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Cooling the surface of large format batteries with solid conductive plates, or fins, has an inherent advantage of reducing the number of liquid seals relative to some mini-channel cold plate designs, as liquid is not passed through the numerous individual plates directly. This may reduce the overall pack leakage risk which is of utmost importance due to safety concerns associated with the possibility of a cell short circuit and thermal runaway event. However, fin cooling comes at a cost of an increased thermal resistance which can lead to higher cell temperatures and a poorer temperature uniformity under aggressive heat generation conditions. In this paper, a novel graphite-based fin material with an in-plane thermal conductivity 5 times greater than aluminium with the same weight is presented for advanced battery cooling. The thermal performance of the fin is benchmarked against conventional copper and aluminium fins in an experimental programme cycling real 53 Ah pouch cells. The results from the extensive experimental testing indicate that the new fin can reduce both the peak measured temperature and surface temperature gradient by up to 8 °C and 5 °C respectively, when compared to aluminium fins under an aggressive electric vehicle duty-cycle.

Minority leaders face workplace issues not experienced by white leaders including lack of support, discrimination, racism, and stereotyping. The purpose of this study was to explore how racial/ethnic minority leaders encountered and overcame barriers as leaders of cultural community centers. Three racial/ethnic minority executive directors of cultural community centers located in a Midwestern city were interviewed and their responses were hand-coded to develop themes. Six themes emerged from this process: finding 'inspiration', 'developing thick skin', 'stereotypes', 'damage from within', 'take your path', and. 'hope'. Their stories help us understand the complexities of inter-racial relations m the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]