Two-phase heat conductors for passive thermal regulation systems of electric vehicles

Due to the growing demands for a better environment, great efforts are currently being made in the world to create and improve electric and hybrid vehicles. Heat-loaded equipment of electric transport requires efficient cooling systems. A loop thermosyphon made of aluminum, having two flat multi-channel evaporators and one condenser for cooling electronic components, is developed and tested with acetone as the working fluid. The procedure and results of an experimental study of the characteristics of a thermosyphon are described. The evaporators are supplied with a heat load of varying power; the absorbed heat is dissipated by the condenser. The working fluid is acetone. The influence of thermal load and volume of working fluid on the thermal resistance of a thermosyphon and its components was determined and investigated. The lowest evaporator thermal resistance is 0.15 K/W for the heat load range 30–60 W. The thermosyphon operates stably in a wide range of thermal loads and quickly responds to their changes.