Design and Thermal Simulation of Cold Plate
for Dual Inverter Applications in Electric
Vehicles
Preferred Topic 1: Topic 1 – DEVICES, COMPONENTS, PACKAGING AND SYSTEM
INTEGRATION
Preferred Subtopic 1: Subtopic 1e - System Integration, Packaging Thermal Management
Preferred Topic 2: Topic 11 – FOCUS TOPICS
Preferred Subtopic 2: Subtopic 11d - Electric Vehicles
Origin: University in collaboration with Industry
Preference: Lecture
Index Terms—Thermal Management, Finite-element
analysis, Design, SiC MOSFET, Electric Vehicle (EV) .
Abstract—This paper aims to determine the perfor-
mance of serial and parallel forced liquid cooling designs
in mitigating heat and optimizing pressure drop in dual
inverter applications. 3D Computational Fluid Dynamics
(CFD) simulations have been utilized to evaluate thermal
performance, considering flow rate, heat dissipation, and
coolant water temperature as key parameters. The findings
will provide valuable insights into selecting the most
suitable cooling designs for such applications.
I. I NTRODUCTION
The use of internal combustion engine vehicles
(ICEVs) has been identified as a significant factor in
environmental pollution and climate change [1]. In re-
sponse, there has been a growing trend towards the de-
velopment and implementation of electric vehicles (EVs)
as a more sustainable form of transportation. This shift
has also become a focal point of competition within the
global automotive industry. Despite the progress made in
the field, challenges such as reducing charging time and
increasing driving range for EVs still persist and demand
attention [2] [3].
Additionally, there is a growing demand for EVs with
improved acceleration and maximum velocity, which
necessitates the development of motor inverters with
increased power output and efficiency while reducing
their volume and weight. The design of the inverter for
the drivetrain of EVs presents a major challenge, as it
requires the optimization of both the electrical and ther-
mal systems while taking into account the operational re-
quirements of the vehicle [4]. The demand for increased
power density and efficiency has led to a predicted
shift from Si devices to wide band-gap material devices.
Silicon Carbide (SiC) Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field-
Effect Transistor (MOSFET) has gained popularity as
a replacement for traditional silicon-based transistors in
the inverters, due to its reduced conduction losses, lower
on-resistance, faster switching speed, higher breakdown
voltage, and higher operating temperature capabilities
[5] [6] [7] [8] [9]. However, this advancement in power
density necessitates the implementation of an effective
thermal management system to ensure the maintenance
of device temperature within an acceptable range [10].
One of the techniques for thermal management in
power electronics is the utilization of cooling systems
[11] [12].
 The cooling of power electronics can be achieved
through several methods, including air cooling, liquid
cooling, and immersion cooling. Among these methods,
liquid cooling is widely recognized for its high thermal
performance and is considered as one of the most effec-
tive cooling solutions [13]. The performance of liquid
cooling can be further enhanced by modifying the liquid
cooling cold plate through the use of pin-fin, ribbon,
or micro-channel structures, which increase the heat
transfer area and enhance heat transfer efficiency [14].
However, the integration of SiC MOSFETs with a pin-
fin base plate and the utilization of forced liquid cooling
Fig. 2: Progression of power scalability through advance-
presents a highly promising approach for achieving the
ments in SiC MOSFET (CoolSiC™) technology [16].
highest power density in future applications of traction
inverters [15].
This research aims to investigate and compare the
of 400 A. As exemplified by Infineon’s Hybridpack™
thermal cooling efficiency and pressure drop changes
Drive power module family, these SiC MOSFETs (Cool-
of different liquid cooling techniques, specifically serial
SiC™) hold the potential to significantly improve power
and parallel cooling, in the context of dual inverter
capability, which is indicated by a 220%, as shown in
applications using Infineon’s 1200V SiC MOSFETs
Fig. 2. The dual inverter topology used in this study is
(CoolSiC™) integrated with the pin-fin base plate of
illustrated in the accompanying Fig. 3.
the Hybridpack™ Drive module. To fulfill this objec-
tive, extensive evaluations of various cold plate designs
A. Heat Loss Calculation
have been carried out using Computer-Aided Engineer-
ing (CAE) software, specifically Ansys Fluent, for 3D The conduction losses of WBG semiconductors, in-
Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. The cluding SiC MOSFETs, can be calculated with preci-
results of this study will provide a deeper understanding sion by utilizing drain-source current and temperature-
of the most optimal liquid cooling methods for the dual dependent on-state resistance as shown in Equation (1).
