Open Access

ARTICLE

Thermal Behavior of a LFP Battery for Residential Applications: Development of a Multi-Physical Numerical Model

Michela Costa^1,*, Adolfo Palombo², Andrea Ricci², Ugo Sorge³

1 Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche-Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie per l’Energia e la Mobilità Sostenibili (CNR-STEMS), via G. Marconi, 4, Naples, 80125, Italy
2 Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples “Federico II”, P.le Tecchio 80, Naples, 80125, Italy
3 FIB S.p.A. (FAAM brand)—Gruppo SERI, Strada Statale via Appia 7bis km 15400, Carinaro, 81030, Italy

* Corresponding Author: Michela Costa. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Selected Papers from the SDEWES 2024 Conference on Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems)

Energy Engineering 2025, 122(5), 1629-1643. https://doi.org/10.32604/ee.2025.062613

Received 23 December 2024; Accepted 01 April 2025; Issue published 25 April 2025

Abstract

Effective thermal management is paramount for successfully deploying lithium-ion batteries in residential settings as storage systems for the exploitation of renewable sources. Uncontrolled temperature increases within battery packs can lead to critical issues such as cell overheating, potentially culminating in thermal runaway events and, in extreme cases, leading to fire or explosions. This work presents a comprehensive numerical thermal model of a battery pack made of prototype pouch cells based on lithium ferrophosphate (LFP) chemistry. The multi-physical model is specifically developed to investigate real-world operating scenarios and to assess safety considerations. The considered energy storage system is a battery designed for residential applications, in its integration with a photovoltaic (PV) installation. The actual electrochemical behavior of the prototype cell during the charging and discharging processes is modeled and validated on the ground of experimental data. The essential steps leading to the numerical schematization of the battery pack are then presented to apply the model to two different use scenarios, differing for the user loads. The first scenario corresponds to a typical residential load, with standby lights being active during the night, solar generation with its peak at noon, and appliance use shifting in the afternoon and the evening. In the second scenario, a double demand for energy is present that makes the battery never reach 100% of the State of Charge (SoC) and discharge more rapidly with respect to what occurs under the first scenario. Comparing the simulated temperature with the assumed C-rate, namely the charge or discharge current divided by the battery nominal capacity, it is found that peaks coincide with the charging phase; subsequently, the current tends to a zero value, and consequently, the temperature suddenly reaches the value of the environment. Finally, the model is also utilized to simulate a condition of thermal runaway by introducing critical conditions within a specific pouch cell. In this simulation, the thermal exchange between the cell in thermal runaway and the rest of the system remains within acceptable limits. This occurs due to the short duration of the process and to the module casing coated with an insulating material. The work provides an essential foundation for conducting numerical simulations of battery packs operating also at higher power levels.

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