Heat dissipation optimization of EPS controller based on ICEPAK

LIU Zhenhua, XIE Weidong, LI Fang

(Institute of Vehicle Engineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310014, China)

Abstract: Aiming at the problem of controller failure caused by overheat of MOSFET tube in EPS controller, the heat dissipation performance of EPS controller was analyzed. Based on heat transfer theory, the power loss of the MOSFET was calculated and the thermal dissipation path of the controller was analyzed, the initial parameters of the radiator was choiced and the simulation model of the controller was established with the 3D design software. Then the thermal analysis software ICEPAK was used to numerical simulate the temperature field of the controller under steady state operate. Combining with the factors that affect the radiation performance of the radiator, the quality and the thermal resistance and the temperature of the MOSFET was choiced as the optimization object to optimize the radiator structure parameters of the EPS controller. At last, the high and low temperature alternating test box and the temperature sensor was used to test the bottom board temperature of the radiator as the controller operate in high temperature and load, the test data was recorded and compared with the simulation results. This results indicate that the simulation is right, the maximum error is within 15%, the optimized structure of the radiator is reasonable and verify the feasibility and the effective of the simulation to the thermal design.

Key words: EPS controller; MOSFET; heat dissipation; ICEPAK