Microfiber Cable Cooling for Ultra-Fast EV Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric charging cables for electric and hybrid vehicles face heat-related stresses during ultra-fast charging, leading to potential damage and safety risks, with existing cooling solutions being inefficient and increasing cable size and weight.
Innovation Solution
A cooling element with microfibers that allow a heat-transfer fluid to circulate, connected to header boxes for efficient heat dissipation, reducing the sectional dimensions of the current-conducting elements and maintaining a large heat exchange surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the section of current conducting elements is increased to lower cable temperature, then thermal regulation improves, but cable flexibility and handling deteriorate due to increased size and weight
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into multiple microfibers (at least two) that are distributed around the current conducting elements. Each microfiber independently channels heat-transfer fluid, creating multiple localized cooling zones that collectively manage thermal load without requiring a single large-diameter cooling structure that would compromise cable flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The microfibers are positioned within or around the current conducting elements in a nested configuration. The cooling element is integrated into the cable structure itself, with microfibers embedded within the cable assembly, allowing the cooling function to be contained within the existing cable geometry without significantly increasing overall cable dimensions.
2Loss of energy
If conventional cooling systems are added to electric charging cables, then heat dissipation improves, but cooling efficiency is insufficient for ultra fast charging applications
Solution Approach 1:
The invention utilizes hydraulic principles by circulating a heat-transfer fluid through the microfibers. The fluid absorbs heat from the current conducting elements through thermal conduction across the microfiber walls, then transports the absorbed thermal energy away from the cable to an external heat dissipation system, providing active thermal management suitable for ultra fast charging.
Solution Approach 2:
The microfibers act as thin-walled flexible conduits that closely conform to the geometry of the current conducting elements. This intimate contact maximizes the heat transfer surface area between the cooling microfibers and the heated conductors, significantly enhancing heat dissipation efficiency compared to conventional rigid cooling systems.
3Temperature
If a cooling system with large heat exchange surface is implemented, then thermal management performance improves, but cable size and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The microfibers are constructed with thin walls that provide large surface area for heat exchange while minimizing material usage. This thin-film approach allows the cooling system to achieve high thermal management performance without adding substantial weight to the cable assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling surface area is expanded by utilizing the longitudinal dimension of the cable rather than only the cross-sectional dimension. The microfibers extend along the length of the current conducting elements, creating a distributed heat exchange surface that accumulates large total area without increasing cable diameter or cross-sectional footprint.
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
The solution effectively reduces the temperature of the charging cables, enhancing safety and efficiency while minimizing the size and weight of the cables, thereby improving the reliability and performance of the charging process.
Implementation Method 1
a heat-transfer fluid circulating in the microfibers is configured to capture the calories emitted by the electric charging cable during operation, i.e., during the electric charging operations of the electric batteries, so as to lower the temperature of said charging cable
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a cooling element (1) for an electric charging cable (2) for an electrical energy storage device, comprising a plurality of microfibers (3) that are suitable for having a heat-transfer fluid pass through them, and at least two header boxes (4, 5), at least one microfiber (3) being hydraulically connected to at least one input header box (4) configured to distribute the heat-transfer fluid into the microfibers (3) and at least one output header box (5) configured to collect the heat-transfer fluid that leaves the microfibers (3), the input header box (4) and/or the output header box (5) being configured to be fitted around at least a portion of the electric charging cable (2).