How do new energy vehicles solve the thermal problem?
No matter pure electric vehicles or various hybrid models, electric drive technology enables them to have better power performance. However, while bringing better power performance, the power system also faces the problem of heat dissipation. So how do new energy models solve this heat dissipation problem?
Firstly, The thermal management of the power system is not just about removing it from the motor and so on, but about putting it to better use. After all, energy saving is the theme of today's automobile industry, and it is obviously the highest realm of engineers to maximize the use of every bit of energy in the car. We've also previously looked at the thermal management of other systems in new energy: batteries, and how can air conditioning be more efficient.
Why does the electric motor need a thermal solution?
Overheating can affect operating efficiency, affect lubrication and insulation, and even burn out the motor. If the electric motor of the new energy vehicle does not have good heat dissipation, in continuous operation, it is easy to overheat, after the temperature continues to rise, the resistance inside the motor will also increase, and the efficiency and output of the motor will drop sharply at this time. For models with monitoring systems, power output is often limited at this time to play a protective role. High temperature will also affect the internal lubrication and insulation of the motor, and in extreme cases, it may even burn out the motor.
For the new energy area, there are two main thermal solutions: Air cooling and liquid cooling, both of them have benefits and disadvantages:
Air cooling: In fact, air cooling is the first cooling technology applied to fuel cars. The early Beetle, Fiat 126P and other classic models adopted air cooling cooling technology. For electric vehicles, the technology is also relatively easy to adopt. It passes the heat generated by the motor to the outside of the car through the motor's housing, and then it takes the heat away through the air stream. Also for heat dissipation, we see that the motor and drive system enclosures on cars are also usually made of aluminum. Not only is it lighter, but it also helps dissipate heat. Air cooling has some benefits as the structure is relatively simple and the cost is low, the disadvantages is the heat dissipation efficiency is not good enough to cope with the high-power motor, and the heat could not be recycled.
Liquid cooling: The batteries of new energy vehicles can also be liquid cooled, If you connect the liquid cooling system of the battery to the motor, to drive the heat dissipation of the motor system, then it makes sense. The efficiency of water cooling system is relatively high, before we play computer, a lot of advanced brush machine players introduced water cooling.
Why is water cooling efficient?
The specific heat capacity of water (the amount of heat absorbed per unit mass rising to the same temperature) is three times higher than that of air, just as someone can save three times as much money for the same amount of time.
The antifreeze of ordinary cars, including new energy vehicles, is an aqueous solution of ethylene glycol. Its specific heat capacity is slightly lower than pure water at the same temperature, but it is still much higher than air.
The motor liquid cooling system of new energy vehicles is usually not independent, but with the battery pack, as well as the cooling of the electric control system, to form a complete thermal management system. In the inside of the motor housing, there are similar to the liquid channel inside the cylinder block of the internal combustion engine, the coolant flow through the drive of the water pump in the middle, so as to achieve the effect of heat dissipation. Of course, the liquid cooling system should take into account the cooling of the battery pack and the driving motor. Some thermal management systems are also connected with the air conditioning and electric control system, which involves multiple subsystems and makes the design more complex.
However, because the use of water cooling effect is really good, so now quite a lot of mainstream electric vehicles, whether dozens of horsepower mobility scooter, or the use of high-power drive motor models, basically use water cooling system to drive motor heat dissipation. The water cooling system also has the benefit of coordinating the use of heat from the vehicle for better thermal management. Some models, for example, are designed to use the heat emitted by the motor to keep the battery pack warm. In winter for new energy models, or very useful.
With the development of technology, not only the stator on the outside of the motor can be cooled, but also the rotor inside can be cooled with a water jacket, which further improves the efficiency of thermal management.
Sinda Thermal is a professional heat sink manufacturer in new energy area, we can produce varieties of heat sinks and thermal solutions for the new energy products, we are very experienced and professional, we can offer the most competitive price and great quality heat sinks. Please contact us freely if you have any thermal requirements.
