Abstract:
Overheating in electrical motors results in detrimental
effects such as degradation of the insulation materials, magnet
demagnetization, increase in Joule losses and decreased motor
efficiency and lifetime. Hence, it is important to find ways of
optimizing performance and reliability of electric motors through
effective cooling and consequently reduce operating and maintenance
costs. This study describes 3D CFD simulations performed on a
totally enclosed air over fan cooled brushless D.C. motor to identify
the temperatures of the critical components of the motor. A finned
casing is used as the heat sink and the effect of varying the fin
geometry on the cooling performance is examined using three heat
sink designs. The results show that the highest temperature occurs at
the end windings and that this temperature can be reduced by up to
15% by introduction of a suitable finned housing. These results show
that CFD can be effectively used to optimize the cooling performance
of electric motors. Experimental tests are undergoing in order to
validate the CFD results.
