Efficient lubrication of a high-speed electromechanical powertrain with holistic thermal management

Abstract

In order to increase the power density of BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles), high-speed concepts are being progressively developed. With increased speed, the power of the electrical machine can be maintained with reduced torque and therefore size, resulting in cost and package advantages. In the joint research project Speed4E with seven industrial and five university partners, such high-speed electromechanical powertrain is being developed and investigated. The electrical machines will run at a maximum rotational speed of 50,000 rpm in the test rig and 30,000 rpm in the test vehicle. The developed lubrication system for the Speed4E transmission aims for high efficiency and optimized heat balance, via a demand-oriented oil flow. In this context, this study investigates how an efficient lubrication system can be designed with respect to the holistic thermal management of the vehicle. Therefore, a hybrid lubrication consisting of dip and injection lubrication is realized. For the analysis and evaluation, efficiency calculations and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) simulations of the oil distribution are presented.