High-Performance Heat Sink for Interfacing Hybrid Electric Vehicles Inverters to Engine Coolant Loop

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Vetrovec
Keyword(s):  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Heat Sink ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Hybrid Electric Vehicles ◽  
Coolant Loop ◽  
Hybrid Electric ◽  
Engine Coolant

High-Performance Heat Sink for Hybrid Electric Vehicle Inverters

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Vetrovec
Keyword(s):  
Heat Sink ◽  
Heat Load ◽  
Hybrid Electric Vehicle ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Hybrid Electric Vehicles ◽  
Coolant Fluid ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Power Inverters ◽  
Hybrid Electric ◽  
Engine Coolant

We report a novel active heat sink (AHS) that allows high-density electronic components to operate at a stable temperature over a broad range of ambient conditions. AHS receives heat at high flux and transfers it at reduced flux to environment, coolant fluid (e.g., air or engine coolant), heat pipe, or structures. Temperature of the heat load can be controlled electronically. Target applications for AHS include thermal management of high-power inverters for hybrid electric vehicles. Depending on the configuration, AHS can handle a heat load of several hundred watts at a heat flux over 1,000 W/cm2 with a thermal resistance as low as 0.1 °C/W. AHS physics, engineering design for inverter applications, performance simulations, and initial test data are presented.

High Temperature Multi-Fuel Combustion-Powered Thermoelectric Auxiliary Power Unit

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leon M. Headings ◽  
Gregory N. Washington ◽  
Shawn Midlam-Mohler ◽  
Joseph P. Heremans
Keyword(s):  
Heat Exchange ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Hybrid Electric Vehicles ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Combustion Engine ◽  
Lead Telluride ◽  
Generator System ◽  
Auxiliary Power ◽  
Hybrid Electric

With rising worldwide energy demands, there is a growing need for technologies which are able to utilize alternative forms and sources of energy as well as to reduce consumption. While energy storage technologies are rapidly advancing, they are not yet capable of matching the energy densities of combustible fuels. The internal combustion engine (ICE), coupled with a generator, is the predominant method of converting this chemical energy into electrical energy, yet the mechanical nature of this system presents performance limitations. An alternative being developed here is a combustion-powered thermoelectric generator (C-TEG) to directly convert the heat released from combustion into electricity. The solid-state nature of thermoelectric (TE) devices provides the attractive inherent benefits of reliability, fuel flexibility, controllability, and potential for power densities exceeding that of ICE/generator systems. While low material and device efficiencies have thus far limited the use of TEGs to niche applications, recently developed materials have more than doubled the TE figure of merit, a material parameter strongly influencing efficiency. The rapid rate of TE material advancements merits the parallel development of device technologies. Opportunities for a durable, multi-fuel, high power density generator make C-TEGs potential candidates for many consumer, industrial, and military power applications including automotive auxiliary power. Within the automotive field, C-TEGs may be applied in hybrid-electric vehicles to provide power during engine cycling or in conjunction with a TE waste heat recovery system to provide power on demand. With sufficient improvements in efficiency, C-TEGs may be used in plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles where the C-TEG serves as the range extender in lieu of an ICE/generator system. Another application is to provide auxiliary power in commercial vehicles. In this research, a baseline prototype was first constructed with a conventional heat exchange configuration, a commercial bismuth telluride module (maximum 225 °C), and a novel fuel atomizer. This prototype was used to develop and validate a computer simulator, identify the greatest opportunities for improvement, validate the use of the fuel atomizer with diesel fuel for TE power generation, and provide a baseline performance with which to compare system improvements. Subsequent improvements were made to increase combustion efficiency, reduce thermal losses, and characterize the heat exchangers at 500 °C for accurate simulation of the system performance with high performance lead telluride modules. In addition, multiple fuels were tested to verify multi-fuel capability and performance, and the use of a Pt/Pd combustion catalyst was tested to quantify improvements in heat exchange effectiveness.

High Temperature System Design for Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicles

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 (HITEN) ◽  
pp. 000128-000133
Author(s):  
Ovidiu Vermesan ◽  
Lars-Cyril Blystad ◽  
Reiner John ◽  
Marco Ottella ◽  
Egil Mollestad
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Electric Vehicles ◽  
Heat Sink ◽  
Hybrid Electric Vehicles ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Junction Temperature ◽  
Coolant Temperature ◽  
Conduction Loss ◽  
Hybrid Electric ◽  
Heat Sink Temperature

The automotive semiconductor market is currently valued at around $10 billion worldwide, and is expected to rise to more than $14 billion by 2014. The steep rise of power modules for hybrid and electric vehicles is not yet included in this prognosis. Electronic systems have been the most rapidly growing element of vehicles in recent years, and this trend rise sharply with the introduction of electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). The key parameters that determine the suitability of a power device for high temperature environment are the devices maximum allowable junction temperature and its conduction loss. The power devices are cooled to an extent that their junction temperatures do not exceed the maximum allowable value. Increasing the maximum junction temperature allows a higher base plate or heat sink temperature. A higher heat sink temperature, allows a higher ambient air temperature or coolant temperature. The semiconductor devices with low conduction loss will generate less heat, and allows a higher heat sink temperature. The paper presents the developments of a novel 400V IGBT based power module well suitable for electric vehicle applications.

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