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Thermal Analysis of Electric Motors in Engine Cooling Fan Systems

Conference Paper · March 2001

DOI: 10.4271/2001-01-1017

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Thermal Analysis of Electric Motors in Engine Cooling
Fan Systems
T. Hong, M. Rakotovao, M. Henner, S. Moreau, J. Savage
Copyright © 2001 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.
ABSTRACT
Thermal study of electric engine cooling (EEC) motors is
conducted using 3D CFD and conjugate heat transfer
analysis. Complicated airflow fields and temperature
distribution inside the motor are obtained. Predicted
temperatures agree well with experimental results.
INTRODUCTION
The increasing need of flat fan systems (c.f. Figure 1) in
engine cooling modules often leads to the use of
compact EEC motors. These compact motors should
have the same efficiency with reduced volume and then
increased heat dissipation density. This would be easier
to achieve when using high magnetic characteristic
materials and high thermal insulation class materials.
Unfortunately, EEC motors are very cost sensitive
products, compromise need to be found between cost
and performance. Improving heat transfer inside an EEC
motor is an important way to meet these challenges,
which should lead to reduced temperature of critical
parts of the motor. Reliability is then increased and high
power density in electrical motor is no longer
compromised by motor life consideration.
Figure 1 – Flat fan system
01HX-14
Valeo Motors and Actuators
The present study focuses on the interaction between
motor temperature and airflow inside the motor.
Theoretically, the thermal analysis of the electric motors
includes:
• heat source analysis
• airflow and conjugate heat transfer analysis
As the purpose of this work is to establish a robust and
practical methodology for thermal analysis of EEC
motors, both numerical analysis and experimental
validation are carried out.
HEAT SOURCES IN EEC MOTORS
Joule loss (Copper loss), brush loss in case of brush
motor or power electronics loss in case of electronically
controlled motors (brushless) are the main heat sources
in EEC motors, which represent about 80 to 90% of the
total loss. The motor efficiency is about 60% for low
power motor (<250W) to 80% for high power. For
instance, in the case of 600W motor, losses to dissipate
could reach 120W. Therefore, the main objective of
motor cooling design is to control the temperature of
motor windings, brushes and commutator in case of a
brush motor, or power electronics components in case of
a brushless motor.
As motor temperature increases, all resistances
(winding, brush internal resistance, etc.) increase, and
magnets loose flux density. Therefore, the characteristics
of a motor (current, speed and torque) change with
motor temperature. The determination of motor losses is
then an iterative process during the heat transfer
analysis, until physical balances (electrical, thermal, etc)
are reached.
AIRFLOW AND CONJUGATE HEAT TRANSFER
ANALYSIS
Finite volume method is used for the airflow and
conjugated heat transfer analysis. 2D and 3D CFD
models are developed. The flow and temperature fields
are obtained by solving the incompressible Navier-
Stokes equations coupled with an energy equation.

In first approximation, the Reynolds number is in the

3.
order of 10 For this value, it is rather difficult to decide if
we are in presence of laminar or turbulent flow,
transitional modes can even appear. First computations
have been carried out to determine which model (laminar
or turbulent) is more suitable to handle the heat transfer
process.

For the turbulent flow case, k-ε RNG model is used

because of the presence of a strong swirling flow inside
the motor. The flow is assumed to be in steady state.
Both STAR-CD and FLUENT commercial packages are
used in this study. All examples in this paper are of
permanent magnet DC motors. Figure 2 – Velocity fields in laminar case

COMPARISON BETWEEN LAMINAR AND Figure 3 shows that when turbulent model is used, the
TURBULENT FLOW IN 2D AXISYMMETRIC MODEL airflow velocity gradient is reduced compared with the
laminar case. The vortexes at the ends of magnet are
The 2D axisymmetric model involves a simplified EEC much smaller in size.
motor geometry. The typical model size is 40,000 cells.
The computational domain only includes the motor, no
vent flow due to the fan is considered in this case.
Losses distribution are estimated using analytical model
of the motor [6]. Simplified convection heat transfer
coefficient is used on the surface of the motor case as
the boundary condition [7].