inverter application being studied. However, determining the switching losses often requires
comprehensive experimental measurements across the
II. P OWER M ODULE AND C OOLING D ESIGN entire operating voltage and current range [17]. To
The design investigation of the cold plates pertains to account for circuit parasitics, some manufacturers offer
the dual inverter application shown in Fig. 1. It employs SPICE models that can be adjusted by the end-user.
the SiC MOSFETs (CoolSiC™), which have a maximum The switching energies can be obtained through the
voltage rating of 1.2 kV and a maximum current rating implementation of double-pulse measurements in SPICE
simulations [18]. In addition, analytical approaches that
are based on linearized MOSFET models can be used.

Fig. 1: Illustration of the dual inverter application in an Fig. 3: The dual inverter topology based on SiC MOS-
EV. FETs.
These models can be further improved by taking into
account the channel diversion process within the MOS-
FET, parasitic capacitances, internal current during the
switching event, and, in some instances, commutation
loop parasitic. Despite their potential for refinement,
these models are often complex and require device
parameters that may not always be readily available from
datasheets. Simplified models are also available, relying
solely on datasheet parameters, that enable rapid and
accurate estimation of the MOSFET switching losses
utilized in this paper. (a)
The conduction losses of SiC MOSFETs can be
represented as

2
Pcon = Rds,on × IRM S (1)
In Equation (1), the conduction loss of the SiC
MOSFETs, Pcon , is a function of the effective value
2
of phase current, IRM S , and the on-resistance of the
MOSFETs, Rds,on .
Furthermore, the switching loss of the MOSFET can be (b)
represented as
Fig. 4: Different cold plate designs with varying coolant
√ flow paths (a) serial cooling (b) parallel cooling.
2 2 IRM S VDC
Psw = fsw ×(Eon + Eof f )× × × (2)
π IRef VRef

In Equation (2),the switching loss of the MOSFETs,
Psw , is dependent on the switching frequency, fsw , the
turn-on energy (Eon ) and turn-off energy (Eof f ) of the
MOSFETs under the test load current (IRef ) and bus
voltage (VRef ). The DC bus voltage of the inverter,
VDC , also affects the switching loss. These parameters,
Eon , Eof f , IRef , and VRef , can be obtained from the
MOSFET datasheets [19].
B. Cooling Design
The primary objectives in the design of the cold plate
are to attain optimal heat dissipation and minimize pres-
sure drop. Potential designs are examined to guarantee
uniform heat dissipation and ensure that the case surfaces
of the two CoolSiC™ modules, each comprising three
power modules, maintain similar temperatures.
Heat transfer is a basic principle in thermodynamics
that describes the transfer of thermal energy from one
body to another due to a temperature difference. The
three primary modes of heat transfer are conduction,
convection, and radiation.
In the current study, the heat dissipation from the
chips of the SiC MOSFETs is transferred to the alu-
minum cold plate through a combination of conduction
and forced convection transfer methods. Conduction heat
transfer is the transfer of heat from one point to another
within a material, without any movement of the material
itself. Forced convection, on the other hand, involves the
transfer of heat through the movement of a fluid, such
as air or water, in liquids or gases, facilitated by the use
of a fan, blower, pump, or similar device.
In this study, four different cold plate designs listed
below are evaluated to assess their effectiveness in
mitigating the heat dissipation from the chips of the
SiC MOSFETs and minimizing the pressure drop of the
coolant. These designs vary in their flow path, as shown
in Fig. 4.
• Serial cooling cold plate: features a single coolant
inlet and outlet, without any micro-channels within
the flow path.
• Serial cooling cold plate with micro-channels: fea-
tures a single coolant inlet and outlet, with micro-
channels within the flow path.
• Parallel cooling cold plate: features two coolant
inlets that are divided, one coolant outlet, and no
micro-channels within the flow path.
• Parallel cooling cold plate with micro-channels: fea-
tures two divided coolant inlets, one coolant outlet,
and micro-channels within the flow path.
C. Thermal Simulation Results
In order to calculate thermal performances of the
specified cold plate designs, numerical simulations have
been carried out using ANSYS Fluent software. The sim-
ulation process has been iteratively refined under steady-
state conditions. A total power loss of 2 kW has been
selected for the dual inverter application, comprising a
total of six power modules, in the simulation. The flow
rate of the coolant, which is water, has been varied
between 4 l/min and 10 l/min to assess the impact of
fluid velocity on heat transfer.
