Thermal Design 101:

Assessing
Approaches to Design
in the Execution of
Successful Thermal
System Architecture
 Technologies presented

• Thermosiphon

• Quickco
 Introduction & Highlights
• Project Manager in the Collider Accelerator Department
• Bachelor Mechanical Engineer 2011 Stony Brook Universtiy
• Master’s Degree 2012 Stony Brook University
• +12 years experience
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification – 2016
• Licensed New York State Professional Engineering (PE) - 2018

 Coupled electromagnetic, fluid, thermal & structural simulations

 Superconducting Radio Frequency Cavities (operating at 2K)
 Warm Radio Frequency Cavities
 Microwave structures (waveguide and coax)
 Beam instrumentations (beam dumps)
 Engineering design analyses, overall planning, scheduling and provide operational support.
 Support the RF group with Research and Development (R&D) work for the new Electron Ion Collider (EIC).
 Introduction & Highlights
• Director of New Technology, CAVU Group​
• BSME UMass/Amherst (1990); MEME WPI (1998)​
• 30+ years of industry experience​
• Experience Includes Thermal/Fluids Simulation, ​
Materials R&D and Product Commercialization
• Developed and invented several diverse technology
solutions (US Patents: 25 issued / 6 pending)
 Formulated and introduced liquid, gelled pcm product lines​
 Method to simulate thermal packaging through the cold chain​
 Capability to simulate phase change with free convection in enclosed ​
spaces, including validation with experimental results​
 Developed extensive material database comprising key thermal shipper components:
insulation, polymers, metals and phase change materials​
 Developed and introduced method to thermally characterize complex product loads​
 Developed and introduced tool to compare shipper ambient ​
temperature profiles​
 Developing shape stable, radiation curable organic PCMs for use ​
in thermal shippers​
 Developing compostable, flexible refrigerants for use in thermal shippers
 Introduction & Highlights

Summary:
Mechanical Engineer and entrepreneur with interest in sustainable energy and enviromental issues.

Actual :
Lion Electric - lead the development of thermal management systems for trucks platforms and modifications to existing platforms. We are in the
commercial transportation sector - buses and trucks.
Lion is a very dynamic and creative company. Focus on fast innovation application and hard problem solving.

Relevant experiences (11 years):

• Modeling, Design and construction of 10 Landfill biogas recovery system, collection networks (piping and civil engineering)
• Energy and Thermal modeling for LEED Buildings. Organization of energy simulations: 200k$ in financial support gain per project.
• Energetic and quantitative analysis of residual material within a 100 km radius (paper, cardboard, plastics, etc.) (2020) - Identification of a 178 kT/year
potential of mainly CRD, having 2,570 TJ of calorific value
• Entrepreneur : Thermal sizing of a heat storage system and geothermal system. Reduction of power consumption by 50%.
• What are the key
considerations when
designing thermal
architecture and what
are the parameters that
need to be set when
developing a product
with thermal
considerations?
Design Process: Temperature Controlled packaging
II. Identification of Thermal Physics
1. Define System Requirements
2. Identification of Thermal Physics
- Conduction, Convection (free/forced), Radiation
3. Material Thermal Properties, ICs and BCs - Phase Change, Chemical Reaction, Internal Energy
4. Design Process: Iterative Simulation / Prototype / Testing Generation
5. Design Selection: Design Freeze III. Establish Material Thermal Properties, ICs and BCs
- Density, Specific heat and Thermal conductivity (the big
I. System Requirements: three)
- Enthalpy (latent heat) and Tmelt / Tfreeze
- Minimum/Maximum Temperature Limits (material
- Thermal contact resistance and properties for radiative
capability)
exchange (wavelength, absorption, transmission,
- Thermal Requirements: Temperature Criteria (of product),
Duration, Ambient Profile and Product Load
reflection)
- System Components / Materials (including compatibility) - Ambient Temperature (Profile), External convective heat
- System Weight, Volume, Cost, single or multiple use transfer coefficient (HTC), Initial conditions [IC]
expectations - Symmetric boundary conditions [BC], characterization of
product load
Design Process: Temperature Controlled packaging

IV. Design Process: Iterative Simulation / Prototype / Testing

- Solid Model
- Apply symmetric BCs (1/4 model), thermal couplings, external Ambient Temperature Profile, external HTC, Initial
conditions
- Discretize solid model (Mesh), Apply material properties, Configure Solvers
- Run Simulation and Iterate until design meets requirements
- Fabricate Prototype, Establish measurement method/locations, Select test equipment
- Execute test, compare simulation results with test

V. Design Selection: Design Freeze

- If test results agree with simulation results, model has been validated
- Team Design Review (manufacturing, logistics, supply chain)
- If Design approved, design is frozen
- Transfer to manufacturing begins
• What is the best thermal
design approach based
on the basics of heat
transfer principles?
 Find the heat transfer values

Focus on the simplest way to meet requirement (choose in order)

