A Comprehensive Review of Thermal Design and Analysis of Traction Motors

Abstract

Traction motors used in electric vehicles have some definite operational requirements including high torque at low speed and constant high power at high speeds. These high torque and power requirements contribute directly to higher heat generation in the motors. Thus, an effective thermal design is needed during motor design for improved thermal performance. This review paper mainly focuses on different types of effective methods of thermal design analyzing the thermal performance of traction motors. In broad view, this review paper presents a brief discussion on comparison of different methods of thermal design and analysis for different types of traction motors. The final goal of the comparison is to show how improved thermal design can be achieved through optimum electromagnetic and structural design characteristics for different traction motor geometries.