The following research investigates the effect that axial cooling channels will have on the performance of the thermal management system of a hypothetical switched reluctance motor. A baseline motor with no axial cooling will be compared to an identical motor with the innovative cooling design implemented. This will allow for a direct comparison of the two designs, with a quantifiable performance increase determined through thermal simulations.
The ability of a polymer composite to transfer heat to the axial cooling channel is also explored. A detailed material selection process is discussed with the result being an epoxy polymer composite. The material development of a thermally enhanced polymer composite is then investigated to achieve a maximum thermal conductivity material that can exist within the stator slot to achieve enhanced thermal energy transfer. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc) / The desire to increase the power density of electric machines is becoming an increasingly popular challenge, especially in the automotive industry. With the advent of electrified powertrains as an alternative solution to conventional internal combustion powered vehicles, the topic of increasing electric motor performance is becoming very attractive area of research. An important aspect of electric motor performance is the way in which the generated thermal energy is managed. Through material development and innovative motor design, there exists the opportunity to cool electric motors through cooling paths flowing axially through the stator. This ‘axial cooling’ design has the opportunity to greatly increase motor cooling by removing thermal energy directly from its main source, the motor windings. The following research is aimed at the thermal design of the axial cooling and the role in which thermally conductive polymer composites play in order to enhance motor cooling.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/18137 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Rhebergen, Cody |
| Contributors | Emadi, Ali, Mechanical Engineering |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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