Stator Cooling via Laminate Cavity Airflow
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large electrical machines, such as those in offshore wind-turbines, face challenges in cooling due to limited surface area for heat dissipation and harsh environments, where traditional cooling methods require large heat-exchangers and additional power for medium circulation, and struggle to efficiently cool winding heads and rotors.
Innovation Solution
An air-cooling arrangement within a built-in cavity of the electrical machine, utilizing a gaseous medium circulation through slots in laminate-plates and a heat-exchanger to maintain continuous cooling of heat-generating parts without additional space, ensuring efficient cooling of both stator and rotor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a liquid cooling system with cooling channels is used in the stator, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but the complexity of ensuring good thermal contact between laminate-plates and cooling channels increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling channels are integrated directly into the laminate-plates themselves, merging the structural support function with the thermal management function. This eliminates the need for separate cooling channel components and ensures inherent good thermal contact between the stator windings and cooling medium, as the cooling channels are part of the laminate-plate structure that directly contacts the windings.
2Temperature
If traditional air cooling with external heat exchangers is used, then cooling capability is improved, but the space required for assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is nested within the existing stator structure. The cooling channels are embedded in the laminate-plates, and the entire cooling system fits within the stator assembly without requiring external heat exchangers or additional space. The cooling medium flows through channels that are already part of the stator's structural components.
3Temperature
If gas circulation cooling is used, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but additional power is required to circulate the cooling medium
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is designed to utilize the natural flow characteristics of the cooling medium and the existing mechanical movements within the generator. The air gap between rotor and stator allows for natural convection currents, and the rotation of the rotor itself creates airflow patterns that assist cooling without requiring additional power-consuming circulation pumps or fans.
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 solution provides efficient cooling of electrical machines by maintaining continuous airflow through heat-generating parts, effectively cooling winding heads and rotors without the need for additional space or power-intensive cooling systems, optimizing thermal management in constrained environments.
Implementation Method 1
circulate a gaseous medium for cooling purposes from the cavity to the air-gap and the laminate-plates back into the cavity
Implementation Method 2
the heat is transferred from the metal-windings through the laminate-plates to the cooling-medium by conduction
Implementation Method 3
utilizing a gaseous medium circulation through slots in laminate-plates and a heat-exchanger to maintain continuous cooling
Data Source
AI summary
An arrangement for cooling an electrical machine is provided. The electrical machine includes a rotor and a stator, an air-gap being between the rotor and the stator. The stator includes a plurality of stacked laminate-plates. The laminate-plates include on a first side, which is facing the air-gap, a plurality of slots containing metal-windings of a stator-coil. The laminate-plates are positioned and fixed by a structural support and by end-plates in relation to a central-part of the stator. A joint cavity is formed by the end-plates, the central-part of the stator and an internal surface of the laminate-plates. The internal surface is defined by a second side of the laminate-plates, the second side being opposite to the first side. The cavity is coupled with an air-cooling-arrangement, which is arranged and used to circulate a cooling gaseous medium from the cavity to the air-gap and the laminate-plates back into the cavity.