Applications of Liquid-Cooled Plates in the New Energy Sector ！

Liquid-cooled plates are core thermal management components widely applied across the new energy industry. They deliver precise temperature control, improved operational efficiency, extended service life and enhanced operational safety, and have become a standard configuration for high-power new energy equipment. Below are their main application scenarios:

1. New Energy Vehicles (NEVs)

   This is the largest and most mature application field.

   1. Power Battery Systems

      Liquid-cooled plates are mounted on the bottom or side of battery modules/packs to form a closed liquid circulation loop. They maintain the battery operating temperature steadily between 20–35 °C with a temperature difference within 2.5 °C.

      Key values: Support 2C~5C ultra-fast charging, reduce thermal runaway risks greatly, stabilize driving range, and prolong battery service life to over 15 years.

      Main structures: Serpentine channels, parallel flow channels and interlayer embedded cold plates for high-density battery cells.

   2. Motor Controllers & IGBT Modules

      Pin-fin or double-sided liquid-cooled plates are adopted for heat dissipation of IGBT and SiC power devices. They keep the junction temperature below 60 °C.

      Advantages: Boost energy conversion efficiency by 1%–1.5%, and adapt to high-frequency and high-power operating conditions of 800V high-voltage platforms.

   3. Liquid-Cooled Charging Piles

      Liquid-cooled plates are used for heat dissipation of charging guns, cables and internal power units. They triple the current-carrying capacity and enable ultra-fast public charging.

2. Energy Storage Systems

   A fast-growing track with large-scale market demand, widely used in grid-side, industrial & commercial and containerized energy storage stations.

   1. Cabinet-type & Container Energy Storage

      Cold plates fit closely to battery modules. Mixed glycol aqueous solution serves as the coolant, controlling the overall temperature deviation within ±2 °C.

      Highlights: Cut auxiliary power consumption by over 30% compared with air cooling, improve battery consistency and cycle life by more than 20%, and raise the round-trip efficiency (RTE) of the whole system to above 93.5%.

      Application trend: Full liquid cooling has become the mainstream for large-scale energy storage projects above 1GWh.

   2. Immersion Liquid Cooling (High-density Scenarios)

      Combined with liquid-cooled plates and insulating fluorinated liquid, it is applied in super high heat flux density scenarios, with PUE as low as 1.02.

3. Photovoltaic Industry

   Mainly deployed for heat dissipation of power equipment and photovoltaic modules in photovoltaic power stations.

   1. PV Inverters

      High-performance liquid-cooled plates with micro-channels or pin-fin structures are used for cooling IGBT units of 1500V centralized and string inverters. With excellent outdoor corrosion resistance, they meet the 25-year service requirement for power stations.

      Benefit: Increase power conversion efficiency by 0.8%–1.2% and reduce equipment failure rates.

   2. PV-ESS Integrated Systems

      Inverters and energy storage batteries share a unified liquid cooling loop, featuring high integration, consistent temperature control and lower overall operating costs.

   3. PV-Thermal (PVT) Systems

      Liquid-cooled plates are attached to the back of PV modules. They lower the module operating temperature to boost power generation, and recycle waste heat for heating or industrial use. The comprehensive solar energy utilization rate rises to 40%–50%.

4. Wind Power Industry

   Primarily for heat dissipation of converters in onshore and offshore wind turbines.

   Application: Custom anti-salt-fog and anti-corrosion liquid-cooled plates are equipped for 3MW+ high-power wind converters.

   Performance: Stabilize equipment operation in harsh marine and desert environments, improve conversion efficiency by 0.5%–1%, and extend the service life to 20 years.

5. Core Advantages & Industry Trends
   1. Core Advantages
      • Excellent heat dissipation: Low thermal resistance, suitable for equipment with heat flux density over 50 W/cm².
      • Precise temperature control: Narrow temperature difference to avoid local hot spots and component attenuation.
      • High reliability: Reach IP65 protection level, resistant to dust, moisture and salt fog.
      • Energy saving: Greatly reduce auxiliary energy consumption compared with traditional air cooling.
   2. Development Trends
      • Material upgrading: Traditional aluminum alloy remains dominant; copper-aluminum composite and new composite materials are gradually applied.
      • Structural optimization: Micro-channels, topology-optimized flow channels and interlayer cold plates become popular.
      • System integration: Integrated liquid cooling solutions for vehicles, energy storage, PV and wind power are developing rapidly.
      • Adaptation to wide-bandgap devices: Double-sided liquid cooling and high-efficiency cold plates cater to high-frequency SiC devices.