Numerical simulation of liquid cooling for compact motor

Abstract

Relevance of the work is caused by the necessity to select the efficient cooling system for compact electric motor under specified conditions of its work. The main aim of the study is to determine by the experiment the efficiency of various existing and proposed designs and patterns for the liquid cooling system of small-sized motor using numerical experiments, to determine the required operating mode by the given conditions of motor heat release; to select experimentally the required refrigerant and geometry of the channel of the cooling jacket to ensure rational parameters of the node in question as a whole. The methods used in the study: experiments based on numerical simulation of complex three-dimensional non-isothermal flow of coolant under constant flow using the finite element method and program complex Ansys. The results: The paper introduces the mathematical model of non-isothermal flow in a three-dimensional formulation. The authors estimated the adequacy of the proposed mathematical model and its numerical implementation, proposed and proved the rational geometry of the motor cooling jacket. The effectiveness of applying different refrigerants was appreciated and technological dependence of cooling system operation efficiency on geometrical and some technological parameters was defined. The paper introduces the graphic visualization of refrigerant flow distribution in the cooling circuit channel. The authors estimated the nature of air flow (laminar / turbulent) in annular and spiral gap, gravity effects on refrigerant held, the possibility of applying coolant from the standpoint of strength capacity of the cooling jacket design. The results obtained can be applied both in developing automatic control systems in industrial equipment and in a local loop responsible for cooling.

Keywords

• numerical simulation
• rheology
• liquid cooling
• finite elements
• laminar flow