CFD Simulation on Cooling System of Electric

Vehicle BLDC Motor

Sibi R S Khaja Najumudeen A Rajeshkanna R
Department of Electrical and Department of Electrical and Department of Electrical and
2021 7th International Conference on Electrical Energy Systems (ICEES) | 978-1-7281-7612-3/20/$31.00 ©2021 IEEE | DOI: 10.1109/ICEES51510.2021.9383730

Electronics Engineering Electronics Engineering Electronics Engineering

Hindusthan college of Engineering and Hindusthan college of Engineering and Hindusthan college of Engineering and
Technology Technology Technology
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, INDIA Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, INDIA Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, INDIA
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9752-0285 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8001-5098 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0049-1394

Abstract—In the electrical machines, detrimental effects are
resulted often due to the overheating, such as insulation
material degradation, demagnetization of the magnet,
decreased lifetime and efficiency of the motor and increased
Joule losses. Hence, by effective cooling methods, it is vital to
optimize the reliability and performance of the electric motors
and also to reduce the maintenance and operating costs. To
identify the critical component’s temperature of the motor, this
research explains the 3D Computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
simulation that are performed on a enclosed air over brushless
D.C. motor cooled by fan. As a heat sink, a finned casing has
been used and by the use of 3 heat sink designs, the varying
effect of the geometry of the fin on the performance of cooling
is examined. The result shows that at the end windings, the
highest temperature occurs and by introducing a suitable
finned housing, this temperature could be minimized up to
15%. These results show that to improve electric motors’
cooling performance, the CFD technique could be used
effectively. Experimental tests are undergone to prove CFD
results.
Keywords— BLDC PM motor, Computational fluid
dynamics, Cooling systems, Electric vehicles, Simulation
I. INTRODUCTION
The substantial elements of a classic Electrical Machines
are Rotor, Stator, Conductor, End winding, Wedges, Cooling
fan, and Coolers. Stator is cylindrical in shape. To form the
cooling passages the spacers are placed in between the two
laminated packets [1]. Being a structural member these
wedges acts as escort to the flow of cooling medium and also
withstands the vibrations created in stator part. Stator and
rotor usually have an air gap of 20 to 25mm between them
[2]. Axial fans are placed on the rotor to dispense air for
cooling purposes. The design of a good ventilation system
plays an important role in the performance of Electrical
machine [3]. In a brushless DC motors the fans are mounted
on the rotor and powered by the motor itself. If there is high
pressure loss in the ventilation system then the fan consumes
more power which increases the motor power input [4].
The flow of air at the housing geometry of motor is
analyzed by flow simulation. The velocity of air at the front
side i.e. axial fan inlet side is high, it gets reduces by flowing
through the housing, to the rear end of the motor [9]. The
flow rate of air is as 100 CFM i.e. 0.0472m/sec. Therefore
due to low air velocity at the rear end of the motor the
temperature at that stator end windings will be high
compared with the other end [10]. The fin surface is
introduced in the motor housing geometry. Evaluation of
housing geometry effect on heat dissipation is then done
[11]. Three different dimensions fin designs are introduced:
5mm and 10mm rectangular fins and also 10mm axial
orientation rectangular fins. The axial orientation rectangular
fin design will become minimum external surface area of the
motor [12]. The result will be highest heat transfer rate and
minimum temperature value is observed in which fin
geometry [13].
II. COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS
Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is the system
analysis involving fluid flow, heat transfer and some
associated phenomena such as by means of computer-based
simulation chemical reactions.
Extremely large volume results can be produced by the
CFD codes at no expense, and parametric studies can be
performed very cheap, to optimize performance of the
equipment for instance. In contrast, the variable experiment
cost in terms of person hour costs and facility hire and the
no. of data points and the no. of configurations tested are
proportional.
A. CFD Code Working
To tackle the fluid flow problems, CFD codes are being
structured using the numerical algorithms. All commercial
CFD packages include sophisticated user interfaces, to
provide easy access to their solving power to examine the
results and to input problem parameters. Therefore all codes
contains the following elements:

