Multidisciplinary cooling design tool for electric vehicle SiC inverters utilizing transient 3D-CFD computations

This paper proposes a new design tool that can be used for the development of proper cooling component high-power three-phase SiC module-packs electric vehicles. Specifically, multidisciplinary approach process is presented based on accurate electrical, thermal and fluid-mechanics modeling as well computational testing module-pack under transient-load conditions, so it effectively meet highly-demanding requirements an vehicle inverter. The plate initially designed by using steady-state 3D-computational-fluid-dynamic (CFD) tool, in conventional method. Then, proposed algorithm fine-tunes through transient 3D-CFD computations following specific iterative improvement procedure considering heat dissipation power switches during official driving cycles passenger vehicles abrupt acceleration tests several ambient environments. Therefore, not only overheating at all operating conditions avoided, but also, individual inverter modules provided lifetime estimations calculating overload capability attained with against validated traction 450 A model real vehicle.