Thermal Topology Optimization for High Power Density Power Electronic Systems in Passively Cooled Housings

Hotspots on passively cooled housings of power electronic systems result in early exceeding of surface contact temperatures and therefore in not fully utilizing the maximum loss budget for maximum power density. This paper presents an automated design concept for heat flow control to avoid hotspots at the surface via iterative optimization of the housing wall thickness based on thermal 3D-FEM simulations and geometry variation with Marching Cubes meshing. Basic influencing parameters of the concept are identified and analyzed regarding volume requirements and optimization impact. The experimental results with optimized plastic housings show a significantly more homogeneous surface temperature distribution and a loss budget increase of up to 11 %, which validates the use of the concept for optimization of highly compact systems.