1. Passive cooling : Air cooled, insulation, reflection, latent heat, etc

2. Manage internal generation : De-Rerating – Slowing process down or Using internal resistance of the battery -energy
storage, Mostly Software

3. Active measure : Transfering energy, implies electrical or mecanical process

 Design improvement

• Convection
- Ajust flow rate
- Limit infiltration

• Conductivity
- Increase heat exchange (changing conductivity or surface of exchange)
- Reducing conductivity with insulation

• Radiant heat
- Protection shielding or emitting surface

• Latent heat
- Phase change material for batteries help reduce temperature swing
- No autonomy gain
• What strategies should be
adopted to ensure
successful system
integration?
Simulation Speeds Development & Reduces
Testing Costs

Without Customer Concept

Build Prototype,
followed by testing
Requests Design Production
Simulation: (iterative)

A single build/test iteration typically takes weeks or months

With Customer Concept Thermal Final

Production
Simulation: Requests Design Simulation Testing

A single simulation iteration typically takes hours or days

Development of Process to Simulate Temperature
Controlled Packaging
STEP 1: STEP 2:
Create Solid Apply Symmetry
Model

STEP 3: STEP 4:
Create Finite Element Mesh Formulate a Thermal/Flow Problem

Symmetry
Convection to
condition
the Ambient

Thermal-
Coupling
between
touching
(solid)
surfaces
• What are the advantages
of tailored thermal system
architecture?
 Select cooling system options to fit the needs

o Refrigeration loop

OR
o Cooling loop – Coolant (phase change or not)

• Fan and/or pump

• High Delta T - needed with ambiant temp

Responding to different Heat-Transfer fluid criterias

o What is available in your system and your surroundings o Examples:

(water, air, space, )
• Batterie system use an array of fluids : Air, Water, Refrigerant
o Environmental and Security issues
• Spaceship mostly use radiant heat and Rocket use
• Ammonia is risky propellant for cooling fluid

• Hydrocarbon refrigerant are phase out (Ozone and GHG • High temps phase change salt in Nuclear Power
issues )
o Price
o Pressure, enthalpy and COP
o Temperature range
 Pros and Cons of Tailored options

Pros

• Power + Efficiency – Improved performance

• Lowering Refrigerant Quantity

• Reusing part - Fan for Radiator and Condenser

Cons

• Complexity

• Weight

Improvement possible:

• Heat pump loop for heating efficiency

• Low side/High side heat exchange for higher efficiency with 1234y
• What are some
challenges that you face
in your industry when it
comes to Thermal
Management?
 Key Thermal Material Properties: Example, how characterize product
load

• In theory, this sounds simple, but in

• Key material properties for simulation of transient practice the full gamut of product loads is
thermal behavior: Density (ρ), Specific Heat (cs) and encountered:
Thermal Conductivity (k).
- Large containers tightly packed, fully filled
with drug (gelatinous pills).
- Many tightly packed, small vials filled with
liquid vaccine or
- Small number of loosely packed, syringes,
pre-filled with 0.5ml of vaccine.

- Experience indicates volumetric heat

capacity shows good modeling results:
 Key Thermal Material Properties: Example, how characterize product
load
A question comes up, on how to best thermally characterize the product loads, since they can have:
- Many small intricate components made from many different materials (not practical to simulate)
- Very different amounts of internal space (e.g. very different air volumes)

VHC > 15 Decreasing VHC VHC < 2

Developed method to thermally characterize complex product loads (e.g. RHS, above) such that small
intricate components do not have to be solid modeled for simulation purposes, but instead can be
represented by a single isotropic (homogeneous) solid body, with constant VHC.
 Validation of Phase Change

• PCMs provide stable product

temperatures
• Precise simulation of PCM physics is
essential towards obtaining accurate
product temperatures
• Latent heat of refrigerant effectively
extends cooling duration
• Simulation models phase change
effects accurately and efficiently
• Already validated with test results PharmaBio Transport Supplement, Winter 2009
(Ref. R. Formato publication)
 Thermal Management Challenge in EV

3 main systems function on trucks. • Variability of component needs – power, operating

temperature, and pressure.
o Heating, air conditioning and ventilation (HVAC) • Routing difficult
of Cabin o Other general issue
• Affect autonomy in cold climate
• Not a priority system – No security issue unless Defrost
• Client knowledge
• New market – Supplier ramp up and
o BTMS – Heating and cooling tendencies to oversize
• Extreme temperature Pull up and Pull down are the • Software Complexity
limitation • Still R&D phase for constructors
• Dictated by batteries suppliers
o HV cooling loop (motor, drive, rectifier/inverter,
DCDC, etc.)
 Cold Climate Challenge

• Generally Low efficiency - Thermal management

system loads can reduce the drive range by as much as 45%
under ambient temperatures below −10 °C. Often, cabin
heating relies purely on positive temperature coefficient (PTC)
resistive heating, contributing to a significant range loss
• Quebec minus –25degC for on hour
o Between 5kWh for heat
o Total 30 kWh – CSHVC – with regen
• Suppliers are not familiar with cold temp for EV
Q&A