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Next-Generation Thermal Management, Power Electronics, and Hydrogen Energy Technology: Design and Efficiency

A Special Issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417) belonging to the section "Energy Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2027 | Viewed by 800

Editor

School of Energy and Power Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China
Interests: heat and mass transfer and process intensification; hydrogen energy technology and applications; thermal storage and process intensification; cold spraying technology and applications; thermal management of new energy vehicles

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Next-generation thermal management, power electronics and hydrogen technologies represent complex integrated systems that synergistically combine advanced energy conversion, precise thermal control, and efficient hydrogen utilization, enabling seamless interaction between electrical systems, thermal processes and hydrogen-based infrastructure. Owing to their increasingly critical roles in carbon neutrality, renewable energy systems, electric transportation and industrial decarbonization, researchers from across disciplines have devoted growing attention to these fields. Thermal management design is essential as it ensures reliable operation, suppresses thermal failure, improves durability and enhances energy efficiency in high-power and high-density equipment. Meanwhile, high-efficiency power electronics enable flexible energy conversion, optimal power flow control and improved system performance. Hydrogen technologies cover advanced hydrogen production, storage, delivery and fuel cell systems, serving as a key pillar of clean and low-carbon energy systems. Together, these three areas are indispensable and core components for next-generation energy systems. This Special Issue aims to provide a focused platform for discussing and advancing the design, optimization and efficiency of next-generation thermal management, power electronics and hydrogen technologies. We are committed to promoting the development and application of innovative methods to enhance the efficiency, reliability, sustainability and economic viability of next-generation energy systems against evolving industrial and environmental demands.

Topics of this Special Issue include (but are not limited to):

  • Design and optimization of next-generation thermal management systems;
  • Advanced topologies and efficiency improvement in power electronics;
  • Hydrogen production, purification and transportation technologies;
  • Design, integration and efficiency optimization of fuel cell systems;
  • Integrated energy systems involving thermal, electrical and hydrogen flows;
  • Thermal management for devices and high-density energy equipment;
  • Advanced thermal control technologies including phase change, liquid cooling and air cooling;
  • Reliability, fault diagnosis and resilience enhancement of power electronic systems;
  • Safety monitoring, lifetime prediction and health management for hydrogen equipment
  • Digital twin and intelligent optimization for thermal management and hydrogen systems;
  • Application of new materials in thermal management, power electronics and hydrogen technologies;
  • System-level efficiency evaluation, life-cycle assessment and engineering applications.

Dr. Feng Wang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • next-generation thermal management
  • power electronics
  • hydrogen technologies
  • carbon neutrality
  • energy conversion
  • thermal control
  • fuel cell
  • renewable energy
  • system optimization
  • industrial decarbonization

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 5173 KB  
Article
Active Thermal Management of IGBT Modules in Electric Vehicle Inverters Under CLTC Driving Cycles Using Multi-Parameter Fuzzy Control
by Jinlie Li, Yunxiao Wu and Zhaolei Zheng
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(16), 8166; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16168166 - 16 Aug 2026
Viewed by 249
Abstract
To address junction-temperature fluctuations and thermal-fatigue degradation of IGBT modules in EV traction inverters under CLTC conditions, this study develops a hierarchical active thermal-management framework. A temperature-dependent loss model coupled with a fourth-order Foster thermal network is first established and evaluated against experimentally [...] Read more.
To address junction-temperature fluctuations and thermal-fatigue degradation of IGBT modules in EV traction inverters under CLTC conditions, this study develops a hierarchical active thermal-management framework. A temperature-dependent loss model coupled with a fourth-order Foster thermal network is first established and evaluated against experimentally derived temperature references. The prediction errors are mainly within ±5 °C over approximately 30–145 °C, with a small number of larger deviations during rapid thermal transients. Speed-based feedforward scheduling, single-variable fuzzy feedback, and dual-variable fuzzy control coordinating switching frequency and cooling intensity are then evaluated in simulation. Rainflow counting and the Miner rule show cumulative-damage reductions of 57.09%, 66.70%, and 81.90%, respectively, while the dual-variable strategy increases the model-based equivalent lifetime from 5.32 to 31.99 years. The results demonstrate the benefit of coordinated heat-generation and heat-dissipation control for inverter thermal reliability. Full article
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18 pages, 11692 KB  
Article
Research on Dynamic Junction Temperature Estimation Method for Automotive Power Modules Based on an Improved Three-Dimensional Thermal Network Model
by Bin Liu, Jun Liu, Yifan Song, Mengzhen Zhang and Feng Wang
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(15), 7740; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16157740 - 4 Aug 2026
Viewed by 309
Abstract
To address the challenge of balancing junction temperature prediction accuracy and computational efficiency for high-power multi-chip IGBT modules in automotive applications during complex electro-thermal conversion processes, this study proposes an improved three-dimensional thermal network model based on equivalent power loss injection. Firstly, the [...] Read more.
To address the challenge of balancing junction temperature prediction accuracy and computational efficiency for high-power multi-chip IGBT modules in automotive applications during complex electro-thermal conversion processes, this study proposes an improved three-dimensional thermal network model based on equivalent power loss injection. Firstly, the effective heat conduction area of each packaging layer under actual heat flow distribution is extracted through three-dimensional finite element simulation, and the single-chip self-heating network parameters are constructed. Secondly, targeting the thermal cross-coupling effect among multiple chips, an elliptical thermal diffusion model is applied to accurately define the thermal coupling region, and a dynamic equivalent power loss compensation mechanism is introduced. Efficient decoupling of multi-heat-source interference is achieved without increasing the state-space dimension of the model. An experimental benchmarking results comparison indicates that the absolute error of junction temperature prediction by this model under steady-state operating conditions is 0.5 °C. Further comparative analysis under the full CLTC-P (China Light-duty Vehicle Test Cycle for Passenger Car) cycle verifies that the improved model not only overcomes the shortcomings of the traditional Foster model, which severely underestimates the transient peak junction temperature and alternating stress amplitude, but also effectively filters out non-physical overshoots caused by short-term ultra-narrow pulses, thus reasonably estimating the device’s maximum junction temperature within the real physical boundary. This method provides efficient theoretical support for accurate dynamic junction temperature predictions and reliability evaluations of electric vehicles under complex operating conditions. Full article
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