Comparison of a CFD Analysis and a Thermal Equivalent Circuit Model of a TEFC Induction Machine With Measurements

Abstract

For a totally enclosed fan-cooled induction machine, two methods of numerical analysis are compared with measurements. The first numerical method is based on computational fluid dynamics (CFDs) and the second one uses a thermal equivalent circuit (TEC). For the analysis based on CFD, a 3-D induction machine including housing is modeled. The numeric solution of the flow equations is determined for stationary temperature distributions. For the TEC, a discretized one-and-a-half-dimensional model of the induction machine is considered. With the TEC model, stationary and transient operating conditions can be simulated. Measurement results are determined by iron-copper-nickel sensors embedded in the stator winding and the housing, as well as by an IR sensor for measuring the rotor temperature. With these measurement signals, stationary and transient operating conditions can be analyzed. For stationary operating conditions, additionally, the housing temperatures are determined by an IR camera. The investigated simulation and measurement methods reveal different local and global temperatures, and thus, only certain aspects and characteristics of the obtained temperatures can be compared. Nevertheless, certain conclusions can be drawn from comparing these aspects considering the actual restrictions of each of the applied methods.