Thermal Behavior of IGBT Module for EV (Electric Vehicle)

EVs are divided into three categories: the pure EV, the hybrid EV, and the fuel cell EV. Although these three types of electric vehicle have different system configuration, one (or more) motor drive system is always needed to convert electrical power into mechanical ones. Among the drive systems used for EV, induction motor system and permanent magnet motor systems are mostly used for their high power density, high efficiency. The motor drive system for electric vehicle (EV) is composed of a battery, three phase inverter, a permanent magnet motor, and a sensor system. The inverter is a key unit important among these electrical components which converts the direct current of the battery into the alternating current to rotate the motor. Therefore, for predicting the dynamic power loss and junction temperature, the electro-thermal coupling simulation techniques to estimate the power loss and to calculate the junction temperature become important. This paper describes a compact thermal model suitable for the electro-thermal coupling simulation of EV inverter module for two current control methods. We can predict the dynamic temperature rise of Si devices by simulating the inverter operation in accordance with the real EV running.