Review of immersion cooling coupling strategies in lithium-ion battery thermal management

To address the issues of thermal runaway in lithium-ion batteries under high-rate fast charging and the difficulty of a single cooling method to simultaneously meet temperature control, uniformity, and low energy consumption requirements, immersion cooling has become a popular thermal management technology due to its direct contact heat transfer and strong heat suppression capability. However, it still has shortcomings such as limited cooling media and insufficient temperature uniformity in large modules. This paper systematically summarises five mainstream immersion coupling strategies: jet impingement, cooling tube, phase change material, heat pipe two-phase, and intelligent algorithm. The heat transfer synergy mechanism and operating characteristics of each coupling structure are described separately. A comprehensive performance comparison of the different coupling schemes is conducted by establishing an evaluation system covering peak temperature, module temperature difference, parasitic power consumption, thermal safety, and engineering complexity. The application value of intelligent algorithms in parameter optimisation and dynamic regulation of immersion systems is also analysed. Existing deficiencies in multi field simulation, material compatibility, and engineering implementation of current coupling designs are pointed out. This work can provide a reference for the optimal design and engineering application of immersion coupling thermal management systems for lithium-ion batteries.