Equivalent Thermal Network Model Research Articles

Thermal Safety Assessment Method for Power Devices in Natural Air-Cooled Converters

The junction temperature of a power device in a natural air-cooled power converter fluctuates randomly due to the variation in airflow rate in ambient environments. Most of the existing thermal analysis methods do not pay attention to the uncertain influence of airflow on the heat-dissipation capacity of such converters, making it difficult to accurately evaluate the thermal safety of these devices. To address this issue, a thermal safety assessment method for power devices in natural air-cooled converters is proposed in this paper. In the proposed method, convective heat resistance samples of converter housing are extracted with an equivalent thermal network model and the historical operation temperature of the converter. Wavelet packet transform is used to analyze the time–frequency domain characteristics of the convective heat resistance, and Monte Carlo simulation is employed to simulate the random influence of the airflow rate on the device junction temperature. The thermal safety of power devices is assessed in the form of over-temperature probability, which is expressed by a two-variable growth function. An experimental platform is designed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results show that the proposed method can accurately estimate the over-temperature risk of a power device in a natural air-cooled converter under different ambient temperature and current levels, thus effectively improving the thermal reliability of converters.

Research on equivalent thermal network modeling for rare-earth giant magnetostrictive transducer

Of crucial importance for giant magnetostrictive transducers (GMTs) design is to quickly and accurately analysis the temperature distribution. With the advantages of low calculation cost and high accuracy, thermal network modelling has been developed for thermal analysis of GMT. However, the existing thermal models have their limits to describe these complicated thermal behaviors in the GMTs: most of researches focused on steady-state which is incapable of capturing temperature variances; the temperature distribution of giant magnetostrictive (GMM) rods is generally assumed to be uniform whereas the temperature gradient on the GMM rod is remarkable due to its poor thermal conductivity; the non-uniform distribution of GMM’s losses is seldom introduced into thermal model. Therefore, a transient equivalent thermal network (TETN) model of GMT is established in this paper, considering the aforementioned three aspects. Firstly, based on the structure and working principle of a longitudinal vibration GMT, thermal analysis was carried out. Following this, according to the heat transfer process of GMT, the TETN model was established and the corresponding model parameters were calculated. Finally, the accuracy of the TETN model for the temporal and spatial analysis of the transducer temperature are verified by simulation and experiment.

Design and analysis of a novel hybrid cooling method of high-speed high-power permanent magnet assisted synchronous reluctance starter/generator in aviation applications

To improve the heat dissipation performance, this paper proposes a novel hybrid cooling method for high-speed high-power Permanent Magnet assisted Synchronous Reluctance Starter/Generator (PMaSynR S/G) in aerospace applications. The hybrid cooling structure with oil circulation in the housing, oil spray at winding ends and rotor end surface is firstly proposed for the PMaSynR S/G. Then the accurate loss calculation of the PMaSynR S/G is proposed, which includes air gap friction loss under oil spray cooling, copper loss, stator and rotor core loss, permanent magnet eddy current loss and bearing loss. The parameter sensitivity analysis of the hybrid cooling structure is proposed, while the equivalent thermal network model of the PMaSynR S/G is established considering the uneven spraying at the winding ends. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid cooling method is demonstrated on a 40 kW/24000 r/min PMaSynR S/G experimental platform.

Analysis of temperature field of medium frequency transformer based on improved thermal network method

Medium frequency transformer (MFT) plays a key role in future power systems and new energy systems. It is very important for the safe operation of MFT to correctly calculate the temperature rise and hot spot position. According to the heat dissipation of transformer, the equivalent thermal network model of the core-type transformer is established in this paper. The traditional thermal network model ignores the heat dissipation of the magnetic core column and the inner surface of the yoke to the air. In this paper, the magnetic core column is divided into the air surrounding part and winding surrounding part. The heat dissipation on the inner surface of the yoke is further considered. The improved thermal network model is verified by finite element simulation. The results show that compared with the traditional thermal network model, the improved thermal network model proposed in this paper can more comprehensively analyse the temperature field distribution and calculate the node temperature more accurately.

Thermal Modelling an LED Bulb using IR Thermography and Bayesian Deconvolution

This study focuses on LED bulbs where LEDs are typically mounted on a metal core printed circuit board. A sample of LED bulbs having base E27 and a power range between 3.5-11.5 W have been measured. A thermal model will be found using thermal transient testing, infrared thermal measurements, and the Bayesian deconvolution. LED surface temperature will be measured without contact using a low-resolution IR imager. A test facility has been built which automatically switches power on and measures and records samples during the measurement cycle which typically lasts around one hour. This time duration was long enough for reaching the thermal steady-state condition. The procedure uses a measured thermal transient, first calculates the thermal impedance Zth, then the time constant spectrum Rζ(z) using the Bayesian deconvolution. An equivalent thermal network model will be found in Foster-presentation. This can be transformed to Cauer-presentation. The model is a driving point model for thermal impedance and includes thermal resistances and thermal capacitances. FEM simulation gives more detailed information about heat transfer paths and internal temperatures of an LED bulb.

