Case Study
Optimizing Thermal Performance for Formed Metal Cold Plates using CFD SimulationsIntroduction
Alkraft’s EV product design team recently took on the challenge of designing a high-performance Cold Plate that had to meet stringent customer requirements within a compressed timeframe. The project presented here involved optimizing three configurations of a Cold Plate to balance Cold Plate temperature, temperature uniformity, and coolant pressure drop. By leveraging Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools, the team iteratively refined the designs to achieve the optimal configuration.
Project Overview
The primary objective of the project was to design a Cold Plate that would meet specific thermal performance criteria set by the customer. The critical parameters included:
1
Cold Plate Temperature
A maximum of 25°C
2
Temperature Uniformity
Variation within ±1°C
3
Coolant Pressure Drop
Maximum of 10 kPa
Alkraft’s design team evaluated three different configurations, varying the coolant flow paths, geometry, inlet/outlet ports, and header designs as shown below:
Configuration 1
- Design: U flow design with single inlet and outlet
- Number of Passages per header: 30
- Material: Aluminum
- Process: Controlled Atmosphere Brazing
Configuration 2
- Design: Eight pass design with two inlets and outlets
- Number of Passages per header: 31
- Material: Aluminum
- Process: Controlled Atmosphere Brazing
Configuration 3
- Design: Sixteen Pass Design With Two Inlets And Outlets
- Number of Passages per header: 30
- Material: Aluminum
- Process: Controlled Atmosphere Brazing
Simulation Outputs & Results
Using CFD simulations, the performance of each configuration was assessed against the customer’s requirements. The results were as follows:
Analysis & Optimization
The iterative process of CFD simulations enabled the team to refine each configuration, focusing on achieving a balance between thermal performance and pressure drop. Here’s a detailed analysis:
Configuration 1
- Despite meeting the temperature requirement, the temperature uniformity and pressure drop were off the mark.
- This configuration showed that a single inlet and outlet design was less efficient in maintaining temperature uniformity and resulted in a high-pressure drop.
Configuration 2
- Achieved excellent Cold Plate temperature and improved temperature uniformity.
- However, the coolant pressure drop was still higher than the desired value.
- The eight pass design with dual inlets and outlets showed a marked improvement over Configuration 1.
Configuration 3
- Provided a balanced performance with a slightly higher cold plate temperature but significantly better temperature uniformity and the lowest pressure drop.
- The sixteen pass design with dual inlets and outlets proved to be the optimal configuration.
Conclusion
Through iterative CFD simulations, the team at Alkraft successfully optimized the design of the Cold Plate, meeting the customer’s thermal performance requirements. Configuration 3 emerged as the most balanced design, delivering a maximum cold plate temperature of 22.2°C, temperature uniformity within 1.6°C, and a coolant pressure drop of 6 kPa. This case study exemplifies how expertise in applying CFD tools to enhance product design and performance ensures that all critical parameters are met efficiently.
The project’s success underscores Alkraft’s commitment to leveraging advanced simulation tools to solve complex thermal management challenges. By meticulously evaluating various design configurations, Alkraft ensured that the final product not only met but exceeded customer expectations in terms of thermal performance.
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