This simplified model is used to compare the impact of

laminar and turbulent model on the heat transfer inside
the motor. In the following, the ambient temperature is
30°C, the total input power is 88W with 58% efficiency,
and motor speed is 2200rpm. Experiments have been
conducted in climatic chamber to obtain temperature of
motor case, magnets and brushes. These measured
temperatures are compared with the numerical results in
order to identify the better model between laminar and
turbulent flow.
Figure 3 – Velocity fields in turbulent case
Velocity field comparison
Temperature distribution comparison
Figure 2 shows the velocity field in laminar case. Three
Predicted temperature distributions are shown in Figures
vortexes are observed: one each on both end of the
4 and 5. Due to the increased mixing effect of
magnet and one between the magnet and the brush
turbulence flow, airflow temperature is more evenly
holder. Induced by the rotation of the armature, the air
distributed in the turbulent case. Because of the
velocity in the air gap (between magnets and armature)
increased velocity and temperature gradients inside the
is high.
boundary layer, heat transfer coefficient of the turbulent
case is higher, and therefore the heat transfer rate. As a
result, the armature is cooler and motor case is hotter in
the turbulent case.
 3D MODEL

Boundary conditions

The ventilation flow through an EEC motor depends

strongly on its surrounding airflow condition.
Theoretically, the determination of the flow around and
through the motor needs the modeling of the entire
fan/motor system, which will lead to a huge model. Three
simplified methods could be used instead:

• Separately simulate the airflow inside and outside of

the motor. Results of the outside flow analysis could
be used as the boundary condition for the inside flow
analysis.
• Experimentally measure the vent flow rate or
Figure 4 – Temperature distribution in laminar case. pressure difference between vent flow inlet and
outlet of the motor, as well as the surface
temperature of the motor to determine the boundary
condition for the inside flow simulation.
• Experimentally measure the vent flow rate or
pressure difference between vent flow inlet and
outlet of the motor, and evaluate the convection
coefficient on the motor case by taking into account
simplified flow between the fan hub and the motor
case.

In the following examples, the second method is used as

all motors modeled physically exist.

Case study of Motor 1

3D models include all the detailed components inside the

Figure 5 – Temperature distribution in turbulent case
The comparison of temperature distribution of the motor
is presented in Table 1. Although the difference is small,
temperature prediction of turbulent flow agrees better
with the measurement than that of laminar case.
Therefore, the turbulent model is the better choice for
heat transfer analysis, especially when vent flow need to
be taken into account which further increases the
turbulence level inside the motor. Turbulent model is
then used for following 3D studies.
motor. The typical model size is 880,000 cells (see
Figure 6a, 6b and 6c). Because of the rotating nature of
the problem, the STAR-CD approach of multiple rotating
reference frames (implicit treatment) is used to further
simplify the simulation. In the computation, the density
and viscosity of the air as well as the thermal conductivity
of air and solid parts are assumed to be constant.
Pressure difference between vent flow inlet and outlet
obtained from the test, as well as the measured motor
surface temperature are used as the boundary condition.

Table 1 – Comparison of predicted and measured

Temperature
Location Measured Predicted Temperature °C
Temperature
°C Turbulent flow Laminar flow

Rear bearing 51.9 47-49 49-51

Front bearing 56.2 46-49 49-51
Magnets 45.0 40-42 39-41
Motor case 40,0 36-41 36-40
Brushes/
Commutator 85.0 79 76
bar Figure 6 a – 3D CFD model for motor 1, external part
Ambient Air 30.0 30 30
Figure 6 b – 3D CFD model for motor 1, internal part Figure 7 – Pressure fields for motor 1

Figure 6 c – 3D CFD model for motor 1, air meshing

The following figures are simulation results of airflow and

temperature fields of two EEC motors.
Figures 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d - Airflow fields inside motor 1 (2279 RPM,
∆P=20Pa)

Induced by the rotor, there is a strong swirling flow in the

motor (see Figures 7, 8a, 8b, 8c, 8d). The strong shear
flow in the narrow gap between armature and magnets
results in a high convection heat transfer rate, and more
than half of the heat generated in windings is removed
from the rotor through this gap.