Motor cooling can be done in these possible ways: air-
cooling, evaporation-cooling and water-cooling [5]. Small to
large motors typically prefer the concept of air cooling as it
is simple, reliable and easy to maintain [6].
Here, a completely enclosed air over the fan cooled
brushless DC permanent magnet motor is used. Transfer of
heat takes place from the mechanical parts to the outer
surface area of that motor [7]. One axial fan is used for
cooling purpose which flows into the key elements of the
motor that is coupled to the rotor shaft of the motor which
can suck the atmosphere air from the surrounding [8].
(i) a post-processor
(ii) a pre-processor and
(iii) a solver
III. DETAILS OF BLDC PM MOTOR
At least one motor is used in an electrical equipment to
rotate or move an object from one position to another. There
are a varieties of motors that are available in markets, a
selective motor can be used, depending on the applications.
Likewise, most new designs are moving towards the
Brushless DC motors, known as the BLDC motors.

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 A. Stator this test the motor torques, power output range, maximum
The stator of the BLDC motor is made of laminated steel. output current value and efficiency was analyzed. The table
Stator windings can be arranged in either of the 2 patterns, a II shows the reading taken through the performance test and
star pattern (Y) or a delta pattern (∆). Whereas, low torque the represented graphs are also show in fig 1 and fig 2.
at low RPM by provided by the ∆ pattern, high torque at low
E. Predetermination Test
RPM is provided by the Y pattern.
As there is lower inductance for a slot less core, it can run The predetermination test is for finding the output power
in higher speeds. Requirements for the cogging torque go and efficiency of BLDC motor at no load and also at load
down, due to the absence of teeth in the lamination stack, condition. The table II shows the reading for the
making them ideally fit for the low speeds. Higher cost is the predetermination test as follows,
main limitation of a slot less core, because to compensate for TABLE II. Motor Performance Readings
the larger air gap, it requires a lot more winding.
Predetermination Test
B. Rotor S.No Copper I/P=V
IL Total Output
Ia(A) Loss IL
The typical BLDC motor’s rotor is made of permanent (A)
(wcu) watts
Loss Power
K
magnets. The no. of rotor poles may vary, depending on 1 2 2 11.12 220 43.86 176.14 80.06
application requirements. A better torque can be achieved
by increasing the no. of poles but at the cost of reduction in 2 3 3 25.02 335 57.76 272.24 81.20
the possible maximum speed. 3 4 4 44.40 442 77.30 362.78 82.07
Another parameter that impacts rotor’s maximum torque 4 5 5 69.50 550 102.24 447.76 81.40
is the material which is used for constructing permanent
5 6 6 100.08 658 132.82 527.18 80.11
magnet. The higher the density of the material’s flux, higher
will be the torque. 6 7 7 136.22 747 168.96 581.04 77.67

C. Performance of BLDC motor 7 8 8 177.92 890 210.65 659.25 74.07

By assuming R>>ZL and the position feedback keeps E 8 9 9 225.18 950 257.92 692.08 72.80
and V (and hence I) in phase, in algebraic form, the voltage
equation can be simplified as.

V = E + RI 

Where,
V=Voltage, E=Emf, I=Current, R=Motor Resistance,
ZL= Inductive Reactance.
This research aims at investigating the BLDC permanent
magnet motor’s thermal performance and examining cooling
performance due to the heat-sink geometry. Hybrid Electric Fig 1. Output Power vs Current
Vehicles and the Electric Vehicles employ BLDC permanent
magnet motors due to their higher power density, higher
efficiency and minimal maintenance. In the BLDC motor,
the winding insulation and system’s durability are directly
affected by stator winding temperature, while the permanent
magnet’s efficiency is affected by the temperature of rotor.
Table I contains the motor properties such as the parameters
and their values.
TABLE I. Motor Properties

