A 0D-3D MODEL FOR THE ANALYSIS OF THE TRANSIENT THERMAL BEHAVIORS OF AN ELECTRIC POWER TRAIN

Electric vehicles are recognized as the solution for the future to reduce emissions, especially in the city center, where health-related issues are due to the high population density and pollutant concentration. Due to this, the automotive industry has to change several paradigms to introduce more efficient vehicles and overcome the reluctance to change the user. In this sense, the thermal management of the vehicles has to be re-designed to manage the operating temperature of high-power devices such as drivers and motors. In the present investigation, a lumped parameter model has been developed to study the dynamic thermal behaviors of electric vehicle power trains. The study analyses the interaction between the heat exchanger and the operation of two electric motors and a single inverter. To set up the model, a computational fluid dynamics simulation has been carried out to characterize the thermal-fluid dynamic characteristics of the relevant components of the system, such as the cooling systems of the inverter and the electric motor. Stationary and transient analyses have been carried out considering the variation of the thermal load according to the vehicle route. The effects of thermal inertia and the effects of the control logic system have also been highlighted.