Magnetics Business & Technology - May/June 2024 - 12

FEATURE ARTICLE
Photo: MAHLE
Continued from page 11...
The group''s engineers have developed a bionic structure that
is modeled on nature for the cooling channels that causes the
coolant to flow differently. This significantly improves the thermodynamic
performance and structural-mechanical properties
of the cooling plate. As a result, MAHLE was able to increase
cooling performance by 10 percent and reduce pressure loss by
20 percent. As a result, the battery can be reliably and homogeneously
kept within the necessary temperature window. It thus
becomes more efficient and can be charged more quickly. In
addition, its service life is increased. On top of this, MAHLE has
reduced the amount of material used for the plate by up to 15
percent, thus saving 15 percent CO2.
" With our new battery cooling plate, we are breaking away from
technical geometries and instead using natural structures, such
as the coral shape-with outstanding effect for our cooling technology
and great advantages in structural stability to boot, " said
Dr. Uli Christian Blessing, head of global development thermal
management at MAHLE.
Lithium-ion batteries are very temperature-sensitive. The cell
temperature should not exceed 40 degrees Celsius over longer
periods - even under extreme conditions such as fast charging.
At the same time, the temperature distribution across all cells
must be as uniform as possible. The batteries are therefore
usually cooled via flow-through plates.
12 Magnetics Business & Technology * May/June 2024
In the latest development from MAHLE, the flow rate of the
coolant is controlled according to demand: Especially in the
case of small temperature differences between battery cells
and coolant, heat transfer is improved by faster flow rates. The
bionic battery cooling plate from MAHLE works so efficiently
that the temperature range can be reduced by 50 percent and
peak temperatures in particular can be significantly lowered. In
this way, the Group makes a major contribution to the service
life and performance of the expensive battery.
And the bionic structure also offers design advantages. Greater
rigidity makes it possible to use the battery cooling plate with
lower material thicknesses. This further improves its effectiveness.
In addition, there are more degrees of freedom to enable
new manufacturing processes with less energy and material
input. A contribution to sustainability. For well over a decade,
MAHLE has been developing systems for cooling lithium-ion
batteries for small cars through to large commercial vehicles,
making it one of the pioneers in this field of technology.
The company's all-new positioning system for wireless charging
was recently chosen as the global standard technology by SAE
International. It allows an electric vehicle to be simply, reliably
and precisely aligned above an inductive charging coil in the
floor. SAE International, the US-based standards developing
organization for engineering professionals, has chosen the
MAHLE positioning system as the global standard solution for
wireless charging.
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Magnetics Business & Technology - May/June 2024

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