Optimization of Laminated Busbars in Traction Inverters of Electric Vehicles for Improved Stray Parameters

Abstract

Laminated busbars offer numerous advantages over traditional busbars, cables, and wiring harnesses due to their lower stray inductance, higher capacitance, and compact size. These characteristics make them particularly well-suited for use in electric vehicles, where space is a constraint and reliable power distribution is critical. This study presents the optimization of a laminated busbar for use in an electric car traction inverter. The laminated busbar structure is simulated in the electrostatic, magnetostatic, and thermal domains to optimize its stray parameters and thermal attributes using finite element analysis software. The work has a step-by-step process that includes optimizing insulation material, conductor overlap area, bending of terminals and their combined effect, and reducing the laminated busbar current density and thermal gradient. The results demonstrate that the optimization significantly increases the parasitic capacitance by 14.8%, reduces the stray inductance by 2.73% and thermal gradient by 2.34%, with negligible variation in the stray resistance. This research provides a comprehensive account of the optimization process of laminated busbars for electric vehicle traction inverters.

Keywords

• electric vehicle
• busbar
• optimization
• finite element analysis
• parasitic capacitance