Analysis of Cooling Characteristics of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor with Different Water Jacket Design Using Electromagnetic–Thermal Fluid Coupled Analysis and Design of Experiment

Abstract

Electrical losses are converted into thermal energy in motors, which heats each component. It is a significant factor in decreasing motor mechanical performance. In this paper, the motor cooling characteristics were analyzed according to the design factors of the water jacket to investigate the cooling performance of a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM). First, the electrical losses generated in PMSM were calculated using electromagnetic finite element (FE) analysis. Secondly, a 3D electromagnetic–thermal fluid coupled FE analysis was performed to analyze the temperature distribution inside the motor by applying electrical loss as the heat source. Finally, the motor cooling performance according to the design factors of the water jacket was statistically analyzed using the design of experiment (DOE) method. It was found that the mass flow rate of 0.02547 kg/s and six passes of the water jacket with one inlet and two outlets could be considered the optimum conditions in terms of the maximum motor temperature.