earticle

영어

With the rapid expansion of the electric vehicle (EV) market, the importance of high-efficiency thermal management systems is increasingly being emphasized. The Octo-valve, a key component in Tesla's integrated thermal management system, plays a pivotal role in controlling the flow of refrigerant and coolant to optimize the efficiency of the heat pump system. This study aims to analyze the detailed internal flow characteristics of a single Octo-valve unit and to explore methods for its performance enhancement. For this purpose, an actual Octo-valve was disassembled, and its internal flow paths were modeled in three dimensions using a high-precision 3D scanner. Based on this model, a numerical analysis was conducted using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to simulate the thermo-fluid phenomena within the valve. Changes in temperature, pressure distribution, and flow velocity were analyzed under various operating conditions and variables, and the resulting pressure drop was quantified. Furthermore, the influence of these internal flow characteristics on the overall system's Coefficient of Performance (COP) and heat transfer efficiency was evaluated. The findings of this research provide a fundamental understanding of the complex fluid dynamics inside the Octo-valve and offer essential baseline data for the design of next-generation, high-efficiency Octo-valves.