Abstract
Research and/or Engineering Questions/Objective
Recently, the inverter for xEV is applied to diverse techniques. Simultaneously it is secured the reliability against thermal using the cooling system for power components such as IGBT module and DC capacitor. In this study, we propose the high power density inverter using the phase transfer heat pipe.
Methodology
Inverter consists of power module, DC capacitor, current sensor, HV connectors and so on. Among of them, power module and DC capacitor are very important components for inverter packaging and cooling system. In this study, it is used phase transfer heat pipe for cooling IGBT module (Transfer molded type) and DC capacitor. Phase transfer heat pipe is arranged between them. The heat from IGBT module and DC capacitor is transfer through heat pipe which is located between, and the other side of heat pipe is in contact with Al housing that has coolant channels. Thereby, the dead space is reduced in inverter and total power density is increased.
Results
In this paper, we propose the high power density inverter using the phase transfer heat pipe to cool IGBT module and DC capacitor down. Adopting this package improved the size by approximately 30% in comparison with current design.
Limitations of this study
In this study, it was excluded verification for durability of inverter.
What does the paper offer that is new in the field including in comparison to other work by the authors?
This paper describes how to increase power density for inverter of xEV using the phase transfer heat pipe.
Conclusions
This paper proposes the high power density inverter using the phase transfer heat pipe to cool IGBT module and DC capacitor down. This structure made us reduce the size of inverter by approximately 30% of the ordinary inverter system.
KEYWORDS : Inverter, phase transfer heat pipe, xEV, power control unit, electric vehicle