Passive In-Slot Heat Path Realisation for Extending the Operating Limits of an Aircraft Propulsion Motor

Hebala, Ahmed; Nuzzo, Stefano; H. Connor, Peter; Gerada, Chris; Galea, Michael

Abstract

This paper studies the combined thermal and electrical characteristics of different in-slot conductive heat path materials and shapes to reduce the winding hotspot temperature and improve electrical motors’ output power and performance. Combinations of analytical and 2D finite thermal models are developed and experimentally validated to consider the electromagnetic losses and temperature distributions within a slot-only model, as well as for a full motor. The models are used to assess a range of materials and operating conditions. The main parameters such as the thermal and electrical conductivity, and thickness of the in-slot passive heat conductive paths, are varied to generate a wider understanding of their operation for the future implementation of the heat path concept. Finally, the heat path is adopted for a high-performance aircraft propulsion motor to extend the operation limits. The analysis considered the thermal and electromagnetic aspects and the output power and power density have increased by 21% using the proposed heat path.

Citation

Hebala, A., Nuzzo, S., H. Connor, P., Gerada, C., & Galea, M. (2024). Passive In-Slot Heat Path Realisation for Extending the Operating Limits of an Aircraft Propulsion Motor. IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification, https://doi.org/10.1109/TTE.2024.3520380

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 19, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Dec 19, 2024
• Publication Date: Dec 19, 2024
• Deposit Date: Jan 10, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 22, 2025
• Journal: IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification
• Electronic ISSN: 2332-7782
• Publisher: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/TTE.2024.3520380
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/43212027
• Publisher URL: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10807357