(a) Serial cooling cold plate
(b) Serial Cooling cold plate with micro-channels
(c) Parallel cooling cold plate
(d) Parallel cooling cold plate with micro-channels
Fig. 5: Thermal simulation results.
Fig. 5 shows the pressure drop of the coolant and
overall temperature distribution of the specified cold
plate designs, including the CoolSiC™ modules, and
cold plate, for the standard condition with a coolant flow
rate of 4 l/min and a coolant temperature of 25 °C. The
flow rates mentioned refer to the total flow rate in parallel
cooling cold plate designs, which feature equal divided
inlets.
Simulation results show that the best temperature
performance is achieved by the serial cooling cold plate
and the serial cooling cold plate with micro-channels,
with maximum temperatures of 63.27°C and 63.43°C
respectively. However, the inclusion of micro-channels in
both serial and parallel cooling cold plates has increased
the pressure drop. For example, the serial cooling cold
plate with micro-channels has had a measured pressure
drop of 60 mbar compared to 16 mbar for the serial
cooling cold plate.
On the other hand, the parallel cooling cold plate
(a)
(b)
Fig. 6: Results at different flow rates (a) Serial cooling
cold plate (b) Parallel cooling cold plate.
demonstrates the best pressure drop performance among
the designs, with a value of 6 mbar.
The pressure drop and temperature performance of
the cooling system are both critical factors that determine
the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the cooling
solution. Pressure drop affects the flow rate and velocity
of the coolant, while temperature performance impacts
heat dissipation and temperature stability. Balancing
these factors is crucial for an optimal cooling solution
in the dual inverter application.
As a next step in this study, further simulations have
been conducted to examine the effect of flow rate on the
pressure drop and maximum temperature for both serial
and parallel cooling designs (without micro-channels).
The aim of these simulations has been to determine how
the flow rate of the coolant impacts the pressure drop and
temperature performance of the cold plate designs. The
results of the further simulations, as indicated in Fig. 6,
suggest that the parallel cooling cold plate design is the
(a)
(b)
Fig. 7: Results of the parallel cooling cold plate (a) the
coolant temperature of 25°C (b) the coolant temperature
of 60°C.
most promising solution. It performs similarly in terms
of temperature compared to the serial cooling cold plate,
but with a significantly lower pressure drop.
In light of these findings, extra studies have been
conducted to assess the performance of the parallel cool-
ing cold plate under a variety of operating conditions,
including different levels of heat loss and varying coolant
temperatures. By conducting these additional simulations
under a range of conditions, it has been possible to
understand the capabilities and limitations of the thermal
performance of the parallel cooling cold plate.Fig. 7
presents the results of the maximum temperature ob-
served in CoolSiC™ under varying operating conditions.
It is crucial to keep the maximum temperature on the
power module below 150°C, which is the limit of
SiC MOSFETs, when the CoolSiC™ modules are in
a switching state. At the coolant temperature of 25°C,
the results have remained below 150°C for different
power losses of 2kW, 4kW, and 6kW and flow rates
of 4l/min, 8l/min, and 10 l/min. However, when the
coolant temperature has been raised to 60°C, power
losses greater than 4kW have exceeded the limiting
temperature of 150°C for each of the flow rates.
III. C ONCLUSION
This study has undertaken a comprehensive investi-
gation of cold plate designs employing varying cooling
methods (serial or parallel) and configurations (micro-
channels or without micro-channels) for the dual inverter
application, with the purpose of achieving optimal heat
dissipation and minimizing pressure drop in the coolant.
Numerical thermal simulations have been performed us-
ing Ansys Fluent software under steady-state conditions.
The effect of fluid velocity on heat transfer and pressure
drop has been evaluated by varying the flow rate of the
coolant (water) from 4 l/min to 10 l/min. The results
of the study have indicated that the inclusion of micro-
channels has led to a significantly higher pressure drop.
A detailed performance comparison between serial and
parallel cooling cold plates have been conducted, reveal-
ing that the parallel cooling cold plate performed better
in terms of pressure drop. In-depth examination results of
the parallel cooling cold plate’s behaviour under different
operating conditions have remained below 150°C at the
coolant temperature of 25°C for power losses of 2 kW,
4 kW, and 6 kW and flow rates of 4 l/min, 8 l/min, and
10 l/min. However, the coolant temperature increase to
60°C has resulted in temperatures exceeding the limit of
150°C for power losses over 4 kW and for each of the
flow rates.
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