Research and Analysis of Liquid Cooling Heat Dissipation Equipment for Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor Modules of Wind Power Converters Based on the Finite Element Analysis Method

Abstract

The primary objective of this study is to develop a simulation model for a liquid cooling plate (LCP) for insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) modules, with the aim of reducing the operating temperature of wind power converters (WPCs). The initial impetus for this study was the observation that the energy conversion efficiency of a WPC declines when the operating temperature of the IGBT module exceeds a critical threshold. Three LCPs, with and without heat sinks, were modelled under extreme conditions using the finite element simulation method. The effect of the number and height of the fins on the cooling efficacy was evaluated through the simulation and analysis of the LCP model with heat sinks. The results demonstrate that the optimal configuration, comprising five 10 mm fins and 13 10 mm struts, can achieve the following reductions: maximum temperature by 11.4 K, heat dissipation efficiency by 3.33%, pressure drop by 10.6 KPa, and pump power by 31.00%. Moreover, the findings suggest that the number of fins has a significant impact on temperature fluctuations, whereas the height of the fins exerts a markedly significant influence on pressure drop.

Keywords

• IGBT modules
• wind energy
• cold plate
• thermal efficiency optimization
• CFD