Design of a Direct-Liquid-Cooled Motor and Operation Strategy for the Cooling System

authored by: Ralf Johannes Keuter, Florian Niebuhr, Marius Nozinski, Eike Krüger, Stephan Kabelac, Bernd Ponick
Abstract: To make an all-electric aircraft possible, both high power densities and efficiencies are needed. However, particularly high demands are also placed on the thermal management system. Often, the electric motor and cooling system are considered without co-optimization. Particularly in the case of electric motors with conductors directly cooled by a liquid, there is great potential for optimization, since the temperature-dependent Joule losses determine the largest part of the losses. This publication shows the main influencing parameters for the electric motor and cooling system: coolant speed and winding temperature. In addition, the influence of the cooling system control during a flight mission is demonstrated and its potential in mass reduction is quantified. It could be shown that with a low utilized electric motor the maximum winding temperature of 130 (Formula presented.) C is beneficial, the cooling system should work in almost all operation points in its sized operation and the mass of the heat exchanger and pump is negligible compared to the mass of the electric motor and energy storage.
Organisation(s): Institute of Drive Systems and Power Electronics
Institute of Thermodynamics
External Organisation(s): Cluster of Excellence SE²A Sustainable and Energy-Efficient Aviation
Type: Article
Journal: ENERGIES
Volume: 16
ISSN: 1996-1073
Publication date: 12.07.2023
Publication status: Published
Peer reviewed: Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment, Fuel Technology, Engineering (miscellaneous), Energy Engineering and Power Technology, Energy (miscellaneous), Control and Optimization, Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy
Electronic version(s): https://doi.org/10.3390/en16145319 (Access: Open)