A Novel Electro-Thermal Model of Lithium-Ion Batteries Using Power as the Input

Considering that use of measured current as input of a battery model may cause distortion of the model due to low accuracy of the on-board current sensor and that power can be used to indicate energy transmission in an electric vehicle model, the power input internal resistance model is widely used in simulation of whole electric vehicles. However, since no consideration is given to battery polarization and electro-thermal coupling characteristics, the foregoing model cannot be used to describe the internal temperature change of batteries under working conditions. Three contributions are made in the present study: (1) ternary lithium-ion batteries were taken as the research objects and a second-order RC equivalent circuit model with power as the input was established in the present study; (2) A dynamic heat generation rate model suitable for RC equivalent circuits was built based on coupled electrical and thermal characteristics of lithium-ion batteries; (3) An electric model and a two-state equivalent thermal network model were further built and combined by using the heat generation rate model to form a power input electro-thermal model. Parameters of the model so formed were identified offline, and the battery model was verified with respect to accuracy under seven working conditions. The results show that the maximum root mean square error in voltage estimation, current estimation, and surface temperature estimation is 19.38 mV, 9.51 mA, and 0.19 °C respectively, which indicates that the power input electro-thermal model can describe the electrical and thermal dynamic behavior of batteries more accurately and comprehensively than the traditional power input internal resistance model.

Thermal Analysis of Axial Permanent Magnet Flywheel Machine Based on Equivalent Thermal Network Method

The axial permanent magnet magnetic bearingless flywheel machine (APM-BFM) mostly operates under the state of high-power fast charging and discharging. Due to the characteristics of high-power density per unit volume, the centralized windings have small heat dissipation area and high thermal loads, the temperature rise on APM-BFM is a very important issue. Thermal analysis is thus of particular importance particularly for modern machines since the temperature rise and distribution are significant during their running under higher electromagnetic loads commonly used nowadays. In this paper, the equivalent thermal network method is proposed to evaluate the temperature rise of the APM-BFM. The equivalent thermal network model is established based on the basic theorem of heat transfer. The thermal resistance and heat source in the machine are analyzed and calculated, and the thermal balance equation is established. The temperature rise of each node is solved, and finally the validity of the model is verified by finite element magnetic-thermal coupling simulation.

Analytical model for predicting the junction temperature of chips considering the internal electrothermal coupling inside SiC metal–oxide–semiconductor field‐effect transistor modules

Owing to their excellent characteristics, silicon carbide (SiC) metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor modules are expected to have broad application prospects in various types of power conversion equipment in the future. Accurate prediction of the internal chip junction temperature of SiC module is of great value for the usage of the modules in the power conversion equipment. In this study, taking the electrothermal coupling process, and the thermal characteristics of the chips into consideration, the power loss model under unipolar and bipolar sinusoidal pulse-width modulation control was developed. A star-shaped equivalent thermal network model based on virtual temperature was established. Moreover, an analytical junction temperature predicting model was proposed. To obtain the temperature dependence of static and dynamic parameters for the models, power device analyser was used, and the double pulse test bench was established. To validate the effectiveness and accuracy of the above models, the finite element method was used to calculate the junction temperature of a commercial 1200 V/300 A full SiC module under different working conditions. The results show that the relative error is very small and the proposed model is effective

A Generalized Mesh-Based Thermal Network Model for SPM Machines Combining Coupled Winding Solution

In this article, a new equivalent thermal network (ETN) model for surface-mounted permanent magnet machines is proposed by applying a mesh-based method with bidirectional coupled winding solution. The key is to couple the winding temperature distributions with thermal network meshes in stator dynamically. First, the meshing method is proposed and combined in the lumped parameter thermal model to obtain temperature distributions instead of the average temperature. The mesh elements have identical shapes and unified thermal conductivity, which can greatly enhance the modeling flexibility and efficiency. Second, the slot winding is established by a 2-D analytical solution method under segmented boundaries with a temperature gradient. Then, the winding solution is coupled with mesh nodes and integrated in the ETN model to accurately predict the temperature distributions in slot including the maximum temperature and position offset. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed ETN model is verified by comparison with the finite-element analysis and experimental results.

