Project Plan

For

Thermal Management of Power Electronics

for Smart Grid Substation

By
Hans Christian Tekol

Supervised by
Prof.Dr.-Ing. Egon Ortjohann

1. Aim
The purpose of this work is to investigate a thermal management of power electronics for a smart grid
substation and to perform thermal characterization of the power electronics; validate these data and
based on that, a cooling system suitable for the power electronics will be designed. The thermal
characterization deals with the determination of thermal fields and its gradients, representative thermal
parameters throughout the system and component. On the other hand, the thermal management deals
with heat removal strategies from the power electronics.

2. Background
It is essential to keep our electronics cool in order to extend their life and to prevent expensive
operations downtime. Heat accumulation in an enclosure can potentially damage electrical and
electronic component. Overheating would shorten the life expectancy of costly electrical/electronic
components or even lead to catastrophic failure. The life expectancy of the electrical/electronic
components is cut in half every 10 C (18 F) operating above room temperature (see Figure 1).
Therefore, it is important that system engineers are aware of the temperature implications of their
designs before implementing the designs, and take necessary steps to reduce heat build-up inside the
enclosure. [1]

Figure 1.1. Electronic life expectancy chart with every 10C rise over room temperature [1]
Heat is generated in electronic equipment as a by-product whenever electric current flows through
them. Heat load of the enclosure is primarily the amount of heat generated by the electrical/ electronic
equipment inside it. As mentioned earlier that too much heat in the enclosure can harm these
equipment, this is why it is very important to select a cooling system that has the capability to cool
down the temperature accordingly. The first steps in selecting a proper cooling system are
understanding the sources that contribute to the heat load and how the heat is transferred.

3. Specification
Thermodynamic as well as heat transfer calculations and subsequently FEM (Finite Element Method)
and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations were performed to gain a better understanding
of thermal characteristics in the power electronics within an enclosure, which is an Inverter in this
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research. These analyses are necessary to study the feasibility of the existing cooling system for the
Inverter. Results of the simulations will aid to design a proper convection cooling system that will
maintain the Inverter running in high performance and reliability.
Expected outcome

The project will reveal the thermal characterization of the power electronics in terms of heat
transfer with existing cooling system and an improved cooling system.

This compiled knowledge will further indicate which cooling system is suitable for the power
electronics in order to achieve high performance and reliability of the power electronics.

4. Schedule
Preliminary work plan of the project is divided into five main sections:
1. Literature Study
This section discusses about the premises of this work concerning thermal management
system and also thermodynamics and heat transfer calculation. And also evaluation of all
feasible cooling systems for the power electronics will be discussed.
2. Modelling of the power electronics
The power electronics will be modelled with 3D CAD software i.e. Solidworks.
3. Thermal analysis simulation
A thermal analysis of the power electronics with Finite Element Method (FEM) will be
performed with Solidworks-Simulation in order to know their thermal characterization. Input
parameters for the thermal analysis need to be validated first in order to obtain a reliable
result.
4. CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamic) simulation
A CFD simulation of the cooling system will be performed in order to give an insight into
flow patterns of the heat transfer phenomena taking place in the enclosure of the power
electronics. The CFD simulation is run with a CFD software embedded in Solidworks i.e.
Flow Works.
5. Design and calculation of an improved cooling system
Cooling system sizing will be calculated based on the results of thermal analysis and CFD
simulation in order to obtain an improved cooling system of the power electronics.

The whole schedule of the preliminary work plan can be seen in the following Gantt chart, as the
project has been started since the beginning of September 2014 and is expected to be finished in the
middle of March 2015.

5. Structure of Thesis
1. Introduction
1.1. Background
1.2. Objectives of the research
1.3. Motivation of the research
1.4. Systems engineering management approach of the research
2. Project Management of the research
2.1. System engineering process
2.2. State the problem
2.3. Investigate alternatives
2.4. Model the system
2.5. Simulate the system
2.6. Assess performance
2.7. Evaluation
3. Literature Review
3.1. Relation of Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer
3.2. Heat transfer mechanism in Power Electronics
3.3. Overall heat transfer coefficient
3.4. Fundamental of convection
3.5. Power electronics
3.6. IGBT overview
3.7. Thermal resistance in power electronics
4. Investigation of Thermal Management Systems
4.1. Cold Plates
4.2. Heat Pipes
4.3. Thermosyphon
4.4. Thermoelectric Cooler
5. Modelling and Simulation of Power Electronics with Solidworks
5.1. Modelling condition
5.2. Modelling processes for the existing system
5.3. Thermal analysis simulation
5.4. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation
5.5. Thermal characterization of the existing system
5.6. Results and analysis
6. Design and Calculation for a Suitable Cooling System
6.1. Heat generation of the power electronics
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6.2. Heat transfer calculation

6.3. Analysis for selecting a suitable cooling system
6.4. Sizing the suitable cooling system
7. Analysis of the Design
7.1. CFD simulation of the cooling system design
7.2. Pressure drop analysis
7.3. Thermal analysis
7.4. Evaluation of the design
8. Conclusion and Future Works

Reference
[1] Barr-Thorp Electic Co., Inc. Mclean Cooling Technology: How To Select A Protective Cooling
Solution. Internet: www.barr-thorp.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/ McLean-ProtectiveCooling2.pdf, 2011 [August 25, 2014].

Schedule of the Project