Subcooled LN2/LN2 at Boiling Point / GN2 for Cryogenic Cooling of Power Electronic Components in Aircrafts

Abstract:
Thermal management of power electronic components is essential to manage heat dissipation, increase power density, limit failure and increase reliability. Without extensive research on thermal management and cooling, future development of power electronics is limited. In this study, power electronic components deployed on top surface of an aluminum cold plate heat exchanger, each producing heat dissipation in the range of 50-100 W/cm2 with various flow rates of cryogenic nitrogen (10 g/sec to 50 g/sec) are investigated for future electric aircraft applications. Utilizing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tool Simscale and Conjugate Heat transfer v2.0 package, two phases of cryogenic nitrogen, subcooled liquid and gas are simulated separately. Surface temperature and temperature difference between any power electronic component deployed on top surface of aluminum cold plate heat exchanger are extracted and analyzed. Subcooled liquid nitrogen exhibited better results compared to gaseous nitrogen.