A Novel Thermal Network Model Used for Temperature Calculation and Analysis on Brushless Doubly-Fed Generator With Winding Encapsulating Structure

In recent years, magnetic-barrier rotor has been put forward for brushless doubly-fed generator (BDFG) application owing to its desirable performance, such as high power density and strong magnetic coupling ability. However, it also causes significant losses induced by harmonics and high temperature problem. Hence, it is a major challenge to evaluate Bref_DFG temperature rise fast and accurately. So far, aiming at magnetic-barrier rotor, there has been no accurate thermal network model established achieving this goal. In addition, wingding end encapsulating technology has been used for a few years and its heat dissipation potential is determined by the materials. Therefore, the application of novel material in winding encapsulating structure is desirable to improve the heat dissipation potential. In this paper, an equivalent thermal network model, thermal resistance models of magnetic-barrier rotor, and a winding encapsulating structure with novel materials are further established for thermal analysis. Subsequently, temperature distributions for BDFG components are also calculated by finite element method, while the results are compared with those by analytical method. The BDFG prototype is manufactured with experimental tests performed. The correctness of the equivalent thermal network models proposed in this paper is verified by the test results.

Analysis of temperature field for a surface-mounted and interior permanent magnet synchronous motor adopting magnetic-thermal coupling method

Aiming at obtaining high power density of surface-mounted and interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (SIPMSM), it is important to accurately calculate the temperature field distribution of SIPMSM, and a magnetic-thermal coupling method is proposed. The magnetic-thermal coupling mechanism is analyzed. The thermal network model and finite element model are built by this method, respectively. The effects of power frequency on iron losses and temperature fields are analyzed by the magnetic-thermal coupling finite element model under the condition of rated load, and the relationship between the load and temperature field is researched under the condition of the synchronous speed. In addition, the equivalent thermal network model is used to verify the magnetic-thermal coupling method. Then the temperatures of various nodes are obtained. The results show that there are advantages in both computational efficiency and accuracy for the proposed coupling method, which can be applied to other permanent magnet motors with complex structures.

Power Loss and Heat Dissipation Characteristics of High-Power Electromechanical Actuators

Due to serious power loss and heating caused by compact volume and high power density of high power electromechanical actuator (EMA), thermal analysis is becoming the key aspects in its design optimization. Numerical calculation method is proposed to calculate the electrical loss, iron core loss and drive chain mechanical loss in EMA. An equivalent thermal network model based on lumped parameters is established, with the acquisition of heat transfer matrix equation of all network nodes. Temperature rise of each part of the EMA is obtained by solving the equation. By comparison of simulated temperature rise in rated operating condition with test results, the accuracy of the model is verified. Then temperature rise simulation of EMA under simulated actual flight condition is carried out, with the results showing positive guidelines in the optimization design of EMA systems.

Thermal Analysis of Open-Circuit Steady-State MgB2Superconducting Synchronous Generator Based on Multiphysical Field Coupling

This paper investigates the electromagnetic and thermal behavior of the open-circuit steady-state magnesium diboride (MgB2) superconducting synchronous generator (SSG) using multiphysical field coupling. The electromagnetic performance of a 1/12 3-D MgB2 SSG is first analyzed based on the electromagnetic field to calculate power losses as distributed heat sources for thermal analyses. One thermal analysis method based on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is applied to the 1/6 3-D model of the MgB2 SSG, whereas the other based on the finite-element method (FEM) is used to analyze the entire 3-D model of the MgB2 SSG. The results of both are compared and used to calculate cooling medium velocity and temperature distribution. Finally, in light of the aforementioned results and heat transfer theory, an equivalent thermal network model (ETNM) for the MgB2 SSG is proposed. The calculated results based on ETNM are compared with those of the FEM and CFD to highlight its correctness and applicability.

Thermal Analysis of the Permanent-Magnet Spherical Motor

There are many kinds of permanent-magnet (PM) motors, which are widely used in modern industry, but the problem of temperature rise is likely to affect the operation performance and even the life of the motor. The semiclosed structure of the PM spherical motor (PMSM) tends to increase the temperature when it works, so the thermal analysis of the PMSM is considered necessary. Based on double Fourier series decomposition, this paper establishes a three-dimensional (3-D) analytical model of PM eddy current loss in the PMSM, which considers the effect of time and space harmonics. Meanwhile, the heat sources such as hysteresis loss and copper loss are discussed. With those heat sources, a 3-D equivalent thermal network model is established. The thermal resistances are calculated. By applying the thermal network model, the influence of different speed and load on temperature rise is analyzed, and a steady-state thermal analysis of the motor is performed by using finite element analysis. The structure of stator is improved and good heat dissipation effect is achieved. This paper provides the theoretical basis for the design of ventilation and cooling system of the PMSM.

A systematic method of deriving new semiconducting compounds by structural analogy : B. R. Pamplin. J. Phys. Chem. Solids25, 675 (1964)

The paper presents a review of publications devoted to the use of thermal-electric analogy in the analyses of solar collectors’ performance, with special focus on the shortcomings of the proposed models of the equivalent thermal network (ETN). Additionally, the study describes the principles of construction of the ETN, especially for large-scale solar thermal circuits. The process of heating the working medium flowing through the collector battery was also shown. The ETN model was presented both analytically (nodal potential method) and with the use of the Simulink package (MATLAB), which made it possible to investigate the effect of operating conditions on the parameters of the solar collector.