A Unique Approach to Power Electronics and Motor Cooling in a Hybrid Electric Vehicle Environment

An innovative system for cooling the power electronics of hybrid electric vehicles is presented. This system uses a typical automotive refrigerant R-134a (1,1,1,2 tetrafluoroethane) as the cooling fluid in a system that can be used as either part of the existing vehicle passenger air conditioning system or separately and independently of the existing air conditioner. Because of the design characteristics, the cooling coefficient of performance is on the order of 40. Because liquid refrigerant is used to cool the electronics directly, high heat fluxes can result while maintaining an electronics junction temperature at an acceptable value. In addition, an inverter housing that occupies only half the volume of a conventional inverter has been designed to take advantage of this cooling system. Planned improvements should result in further volume reductions while maintaining a high power level.