A novel phase change material-based thermal management of electric machine windings enabled by additive manufacturing

Abstract

While recent advances in additive manufacturing have provided immense opportunities for the development of next-generation electric machines, the machine thermal management has become one of the limiting factors to achieve high performances. Herein, a novel approach for the thermal management of electric machine windings under transient high-load conditions is proposed through the additive manufacturing of their magnetic cores with a thin-wall structure topology and filling their interstices with phase change materials (PCMs). The investigation initially focuses on reducing electromagnetic losses in the stator of an electric machine by changing its core topology from a bulk to a thin-wall structure. The effectiveness of PCM in curbing temperature rises within its winding is subsequently evaluated in scenarios where active cooling is absent or present. The analyses are performed by solving a set of coupled electromagnetic and heat transfer equations through a three-dimensional frequency-transient finite element analysis. The results demonstrate an increase of 74% in allowable duration before the safe temperature threshold is exceeded without active cooling. With active cooling, temperature rises are delayed by 104% at the early stages of operations. This offers a simple, low-cost, and efficient thermal management option for enhancing the performance of an electric machine and prolonging its working life.