Smart Tools to Drive the Future of EV Thermal Management
Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more powerful and efficient, but keeping their components cool remains a challenge. Traditional cooling systems often use multiple fluids for different parts, such as the motor, battery, and inverter. However, a new approach is emerging: using a single dielectric oil for both cooling and lubrication. This method allows direct cooling of critical components, resulting in a more compact design, increased energy efficiency, and improved safety.
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The challenge of integrated cooling
While using a single cooling fluid sounds great, designing an efficient system is complex. Each component has different cooling requirements, and how they are connected - whether in series, in parallel, or through different heat sink designs - can affect performance. Traditionally, engineers have relied on experience and trial and error to design these systems. However, this approach limits the number of possible designs that can be tested, meaning that some potentially better solutions may be overlooked.
A smarter approach: Automated Design Exploration
To overcome this challenge, we have developed an intelligent, web-based tool that automates the process of designing and evaluating cooling systems. Instead of manually testing a few configurations, our tool generates and analyzes thousands of possibilities in minutes. Using advanced computational techniques such as constraint programming, parallel computing, and system simulation, it identifies the most efficient system designs based on key performance indicators (KPIs) such as thermal efficiency and energy consumption.
The future of EV cooling design
Our tool simplifies and accelerates the design of complex thermal management systems, helping engineers find viable solutions faster and with greater accuracy. But we keep moving forward:
We will continue refining the tool by incorporating additional cooling method options for each drivetrain component. More specifically, we are currently also working on developing validated novel direct contact or immersion cooled battery and power electronics concepts and methods.
By integrating these models as well as indirect and direct cooling models from past projects, we will introduce an additional topological parameters for each component, enabling even more precise and adaptable system designs for electric vehicles. Further, the tooling will also be generalized to support other disciplines such as electrical and mechanical systems.
How We Can Support You
With our smart tools, we can optimize your thermal architectures and help design innovative, efficient cooling solutions for your electric powertrains.
Our expertise includes:
- Thermal Architecture Optimization: Using automated design tools, we identify the most efficient cooling configurations.
- Experimental Validation: We validate e-fluid powertrains and components through our flexible e-fluid circuits and HiL infrastructure.
- Custom Cooling System Design: We develop and refine e-fluid cooled powertrain components, including novel, robust motor cooling concepts.
Learn more about our services:
Novel Robust Power-Dense Motor E-Fluid Cooling Concepts
Testing with Active Cooling & Lubrication System