Full-Scale Testing of an E-Motor Cooling System

电机冷却系统的全面测试

• 批准号: 578482-2022
• 负责人: Balachandar, RamaswamiR
• 金额: $ 2.08万
• 依托单位: University of Windsor
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Alliance Grants
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=748883
• 关键词: Full; Scale; Testing; Motor; Cooling

Automakers are responding to environmental issues by shifting towards electrified vehicles in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To support this process, we need to optimize electric vehicle components such as batteries, inverters and electric motors (E-motors). The components are tending to be smaller with larger power densities resulting in larger heat fluxes. High temperatures in E-motors and inverters decrease efficiency, longevity, and reliability. Industry needs holistic thermal-electrical-structural modelling and co-design techniques to support development of cost-effective and manufacturable thermal management solutions. In the proposed research project, we will focus primarily on E-motor cooling optimization. Common E-motor configurations for automotive applications are varied, the most common type of which are the permanent magnet machines. However, permanent magnet machines appear to have reached their potential limits and impose a significant cost and efficiency barrier. An alternative, but less utilized, E-motor type is a wound-field synchronous motor (WFSM). A WFSM operates without using rare-earth magnets which are replaced by copper windings around the rotor poles. However, the copper windings prove challenging to cool and current cooling technologies are only partially successful in removing high heat loads. Our team's goal, in partnership with Magna International Inc., is to design, optimize and test a WFSM motor thermal management system. The objective of the thermal management system is to reduce rotor and stator winding temperatures and retain them in safe temperature ranges, while simultaneously minimizing the power input. Although the thermal management system is being developed to cool WFSMs, it can be implemented for use in other types of motors. The expected outcome will be a more efficient, reliable, and affordable cooling solution that will eliminate the current dependency on rare-earth magnets. Moreover, new modelling approaches for the robust simulation of e-motor cooling will be developed which will contribute to fundamental research in fluid mechanics and heat transfer.

汽车制造商正在通过转向电动汽车来应对环境问题，以努力减少温室气体排放。为了支持这一进程，我们需要优化电动汽车部件，如电池、逆变器和电动马达(E-Motors)。随着功率密度的增大，组件趋于小型化，从而产生更大的热流密度。电动马达和逆变器的高温降低了效率、寿命和可靠性。行业需要整体的热-电-结构建模和协同设计技术，以支持成本效益高且可制造的热管理解决方案的开发。在拟议的研究项目中，我们将主要关注电动马达的冷却优化。汽车应用中常见的电动马达配置多种多样，其中最常见的类型是永磁电机。然而，永磁电机似乎已经达到了它们的潜在极限，并造成了显著的成本和效率障碍。另一种较少使用的电动马达类型是绕线式同步电机(WFSM)。WFSM的运行不使用稀土磁铁，而是用绕在转子磁极周围的铜绕组来取代。然而，事实证明，铜绕组的冷却具有挑战性，目前的冷却技术在消除高热负荷方面只取得了部分成功。我们团队的目标是与Magna International Inc.合作，设计、优化和测试WFSM电机热管理系统。热管理系统的目标是降低转子和定子绕组的温度，并将其保持在安全的温度范围内，同时将功率输入降至最低。虽然正在开发热管理系统来冷却WFSM，但它也可以用于其他类型的电机。预期的结果将是一个更高效、更可靠、更负担得起的冷却解决方案，它将消除目前对稀土磁体的依赖。此外，还将为电动马达冷却的稳健模拟开发新的建模方法，这将有助于流体力学和传热学的基础研究。