Work

Multi-physics study on the thermal response of a coupled inductive power transfer pad

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Inductive power transfer is an important technological alternative for charging infrastructure, crucial for accelerating the future adoption of electric vehicles. The magnetic components of an inductive charging pad generate inevitable thermal losses, which, if not properly managed, can exceed the pad’s safe operating temperature. Accurate simulation of thermal responses is therefore essential for evaluating the pad’s suitability for real-world applications. However, despite the requirement for coupling in real-world power transfer applications, many existing studies have only considered the thermal response of a single pad; The effects of coupling on the thermal response of an IPT system are unknown. This paper presents an experimental and multi-physics numerical study that aims to address this gap by investigating the influence of coupling on the thermal response of an IPT system. The numerical framework comprises three coupled modules: electro-magnetic, fluid dynamics, and solid heat conduction. Results indicate that a closely coupled IPT system experiences a more severe thermal response, with temperatures up to 100% higher than a single pad at the same operating current. This is due to increased thermal losses from magnetic coupling, and a reduced capacity for heat dissipation due to the surrounding geometric and thermo-fluid boundary conditions. In all cases, convection and radiation heat transfer mechanisms are significant and must be considered. Under constant pad separation, increasing the power transferred increases the discrepancy between a single pad system and an equivalent coupled IPT system. Under constant power transfer, increasing the pad separation decreases the discrepancy between a single and equivalent coupled IPT system. The key conclusion of this study is that the effects of coupling on the thermal response of an IPT system are significant, and must be considered to properly design and analyse an IPT system for long-term use in key aspects of charging infrastructure.

Source: Applied Thermal Engineering

DOI: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2026.132769