Design, Simulation, and Experimental Evaluation of an R290-Based Dual Secondary Loop Thermal Management System for Electric Vehicles

The transition toward low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants, driven by increasingly stringent environmental regulations and carbon reduction targets, has imposed new requirements on thermal management systems (TMSs) for electric vehicles (EVs). These systems must ensure efficient operation across a wide range of ambient conditions while maintaining high energy efficiency and environmental compatibility. Among potential alternatives, R290 (propane) has emerged as a promising natural refrigerant due to its favorable thermophysical properties and low environmental impact. In this study, an R290-based dual secondary loop TMS is proposed and evaluated for wide-temperature-range EV applications. A one-dimensional system model was developed using Dymola and validated through experimental testing on a dedicated performance test bench. TMS performance was investigated under multiple steady-state operating conditions, including high-load cooling, battery fast charging, and low-temperature heating, and benchmarked against a conventional R1234yf-based direct TMS. The results demonstrate that the R290-based dual secondary loop system achieves improved performance compared to a conventional R1234yf direct system, with a coefficient of performance (COP) increase of 4.29% under high-load cooling conditions at 43°C and up to 27.27% under high-load heating conditions at −10°C. Furthermore, under extreme low-temperature conditions (−18°C), the system delivers a heating capacity of 7 kW with a COP of 1.8, demonstrating strong low-temperature adaptability without the need for auxiliary heating. The results confirm that the proposed R290-based dual secondary loop system provides significant advantages in energy efficiency and wide-temperature adaptability, offering a promising solution for next-generation EVTMSs.