Liquid Cooling System for a High Power, Medium Frequency, and Medium Voltage Isolated Power Converter

TL;DR

This paper investigates liquid cooling systems for power electronics, analyzing key parameters like cold plate material, channel shape, and coolant velocity to optimize thermal management and enhance system performance.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of how different design parameters affect the efficiency and effectiveness of liquid cooling in power electronic systems.

Findings

Water cooling effectively removes heat from hotspots.

Channel shape and inlet velocity significantly impact cooling performance.

Material choice influences thermal conductivity and system reliability.

Abstract

Power electronics systems, widely used in various applications such as industrial automation, electric cars, and renewable energy, have the primary function of converting and controlling electrical power to the desired type of load. Despite their reliability and efficiency, power losses in these systems generate significant heat that must be dissipated to maintain performance and prevent damage. Cooling systems play a crucial role in ensuring safe operating temperatures for system components. Air and liquid cooling are the leading technologies used in the power electronics world. Air cooling is simple and cost-effective but is limited by ambient temperature and component thermal resistance. While more efficient, liquid cooling requires more maintenance and has higher upfront costs. Water-cooling systems have become famous for regulating thermal loads as they can effectively remove heat from localized high-temperature areas, such as the challenging hotspots in power electronics systems. In addition to designing a cooling system for a power electronic system, this study investigated the impact of three major parameters; cold plate material, channel shape/size, and coolant inlet velocity. The research examined and analyzed these factors and their trade-off analysis to obtain cooling system design and optimization insights. This study might improve power electronics system performance, reliability, and durability by improving heat dissipation and thermal management.