EV Thermal Loop Routing for Battery Heating From Power Electronics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Managing heat transfer between components in electrified vehicles without adding significant heat exchangers and valve systems is challenging.
Innovation Solution
A thermal management system utilizing a glycol-based system with interconnected loops for the battery, radiator, and power electronics, controlled by valves to manage heat transfer efficiently, including using waste heat from power electronics to heat the battery and cabin.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If waste heat from power electronics is used to heat the battery, then battery thermal management efficiency is improved, but system complexity increases due to additional valve control requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal management system enables the power electronics loop to serve multiple functions: it can cool power electronics during high-load operation and transfer its waste heat to the battery loop during low-temperature operation. This multi-functionality allows a single integrated system to handle both cooling and heating requirements without adding separate dedicated heating equipment, thereby improving energy utilization while controlling system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic valve control to adjust heat transfer pathways based on real-time operational conditions. The controller monitors temperature differentials between the power electronics and battery, and automatically activates or deactivates heat transfer modes. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to optimize heat management efficiency across varying operating conditions without requiring complex manual intervention or oversized fixed infrastructure.
2Reliability
If multiple heat exchangers and valve systems are added to manage heat transfer, then thermal management capability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the power electronics cooling loop and battery thermal management loop into a single integrated system. The power electronics loop serves dual purposes: it cools power electronics when needed and acts as a heat source for the battery when temperatures are low. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate dedicated heating equipment and reduces the number of independent loops, thereby improving thermal management capability while controlling device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables the power electronics to serve the battery's thermal needs by transferring its own waste heat. Instead of requiring an external heating system, the battery loop can draw thermal energy from the power electronics loop when the power electronics are operating and generating excess heat. This self-service approach improves reliability by using available system resources while avoiding the addition of external heating equipment.
3Temperature
If a PTC heater is used to heat the battery, then battery heating efficiency is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system converts the waste heat from power electronics, which would otherwise be discarded, into a useful resource for heating the battery. During power electronics operation, especially under high load, significant waste heat is generated. The thermal management system captures this waste heat and transfers it to the battery loop, converting a harmful thermal byproduct into a beneficial heating source. This approach improves battery heating efficiency while avoiding the need to consume additional electrical energy from the battery to power heating elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system recovers waste heat from the power electronics that would otherwise be discarded to the environment. By capturing and redirecting this thermal energy to the battery loop, the system recovers useful energy that would be lost. This recovery mechanism reduces the overall energy consumption of the thermal management system, as it eliminates the need to generate heat from scratch using battery power or external sources.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively manages heat transfer across vehicle components, enhancing battery efficiency and life while reducing energy consumption.
Implementation Method 1
a thermal management system that uses waste heat from power electronics to heat a battery
Implementation Method 2
interconnected loops for the battery, radiator, and power electronics, controlled by valves to manage heat transfer efficiently
Implementation Method 3
heat a battery independently or additively through a PTC heater to heat a cabin area
Data Source
AI summary
An exemplary thermal management system includes, among other things, a heater loop, a battery loop, a radiator loop, and a power electronics loop operating within a glycol system. A first valve is in fluid communication with one or more of the heater loop, the battery loop, the radiator loop, and the power electronics loop. A second valve is in fluid communication with one or more of the heater loop, the battery loop, the radiator loop, and the power electronics loop. The second valve is fluidly connected to the first valve to provide at least one operational condition where waste heat from power electronics in the power electronics loop is used to heat a battery in the battery loop.