Drivetrain Cooling System Redesign
The car's single shared cooling loop for motors and inverters caused high pressure drop and put the inverters at risk of overheating. I redesigned it into two independent loops, which fixed both problems and cut the pump count.
Problem
- One loop shared between motors and inverters, with high pressure drop across it
- The inverters' maximum temperature is less than half the motors' ideal temperature, so sharing coolant put them at risk
Redesign
- Split into separate motor and inverter loops
- Added parallel tubing sections to the motor loop for more even cooling
- Increased tube ID to lower pressure drop
Outcome
- Both loops meet the thermal limits of their components
- Flow rate can now be tuned for each loop independently
- Reduced pumps from three to two
In progress: validating flow rate, pressure drop, and temperatures for both loops through benchtop and vehicle testing.
Thermal designFluid systemsSolidWorksTesting
