Analysis of Motor Cooling Lines of Electric Buses with 1D Models and Verification with Experiments

Abstract

Improving the overall thermal management strategy in electric vehicles can directly or indirectly improve battery efficiency and vehicle range. The aim of this study is to simulate and improve the performance of motor cooling lines developed for an electric bus using 1D computational fluid dynamics models. In the study, simulation studies were carried out for the 12-m EV Citivolt vehicle of Anadolu Isuzu. Design parameters such as placement of flow lines and component selection were decided thanks to 1D models developed. The design obtained at the end of the study was supported by tests and experimental studies. As a result, it was seen that the components in the line correctly detected the flow rate and pressure losses with a maximum error rate of 8% and an average error rate of 4.8%. Additionally, the components on the line were added to the model via their own characteristic dp-Q curves. In this way, it has been seen that these components, which contain complex flow lines, can be represented with unique dp-Q curves.