Coolant Can Winding Cooling for Electric Machine Thermal Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional thermal management systems for electric machines often result in inefficiencies and performance losses due to indiscriminate cooling of windings and other components, as they fail to isolate cooling effectively, leading to conflicting thermal management needs for components like stator cores and rotor cores.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of coolant cans that encapsulate windings or conductive elements, allowing coolant to flow through them while isolating the coolant from other internal components, enabling directed cooling and maintaining different thermal conditions for windings and core components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional thermal management systems cool all components indiscriminately, then windings are cooled effectively, but other components like stator cores and rotor cores are also cooled unnecessarily, leading to performance losses
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal management system is segmented into separate cooling circuits: one for windings and another for core components. This allows independent temperature control for each component type, enabling the windings to be cooled effectively while allowing core components to operate at higher temperatures that improve machine efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Different thermal conditions are applied to different parts of the machine. The windings receive active cooling to maintain low temperatures, while the stator and rotor cores are allowed to operate at higher temperatures. This local differentiation of thermal quality resolves the contradiction by optimizing each component's temperature for its specific function.
2Ease of operation
If coolant is flowed through all components, then thermal management is simplified, but directed cooling to particular components becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is divided into separate channels and circuits that can be independently controlled. Coolant flow paths are segmented to reach specific components (windings vs. cores) separately, enabling directed cooling while maintaining operational simplicity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
Thermal management intermediaries such as heat exchangers and thermal coupling elements are introduced to enable selective cooling. These intermediaries allow the coolant to reach specific components without requiring direct contact with all machine parts, providing directed cooling capability while keeping the system manageable.
3Stability of the object's composition
If stator and rotor cores are cooled to maintain low temperatures, then thermal stability is improved, but machine performance decreases due to unnecessary cooling
Solution Approach 1:
Different thermal stability requirements are addressed locally: the windings receive active cooling for thermal stability, while the core components are allowed to operate at higher temperatures where they actually perform better. This local differentiation eliminates the performance penalty of unnecessary core cooling.
Solution Approach 2:
The optimal operating temperature parameters are changed for different components. Instead of maintaining uniform low temperatures throughout, the system allows core components to operate at elevated temperatures that optimize their magnetic and mechanical properties, while keeping windings cool for electrical stability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances the efficiency of electric machines by allowing the stator and rotor cores to maintain higher temperatures than the windings, thereby increasing overall performance and reducing losses, while maintaining optimal winding efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
liquid coolant is often flowed through the motor during operation to provide cooling to the windings or conductive elements
Implementation Method 2
coolant fluid is commonly utilized to provide cooling to components of an electric machine
Data Source
AI summary
An electric machine having a thermal management system includes a stator having a stator core, and a rotor having a rotor core that is moveable relative to the stator. At least one of the stator and the rotor include one or more windings. One or more coolant cans encapsulate one or more of the windings disposed on the at least one of the stator and the rotor in an interior compartment of the coolant can. The interior compartment of the coolant can defines a coolant flow passage through the one or more windings. The coolant can includes a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet in fluid connection with the interior compartment of the coolant can. The interior compartment of the one or more coolant cans are fluidically isolated from the stator core and the rotor core.