Operational Enhancement of Electric Drives by Advanced Cooling Technologies

Heat dissipation determines the power density and Esson's Number of electric motor drives. This paper discusses the thermal influence parameters on Esson's Number. The influencing parameters are studied and discussed in detail. The developed methodology is applied to an induction motor for traction application. Test bench measurements are used to parametrize a thermal reduced order model and study different combinations of rotor and stator cooling technologies, such as natural convection cooling systems of the housing, forced gas and liquid cooling systems of the housing as well as two different types of forced liquid cooling systems of the rotor. The deepened knowledge helps to understand the complex correlations and dependencies in electric machine thermal design processes.