Investigation of a Low-Power-Consumption and Self-Retaining Micro Solenoid Valve for Thermal Management Systems

Abstract Thermosyphon loops are widely used in cooling systems. However, such distributed thermal management systems lack the ability to actively control the coolant flow in each parallel branch. An effective method for addressing this is to control the coolant flow in each branch using a solenoid valve. However, the existing valves do not satisfy the requirements for fast switching, low power, low pressure loss, and miniaturization. Therefore, in this study, a low-power-consumption miniature solenoid valve (LMSV) is proposed for use in thermal management systems. The key novelty is that the valve is designed with a suitably sized permanent magnet (PM) to allow the spool to continue working without consuming electrical energy. To achieve low flow resistance, a straight-through design is employed in the valve with the electromagnetic actuator located inside the valve shell. Multiphysical coupling analysis is performed to investigate its performance. The influence of the PM dimensions and current on the magnetic field distribution and electromagnetic force is studied. The effects of these key parameters on the flow field and pressure loss are also analyzed. Because the LMSV is sensitive to temperature, the switching time and energy consumption at different working temperatures are investigated. Experimental test platforms are constructed. A valve switching time of as short as 3 ms, pressure loss of 200 Pa at 0.92 L/min, and energy consumption of approximately 1.55 J during the opening and closing processes are achieved. The novel solenoid valve proposed in this study offers fast switching, low power consumption, low pressure loss, and miniaturization to meet the requirements of thermal management systems.