Thermal Design Methodology of Power Converters for Electric Vehicle Applications

Abstract

With increasing awareness of climate change, governments and organizations have made it their mission to see a greener future. Countries like Norway, South Korea, and Canada have promised to ban internal combustion engines (ICE) by 2025-2035. Growing demand for cleaner modes of travel have taken over the market, causing everyone to look at electric vehicles for the solution. Tesla’s revenue has tripled in the past five years, 15 new electric car manufacturer shave joined, and almost all big-name ICE companies have started producing electric/hybrid cars. As the number of electric vehicles increases, a solution to long charging times will be needed to keep up with the high-power-density fuel used in ICE. Charging stations are increasing in power ratings as Tesla introduces their 250-kW supercharger and EVBox with their 350-kW Ultronig stations. These stations are comprised of power modules that stack together to reach the desired power rating. Designing, testing, and implementing power modules for electric vehicles can be a complex process due to thermal efficiency and packaging challenges. To address these issues, it is essential to establish a design methodology for power modules that takes into account validation and packaging considerations. This thesis presents a design methodology for heat exchangers that allows for rapid prototyping with sufficient accuracy, approximately below 10%. The study includes numerical simulations, reduced modeling, and experimental validation, which can increase confidence during the design phase and reduce design times. Using reduced models for quick calculations instead of relying solely on numerical models can further expedite the process. A reliable and adaptable analytical methodology for heat exchanger design is crucial for successful optimization setup.