Comparative thermal study of battery components under beeswax and paraffin PCM configurations

¹ Industrial Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering Bina Nusantara University, Jakarta, Indonesia 11480
² Faculty of Mechanical Technology and Engineering, Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Melaka, 76100, Malaysia

^* Corresponding author: safarudin.gazali@binus.edu

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of phase change materials (PCMs) on the thermal and electrical performance of lithium-ion batteries under a constant discharge current of 15 A for 30 minutes. Three configurations were tested: battery without PCM, battery with beeswax PCM, and battery with paraffin PCM. Infrared thermal imaging was employed to monitor peripheral and core component temperatures, while voltage and capacity measurements were used to assess electrical performance. Results show that peripheral components such as the controller, main switch, and connector exhibited similar heating patterns across all configurations, indicating limited influence from PCM integration under moderate load conditions. However, the fuse connector consistently emerged as the most thermally stressed element, reaching approximately 51°C in both non-PCM and beeswax PCM configurations. For core battery metrics, the voltage drop was 5.56 V for the non-PCM battery, 5.88 V for beeswax PCM, and 4.77 V for paraffin PCM. Capacity reduction was smallest with beeswax PCM at 44%, followed by non-PCM at 51% and paraffin PCM at 52%. Direct temperature rise was highest in the non-PCM battery (36.7°C), with beeswax (35.5°C) and paraffin (35.2°C) showing modest reductions. The findings highlight that paraffin PCM is more effective in maintaining voltage stability, whereas beeswax PCM better preserves battery capacity. Both PCMs contribute to reducing core temperature rise, which can extend battery life and improve safety. These results provide practical guidance for PCM selection in passive battery thermal management applications.