Case Study: Toyota Research Institute of North America achieves optimized, low‑pressure‑drop cooling for hybrid-vehicle power electronics with COMSOL Multiphysics

Numerical Simulation-Based Topology Optimization Leads to Better Cooling of Electronic Components in Toyota Hybrid Vehicles

Toyota Research Institute faced a thermal-management challenge: as power electronics in hybrid vehicles shrink and dissipate more heat, they needed a compact cold plate design that improves heat removal without increasing pump size or pressure drop. To avoid lengthy physical prototyping, Toyota Research Institute used Comsol Multiphysics (CFD and Heat Transfer modules) with LiveLink for MATLAB and LiveLink for SolidWorks to run numerical simulations and topology-optimization studies.

Using Comsol, the team generated a fractal-like hierarchical branching microchannel cold plate that combines central jet impingement with radiating branching channels, then exported designs to SolidWorks for prototyping and testing. The Comsol-driven design dissipated 12.8% more power than a flat jet-only plate while maintaining similar or slightly lower pressure drop; manifold optimization produced flow rates within 7% across nozzles with ~2 kPa pressure drop, demonstrating measurable performance and efficiency gains.

Toyota Research Institute

Ercan Dede

Principal Scientist