Figures 9a, b, c - Temperature distribution inside motor 1

(Total input power = 263W, η=70%, T Ambient = 75°C)

The brush contact and friction losses are very difficult to

be carried out due to the low thermal conductivity of
brush holders and the commutator core, both are made
of plastic. As a result, the highest temperature is found
in brushes and commutator bars.
Driven by the pressure difference, the cool ventilation
flow comes into the motor from the slot on the end cap of
the motor. Then it passes through the brush holder
plate, gaps between rotor and magnets as well as
passages between magnets. Along the road the vent
flow is heated up by motor losses, and becomes more
than 30°C hotter when it eventually exits from vent holes
located on the motor front. In the case of motor 1, the
simulation shows that about 20% of the motor loss is
removed by the vent flow.

Simulation shows that the vent flow rate has a significant

impact on motor temperature: when pressure difference
increases from 20 Pa to 40 Pa, the vent flow rate
increases from 0.5 kg/s to 0.76 kg/s, and the motor
temperature decreases about 2.5°C.
Figure 10 – Improved Airflow inside the motor 2,
Some comparisons between numerical and experimental 3100RPM, ∆P=30 Pa
data are presented in Table 2 for a similar motor. The
discrepancy is lower than 5°C except on the brushes
where temperatures are over predicted (15°C higher)
probably because of the difficulty to estimate the losses
on the brushes and the commutator bar.

Table 2.Comparison of predicted and measures

Temperature for validation
(150 W EEC motor, 2201 RPM, ∆P=10 Pa)
Location Predicted Measured
Temperature °C Temperature °C
Front cover 87 91
Air gap: armature &
88-103 91
magnet
Magnet center,
86 88
armature side
Rear bearing 87 89
Rear case 85 84
Air cavity: rear case & 75-102 86
brush plate
Negative brush 120-124 104
Positive brush 120-124 106
Air cavity: armature & 81-100 95
brush plate

Case study of Motor 2

Simulation shows that a carefully designed vent flow

passage can have an impact on the motor cooling. In
the following case, motor 2 is a 2-pole motor which is
very compact with high heat loss density.

By rearranging vent flow inlets on the back of the motor, Figures 11a, 11b - Temperature distribution motor 2
and directing the airflow towards brushes (Figure 10), the
(Total input power = 210W, η=67%, T Ambient = 100°C)
temperature of brushes reduces significantly and is lower
than the temperature of windings (Figures 11a and 11b).
Discussion

This kind of thermal analysis identifies weakness points

of a motor from the heat transfer aspect, and enables
optimizing the motor thermal design. For example,
different vent flow inlet, outlet and internal airflow
passage configurations can be simulated, to direct the
vent flow towards the parts with high thermal stress (like
brush/commutator interface), and reduce the overall vent
flow resistance to increase the vent flow rate and then
decrease motor temperature. A better understanding of
the complex airflow and heat transfer phenomena has
lead to some design modifications of Valeo EEC motors.
For instance, under the same airflow condition outside
the motor, 20°C reduction of brush temperature is
achieved by using suitable vent flow inlets and outlets on
the motor case combined with simple changes in brush
holder plate design.
CONCLUSION
Results obtained by CFD combined with heat transfer
analysis revealed complex airflow fields and heat transfer
processes inside EEC motors. 3D simulations showed a
good agreement with measurements in terms of
temperature distribution within the motor. Some
modifications based on this study have already been
applied on new EEC motors for the benefit of higher
durability and efficiency. The new undergoing step is to
simulate the entire fan/motor system including the space
between the fan hub and the motor case.
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REFERENCES
1. T. Hong. “Progress report on STAR-CD internal fluid-
thermal analysis for low profile cooling fan motor”,
internal technique report, October, 1996.
2. T. Hong. “Internal fluid-thermal analysis for GEN II
low profile engine cooling fan motor”, internal
technique report, October, 1997.
3. T. Hong. “Internal fluid-thermal analysis of
conventional motor using STAR-CD”, internal
technique report, February, 1999.
4. A. Farschtschi. “Temperature calculation in Electrical
Machines”. ETEP Vol. 2, No. 3, May/June 1992.
5. Techniques de l’Ingénieur "Refroidissement des
Machines Tournantes" D446.
6. Techniques de l’Ingénieur "Pertes dans les Machines
Tournantes" D3450.
7. Techniques de l’Ingénieur "Transfert Thermique par
Convection" A1540.
8. Techniques de l’Ingénieur "Transfert Thermique par
Conduction" BE8200.