Electrothermal System Design and Evaluation of Low EMI and Thermally Balanced 150 kW T-Type Traction Inverter

Power electronics switching devices utilized in traction, propulsion, and power generation applications require advanced thermal management systems and extensive electromagnetic interference filtering components. The traditional indirect cooling methods exhibit limited ability to target switching location hotspots, causing limited cooling capabilities and thermal imbalance. Additionally, they rely on metallic structures directly integrated with module base plates, allowing for an accentuation of common-mode noise. These effects present themselves concurrently, creating reliability concerns while requiring further noise filtering. This work demonstrates the integration of a nonmetallic jet impingement cooler for direct base plate thermal management of a 150 kW silicon-carbide inverter. The use of nonmetallic structures manufactured through additive techniques limits low-induction capacitance pathways by 99%, leading to a 25 dB reduction in common-mode noise. Impingement jets focused on module hotspots reduce maximum device temperatures and increase thermal uniformity. Finally, by attaching individual jet coolers to each power module, hydraulic circuit networks are used to demonstrate thermal balancing between power devices for optimal current sharing.