Numerical study of fin geometry on the heat transfer characteristics of 72 V ECU heatsink for an electric three-wheeler

• Published in: Journal of mechanical science and technology 2019, 33(3), , pp.1451-1462
• Main Authors: Ekanayake, Gihan, Patil, Mahesh Suresh, Seo, Jae-Hyeong, Lee, Moo-Yeon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Control; Dynamical Systems; Electronic control; Engineering; Field effect transistors; Geometry; Heat sinks; Heat transfer; Industrial and Production Engineering; Mathematical models; Mechanical Engineering; Semiconductor devices; Temperature distribution; Thermal resistance; Thickness; Vibration; 기계공학
• ISSN: 1738-494X; 1976-3824
• DOI: 10.1007/s12206-019-0247-8

This study aimed to numerically investigate the parametric effects of fin geometry on the heat transfer characteristics of 72 V electronic control unit (ECU) heatsink for an electric three-wheeler. The temperature distribution, fin efficiency, and thermal resistance of the 72 V ECU heatsink were compared by varying the fin geometry parameters, including fin thickness, number, height, and depth. The maximum cooling performance was observed for the proposed fin arrangement with a fin thickness of 2.1 mm, fin number of 60, fin height of 16 mm, and fin depth of 8 mm, in comparison with the existing heatsink model. The proposed 72 V ECU heatsink model was validated with the experimental results of the existing heatsink model and indicated a good agreement within ±4.97 %. The optimized ECU heatsink enhanced the heat transfer performance, thereby decreasing the temperatures of the heatsink, capacitor, and metal-oxidesemiconductor field-effect transistor for the proposed 72 V ECU heatsink model by 16.88 %, 12.71 % and 18.95 %, respectively, in comparison with the existing heatsink model.