To investigate the thermal behavior and capacity degradation of lithium-ion batteries under external short-circuit conditions with liquid cooling thermal management, this study used 50 Ah prismatic lithium iron phosphate batteries as the research objects. An external short-circuit test platform and a liquid cooling system were established to analyze the variations in voltage, current, temperature, and depth of discharge. The effects of coolant temperature and flow rate on the battery thermal response were further examined. Combined with heat transfer calculation, capacity testing, incremental capacity analysis, and impedance analysis, the aging mechanism after external short circuit were investigated. The results show that the external short-circuit process can be divided into five stages: rest, short-circuit initiation, current plateau, over-discharge heating, and cooling stabilization. During the early stage, the voltage drops rapidly, the current rises sharply, and Joule heat dominates heat generation. As discharge continues, temperature rise affects internal impedance and current evolution. In the over-discharge stage, side-reaction heat contributes more to temperature rise. Liquid cooling suppresses both the temperature rise rate and maximum temperature, while reducing side-reaction heat generation. Without liquid cooling, the capacity loss reaches 5.79%, whereas liquid cooling reduces it to 1.45–2.35%. Lower coolant temperature and higher flow rate help mitigate capacity degradation, with coolant temperature showing a stronger influence. Incremental capacity and impedance analyses indicate that external short circuit causes active lithium loss, electrode structural damage, and impedance increase, while liquid cooling can alleviate these aging effects. This study provides guidance for battery safety protection, liquid cooling optimization, and post-fault health evaluation.
- Open Access
- Article
Hazard Suppression Effect of Liquid Thermal Management System on External Short Circuit of Large-Capacity LiFePO4
- Chun E 1,
- Xiaoming Jin 1,
- Hui Zhang 2,
- Jialei Liu 2,
- Jialong Liu 1,*
Author Information
Received: 26 May 2026 | Revised: 24 Jun 2026 | Accepted: 08 Jul 2026 | Published: 24 Jul 2026
Abstract
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