By Christie U. Omonigho
Shell Lubricants (“Shell”), has announced its thermal fluid technology has helped to enable a significant breakthrough in battery electric vehicle (BEV) architecture. Following successful development of an immersively-cooled battery pack, extensive testing has now proven that Shell EV-Plus Thermal Fluid with PurePlus Technology, can act as an all-in-one thermal management solution for the entire BEV power train, Shell said. According to Shell, the innovation enables a simplified battery and powertrain design, supporting reduction in the number of components and vehicle weight, and helping to drive operational economy and cost-efficiency.
Shell, supported by HORIBA MIRA – a leading technology development company – has not just demonstrated but also maintained that its specialized thermal fluid not only promotes outstanding thermal control in the battery pack during high-speed charging conditions, but is also effective at cooling the motor and power electronics whilst driving. “The ultra-low viscosity Shell EV-Plus Thermal Fluid proved efficacious across a wide range of replicated conditions, from the extreme cold of an arctic winter to the scorching heat of a Saharan summer. This opens the door to an elegant single-fluid, single-circuit system design that can reduce component inventory and promotes enhanced vehicle performance and economy.”
“Today’s announcement marks an important milestone in demonstrating that a specialised Shell Thermal Fluid operating in a single circuit can manage the thermal needs of all electrical drive train components. This eagerly anticipated ‘all-in-one’ concept is crucial in supporting both reduced cost and complexity in BEV design and manufacturing for our partners,” says Jason Wong, Global Executive Vice President, Shell Lubricants. “Previously, we announced how Shell’s thermal fluid technology has facilitated sub-10-minute battery charging without compromising cell integrity or lifetime via enhanced thermal management. Through clever co-engineering, we have now shown the potential to unlock greater system-wide benefits.”
Shell’s EV-Plus Thermal Fluid according to Shell, features proprietary Shell PurePlus Technology which uses a crystal-clear 99.5% pure base oil1 made from natural gas with stronger molecular bonds, to improve BEV battery cooling. “It opens the door to charging from 10% to 80% capacity in under 10 minutes through direct contact between the battery cells and the dielectric fluid. Today’s announcement demonstrates that the same fluid is effective at transferring the heat from other electrical components even when the fluid and heat source are not in direct contact.”
“Having managed the heat generated during brisk battery charging with an immersive fluid, the challenge was extended to cover all other electric components in the powertrain,” Robert Mainwaring, Shell’s lead engineer on the project, commented: “Our Shell EV-Plus Thermal Fluid’s ability to entirely replace traditional glycol-based coolants and work with existing hardware is a game-changer. It shows that you don’t need a patchwork of cooling systems; one fluid can do it all, enabling ultra-fast charging and facilitating optimal drivetrain performance.”
The implications of this development have been recognised by industry leaders. Dr. David Bridge, Chief Engineer – Thermal of HORIBA MIRA, commented, “The development of advanced thermal management solutions is a critical enabler for the future of electric vehicles. The ability to manage heat effectively across the entire power train is fundamental to unlocking the full potential of BEV technology, enabling faster charging, improved safety, and longer component life. This is a significant step forward in the journey towards a fully electrified and sustainable transport future.”
Important to note that immersive cooling technologies using dielectric liquids according to Shel have a long tradition in industrial applications and have been applied successfully in several areas, such as oil immersed transformer designs. Good dielectric properties are essential to prevent electric shorts as the fluid is directly in contact with high voltage electrical systems. Therefore, high specific electrical resistivity and high break down voltage are key to ensure reliable function of the electric system.
Shell says it has more than a century of experience in dielectric fluid development and production. Building on its extensive experience in dielectric fluids and GTL technology, More recently it said it developed a range of Immersion Cooling Fluids for use in single-phase immersion cooling systems for data centers, as well as the its EV-Plus Thermal Management (TM) range of products to meet and exceed latest requirements from automotive OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers, including battery pack and cell manufacturers. It also said recently acquired Panolin and MIDEL/MIVOLT to expand its portfolio, which now contains not only thermal fluids formulated with GTL technology that are biodegradable to varying degrees, but also natural and synthetic ester base oils. “Together this establishes a comprehensive suite of solutions designed to meet diverse thermal management needs across a range of applications, including power transmission and distribution, data center cooling, and thermal management of EV batteries, electric motors, inverters and fast chargers.”
It could be recalled that earlier this year, Shell Immersion Cooling Fluids were the first to gain recognition as Intel Data Center Certified for Immersion Cooling – affirming their compatibility with 4th and 5th Gen Intel Xeon processors. Data centres can also benefit from Intel’s Immersion Warranty Rider, which covers the use of Shell’s immersion cooling fluids. Together with HORIBA MIRA, Shell’s innovative EV thermal fluids demonstrate tangible benefits for battery electric vehicles and power trains.