Thermal management in EVs
A report on the importance of thermal conductivity for thermal management in electric vehicles and how to optimize performance with better thermal conductivity data.
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The design of electric vehicles presents engineers with unique thermal management challenges that have become a major focus of research and systems development within the automotive industry. Optimization of the thermal properties of the components and materials in these sub-systems is a prerequisite to avoid thermal runaway and for battery lifetime, range, efficiency, charging rate, and safety in EVs. Battery heating/cooling and electric motor cooling systems require a precise understanding of the fundamental thermophysical properties (thermal conductivity) of relevant materials for accurate thermal modeling during their design phase.
Download the report to understand more about the importance of thermal conductivity for thermal management in electric vehicles.
The Challenge of Thermal Management in EVs
EV batteries, battery enclosures, and cooling systems contain specialized materials and composites that require experimental determination of their thermal conductivity for the development of accurate FEA models and effective battery thermal management systems (BTMSs). The traditional experimental equipment and methods that are used for thermal conductivity have been found to be inadequate for thermal conductivity measurements of many of these materials.
– Composite materials are often anisotropic, exhibiting order of magnitude differences between measured thermal conductivity in the axial vs. radial orientation.
– Some composites are filled materials containing discrete particles of boron nitride or other thermally conductive materials. Often, such composites are not homogeneous, and thermal conductivity measurement methods that assume homogeneity do not produce accurate measurements.
– Testing liquids requires careful consideration of the impact of convection as an error source.
The determination of thermal conductivity for the materials used in EV BTMSs, therefore, requires a versatile instrument that can measure the thermal conductivity of solids (isotropic, anisotropic, orthotropic, and composite), liquids, and polymers.
In 2021, C-Therm collaborated with ThermoAnalytics – a leading provider of modelling and simulation software – in presenting data on the significance of the potting compound’s thermal conductivity in controlling the temperature of electric motors. Access the webinar recording here.
Proven
For over a decade, C-Therm’s innovative sensor technology has been pioneering the way for many of the world’s most prominent manufacturers, research facilities, and academic institutions to test and measure thermal properties of materials.
The technology behind the C-Therm TCi represents a paradigm shift in thermal conductivity measurement and earned the inventor behind the technology the Manning Innovation Principle Award and an R&D 100 Award. These coveted awards are given to the top global innovators, and place C-Therm in the distinguished company of such other winners as the developers of the ATM, Polaroid™ and anti-lock brakes. Since its launch, C-Therm’s unique technology has evolved to new levels of accuracy, speed, and flexibility. Today, it is being used around the globe for R&D, quality control, and on-line production monitoring in a wide range of industries.
C-Therm Technology Awards
