Advanced Cooling Systems for Demanding Conditions
Batteries for electric vehicles function best and achieve their intended life expectancy when the cell temperature is maintained roughly between a lower limit of ~20°C and an upper limit of ~35°C. For industrial equipment that is used in warehouses with minimal HVAC temperature control and equipment operated in an outdoor environment, an effective electric vehicle battery cooling solution with the capability to maintain battery temperature during charging and discharging is critical. In addition, the cooling system must be rugged enough to handle the environment and have a sufficiently long life to match that of the host equipment of approximately 10,000-12,000 hours. The cooling system must also be as efficient as possible to avoid excessive power draw from the batteries. For systems that require an active cooling system to maintain temperatures within the specified limits, thermal engineers will mount the battery cells to a series of cold plates with internal coolant lines. These are located as close as possible to the center of the battery cells to limit the temperature rise from the cell center to the cold plate. The whole package is typically cooled with a compressor-based chiller that cools the circulating coolant. A schematic of a typical setup is shown in the Figure.
Aspen Systems has been developing and supplying cooling systems for electronics and laser cooling into military markets since 2009. Cooling systems like the ones shown above were developed for commercial EV applications starting in 2018 to cool rapid charging station cables. With dozens of successful applications on military vehicles, including Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicles (MATV) for SOCOM to the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program Aspen is well versed in the requirements of cooling of vehicles in austere environments. We have systems deployed all over the world with every branch of the US DoD.
With a capacity range from 100 watts up to multi-kilowatt applications, we can supply solutions for construction vehicles, industrial equipment, and recreational vehicles. Our systems are well known for their reliability with expected life well above that of the systems they will be cooling. Talk to our vapor compression experts about your next EV cooling application.
