"We evaluate thermal demand reduction strategies and develop battery cooling systems"
TECNALIA has launched a new experimental infrastructure to promote the development of components, equipment and thermal systems for sustainable mobility
TECNALIA has incorporated an innovative infrastructure into its thermal systems laboratory that is capable of accurately reproducing climate conditions and real thermal and energy profiles of vehicles and other mobility systems.
This new test space develops, tests and validates energy exchange technologies in vehicles, such as HVAC systems (air conditioning), battery thermal management (BTMS) or integral thermal management solutions, without the need for a whole vehicle. The aim is to accelerate the development of more efficient, sustainable solutions aligned with the growing demands of the mobility sector.
A unique infrastructure to recreate real-life conditions of use
The infrastructure consists of a large climatic chamber with the possibility of being compartmentalised into two different thermo-hygrometric environments. In this way, it simultaneously generates the necessary exterior and interior conditions for the thermal characterisation, verification, validation and development of the thermal equipment and systems required by the vehicles. It offers a fully controlled environment capable of recreating:
- Extreme outdoor temperature and humidity climate conditions (from -40 °C to +50 °C and 10 %-90 % relative humidity).
- Interior thermo-hygrometric conditions inside a vehicle with its load/heat dissipation profiles.
- Sudden thermo-hygrometric variations.
- Thermal demands typical of the real operation of different modes of transport, with exchange capacities of up to 60 kW thermal for air, water, glycol water or thermal oil required by the equipment tested.
It is particularly relevant for the mobility sector
The equipment is aimed at cross-sectoral use by key sectors. In the field of mobility, it is particularly relevant for the automotive, rail, shipbuilding and aviation sectors in order to:
- Evaluate strategies to reduce thermal demand (hot and cold)
- Optimise air conditioning inside the vehicle
- Develop and validate battery cooling systems, both in stationary and dynamic on-road conditions, emulated using Hardware in the Loop technology.
The equipment stands out for its high level of instrumentation and safety to work with natural and flammable coolants. It incorporates advanced sensors and an entire thermal, electrical and hydraulic control network, which is fully monitored and recorded.
With this new infrastructure, TECNALIA is taking a step towards supporting industry in the transition towards cleaner, more efficient and competitive technologies, fostering increasingly sustainable mobility.