What are liquid cooling and air cooling systems in energy storage packs?

1. What is Air Cooling / Liquid Cooling?

Air Cooling in energy storage systems refers to using ambient air—often via fans or ductwork—to dissipate heat from battery cells. It relies on airflow to maintain safe temperatures and requires minimal infrastructure (Saur Energy).

Liquid Cooling uses a circulating coolant (e.g., water-glycol or dielectric fluid) passed through tubes, cold plates, or jackets in contact with battery cells. This method extracts heat directly, enabling efficient temperature control .

2. Features of Air Cooling

Pros:

Simplicity & low cost: No pumps or plumbing; fewer components .

Easy maintenance: Minimal parts, no leak risks (Saur Energy).

Lightweight: Avoids heavy coolant systems, beneficial for low-density packs (Saur Energy).

Cons:

Low thermal efficiency: Air holds less heat, struggles with large heat loads (CooliBlade).

Hot spots & uneven cooling: Can reduce performance and battery life (XD Thermal).

Environmental dependency: Less effective in hot climates; needs large fans or ducting (Saur Energy).

Noise and energy cost: Fan operation uses power and adds noise.

3. Features of Liquid Cooling

Pros:

High cooling performance: Liquids transfer heat much more effectively than air (维基百科, Capture Energy Storage).

Uniform temperature control: Reduces hotspots; precise control (±3 °C) .

Compact design: Enables higher energy density in smaller packages (TLS Offshore Containers & TLS Energy).

Quiet operation: No fans, less noise .

Reliable in extreme environments: Maintains performance in hot or cold climates (TLS Offshore Containers & TLS Energy).

Cons:

Complex systems: Requires pump, piping, coolant management, heat exchangers (Capture Energy Storage).

Higher upfront & maintenance costs (Capture Energy Storage).

Potential coolant leaks: Risks require careful sealing and monitoring (Capture Energy Storage).

Heavier systems: Adds weight from piping and coolant.

4. Applications

Air-Cooled Systems

Best for small to medium battery packs with low power density (e.g., backup UPS, residential storage) (Saur Energy).

Works in mild climates and cost-sensitive installations .

Liquid-Cooled Systems

Favored in EV batteries (e.g., Tesla, BMW, BYD, CATL) for fast charge/discharge and longevity (Saur Energy).

Essential for grid-scale BESS and industrial energy storage with high thermal loads (Saur Energy).

Ideal in extreme environments requiring precise control and high reliability .

5. How to Select Cooling Method

System size & power density

Low-power, small systems → air cooling; high-power or fast cycling → liquid cooling (CooliBlade, Saur Energy).

Ambient conditions

Mild climates → air; extreme temps → liquid (Capture Energy Storage).

Cost vs performance

Budget-focused → air; performance-focused → liquid.

Maintenance capacity

Liquid cooling needs skilled upkeep (leak checks, coolant tops-ups).

Space & weight constraints

Liquid cooling enables compact, dense configurations (Reddit, Canal Solar, Saur Energy).

6. Supplier: Huiyao Laser (Huiyao Laser Co., Ltd)

Huiyao Laser specializes in advanced thermal management for energy storage systems. We deliver turnkey solutions—from design and manufacturing to installation and commissioning—tailored to customer needs. Our expertise includes:

Custom air-cooling designs: ideal for compact, cost-sensitive projects.

Sophisticated liquid-cooling solutions: engineered for high-power, high-density, and extreme-environment applications.

We ensure efficient, reliable, and safe battery thermal management for a wide range of industrial, commercial, and transportation sectors.