Thermal design, analysis and optimization of a power charger for hybrid or electric vehicles

Hybrid or electric vehicles require an on-board battery charger that converts AC to DC with high efficiency to charge the batteries. The charger should be compatible with all international power grids, should be designed for quick charging of the battery packs, and should cater to a broad range of vehicle platforms. Heat dissipation in the battery charger is usually very high. Hence, it is imperative to choose an adequate and easily adoptable cooling method to maintain the operating temperature of the electronic devices of the charger within safe limits for a reliable system. Thermal design, analysis and optimization of such a charger is presented and discussed in this paper.