Thermal performance analysis of electric vehicle charging connectors

In order to obtain the thermal characteristics of the electric vehicle connector in operation. Firstly, the thermal circuit diagram of the connector is obtained by using thermoelectric simulation method. Then, based on Newton’s cooling equa¬tion, the natural-convection heat transfer coefficient of the connector is calculated, which provides accurate input parameters for thermal simulation calculation. Finally, the thermal performance of the connector and the influence of component size and material are analyzed based on ANSYS software. When the working current is 250 A and the ambient temperature is 25°C, the temperature rise of connector shell and conductor can meet the thermal performance requirement. In order to reduce the temperature and uniform temperature difference of each part of the connector, the following optimization schemes are put forward: the optimal length of the insulator is 44 mm, the shell length should be increased as far as possible if conditions permit, and liquid crystal polymer with high thermal conductivity is selected as the insulator material, and aluminum alloy with high thermal conductivity and blackness is selected as the shell material