PCMs) as a cooling medium. PCMs have the ability to passively absorb and dissipate heat, making them ideal for regulating battery temperatures in EVs. Thus, the objective of my study is to design a passive thermal management system that harnesses the power of PCMs to enhance EV performance by maintaining optimal battery temperatures. Currently, a prototype has been developed to cool a single cylindrical li-ion cell and future works for the project will be based on developing the prototype for a pack-level design

Publications and Outputs

F. S. Hwang et al., “Modular Phase Change Material (PCM) Thermal Management Systems for Cylindrical Li-ion Cells,” presented at the 5th Thermal and Fluids Engineering Conference (TFEC), Begel House Inc., 2020. doi: 10.1615/TFEC2020.est.032095.

F. S. Hwang et al., “MODELLING OF HEAT GENERATION IN AN 18650 LITHIUM-ION BATTERY CELL UNDER VARYING DISCHARGE RATES,” presented at the 5th Thermal and Fluids Engineering Conference (TFEC), Begel House Inc., 2020. doi: 10.1615/TFEC2020.fue.032096.