Thermal and Efficiency Characterization of Immersion Cooled SiC Traction Inverter

Thermal management plays a critical role in the performance of the power electronic converters. Immersion cooling, as a new promising thermal management solution for power electronics, can significantly improve the efficiency, power density, and reliability of power converters. In this paper, based on the simulation and experimental investigations, the efficiency improvement of an immersion cooled Silicon Carbide (SiC) traction inverter is characterized in comparison to the scenario based on conventional cooling solution with heatsinks and fans. It shows that the peak efficiency of the immersion cooled 5-kW 2-level SiC inverter can be improved by up to 0.16%, and the semiconductor hotspot temperature is significantly reduced by 9.6 °C, enabling much improved power cycling lifetime.