Friction-Welded Cooled Power Joint for Leak-Safe Fast Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electrically powered vehicles face inefficiencies in charging due to uncooled electrical cables, leading to material waste and reduced charging performance, as they must be designed with larger cross-sections to manage heat from high current transmission.
Innovation Solution
A friction-welded connection arrangement using a tubular electrical cable with a built-in cooling system, where a cooling medium is accommodated within the cable and sealed with a friction-welded contact part and plug, allowing for efficient cooling and reduced cable cross-sections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If electrical cables are designed with larger cross-sections to manage heat from high current transmission, then thermal management is improved, but material consumption and cable weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cable cross-section is segmented into two functional zones: a central cooling channel and surrounding current-conducting material. This segmentation allows independent optimization of thermal management and electrical conduction, enabling efficient heat removal through the cooling medium while maintaining adequate current capacity with reduced material usage.
Solution Approach 2:
A cooling medium (liquid or gas) is introduced as an intermediary substance flowing through the central channel to actively remove heat generated by high current transmission. This intermediary enables effective thermal management without requiring increased cable cross-section, as the cooling medium carries heat away from the current-conducting material.
2Temperature
If electrical cables are designed with larger cross-sections to manage heat from high current transmission, then thermal management is improved, but cable weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cable cross-section is segmented into a central cooling channel and surrounding current-conducting material. This segmentation reduces the volume of current-conducting material needed, as the cooling channel actively removes heat, allowing for lighter cable construction while maintaining thermal management capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling medium acts as an intermediary that actively transports heat away from the current-conducting material. This enables effective thermal management with reduced material usage, directly decreasing cable weight while maintaining the ability to handle high current transmission.
3Device complexity
If conventional uncooled cables are used for high current transmission, then cable structure is simple, but charging performance and speed are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The cable is segmented into functional zones with a central cooling channel and surrounding current-conducting material. This segmentation enables active thermal management that prevents heat buildup during high current transmission, allowing for faster charging speeds without compromising cable integrity or performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling medium serves as an intermediary that actively removes heat generated during high current transmission. This enables the cable to sustain higher current levels for faster charging without thermal damage, directly improving charging performance and speed.
4Reliability
If friction welding with filler pin is used to seal the cooling channel, then sealing reliability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is merged with the electrical connection function by using a filler pin that is friction-welded to both the contact part and the cable. This single component performs dual functions: sealing the cooling channel and establishing electrical contact, thereby improving sealing reliability without proportionally increasing overall structure complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Traditional mechanical sealing methods (such as gaskets or threaded connections) are replaced with friction welding, a metallurgical joining process. This substitution provides superior sealing reliability through direct metal-to-metal bonding while eliminating the need for separate sealing components, actually reducing overall assembly complexity.
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
This solution enables low-loss, faster charging with higher currents, resulting in weight savings and increased vehicle range by efficiently managing heat through the cooling system.
Implementation Method 1
A cooling medium can be placed in the waveguide, which allows the line to cool down when heated
Implementation Method 2
The respective cable connection is connected to a contact part by means of welding, preferably friction welding
Data Source
AI summary
A welded connection arrangement for cooled current transmission is disclosed. The welded connection arrangement includes a tubular electrical line designed to conduct current from an electrical load, such as a charging socket, to a storage medium, such as a battery. The tubular electrical line includes a first end for connection to the electrical consumer and a second end for connection to the storage medium. The tubular electrical line is furthermore designed to accommodate a coolant for cooling the tubular electrical line. The weld connection arrangement includes an electrically conductive contact part attached to a respective end of the tubular electrical line in order to contact the same electrically. The weld connection arrangement includes a sealing plug inserted into the tubular electrical line at the respective end and, together with the electrically conductive contact part, is welded to the tubular electrical line in order to seal the tubular electrical line against leakage of coolant.