Motor Properties
S.No
Parameter Value
1 Typre BLDC PM Motor

2 Power Rating 1 Kw Fig 2. Efficiency vs Output Power

3 Maximum Speed 13,000 rpm F. Experimental Data
4 Rated Speed 8000 rpm The electromagnetic losses obtained from experimental
test and also power loss and friction losses are got from
5 Rated Torque 1.5 Nm
calculation using the experimental values. Various motor
6 Voltage DC 72 V losses computed during this study for the BLDC motor are
shown in table 2. Stator of the BLDC motor is of three parts;
D. Experimental Testing stator body, the teeth and the tip. Stator core losses have
The predetermination experimental test was conducted also been assigned to these parts. To be evenly distributed in
for determining the performance of BLDC motor. Through these components, the bearing losses and rotor core loss

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were been assumed. The insulation of winding and lining of
stator were also assigned with a thin layered wall with an
effective Heat conductivity.
The table III consists of core losses, copper losses, heat
sources from the motor’s critical components like stator slot,
stator teeth, stator tip, rotor magnet part, etc. the heat source
values are given in table III as follows,
TABLE III. Motor Performance Readings
geometry of stator core that includes detail of slot, windings
of stator, geometry of rotor that includes the fan, the shaft,
fan cover and permanent magnets. For the air inlet, the inlet
slots are included in the fan cover. The fig 3 shows the
simplified motor geometry.

Heat Loss
S.No
Losses Value Heat Source (W/M^3)

1 Core Loss 17 W Stator Teeth 1,148

800
Stator Tip 1,600
Copper
2 148.5 W Stator Body 1,148
Loss
Rotor 3,000
450 Fig 3. Simplified Motor Geometry

Frictional E. Stator Geometry

3 15 W - -
Loss Stator is made up of dynamo grade laminations which
are of thickness 0.35 mm or 0.5 mm. For motors of larger
size cores are made of segmented laminations. To give most
IV. DESIGN ASPECTS economical balance between the costs of dies, the peripheral
There are various factors taken into consideration for this length usually between 0.3 m to 0.6 m is chosen for one
system design. The design aspects of this system are as segment, the left over amount of scrap from the lamination
follows. cuttings from steel strips and the assembly cost. In the flux
paths of alternating poles, to provide an equal number of
A. Output Equation turns, the total number of segments is chosen. Fig 4 shows
the stator geometry of 36 slots.
KVA i/p=Co * d^2 * I * ns (2)
Output coefficient, Co = 11*Kw * Bav * ac/1000 (3)
From (2), d^2 * Q/(Co*ns),
KVA i/p = Kw/eff
The rating of hp is Q = hp* 0.746/eff
B. Number of Stator Slots
The selection of the number of stator slots are
considered based on the following factors,
x Tooth pulsation loss
x Leakage Reactance Fig 4. Stator Geometry with 36 slots
x Iron Loss and Magnetizing Current and F. Rotor Geometry
x Cost In BLDC motor two types of rotor design are there,
C. Stator Teeth x Outer Rotor
Care must be taken while selecting the stator stampings x Inner Rotor
such that the stator teeth’s flux density is not excessive. The The windings are located in the motor core for an outer rotor
stator teeth density bt60 can generally vary from 1.4 to 1.7 design. Fig 5 shows the stator windings surrounded by the
Wb/m2. The stator teeth’s flux density should be less for the rotor magnets.
losses and noises to be low. For general purpose machines
flux density may vary from 0.1 to 1.65 Wb/m2 for high
torque it may go up to 1.8 Wb/m2.
Area of teeth per pole = no. of stator slots * width of
tooth * net iron length/P,
No. of stator slots = 36; width of tooth = 0.0078 meters,
Net iron length = 0.9*L.
D. Geometry Generated
The motor geometry was created using ANSYS
FLUENT’s and also solid works. The detail of the model
includes; the geometry of the front cover, external housing, Fig 5. Rotor Geometry with 2 Permanent Magnets

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 Fin Dimension
S.No
mL Qfin/Qlongfin = tanh mL
G. Introduction of fins
3 0.5 0.462
The fins are the extended surface that is being used to
decrease the thermal resistance at the motor’s solid parts 4 1 0.762
such as stator, magnets and rotor. Thereby increases the rate 5 2.5 0.987
of heat transfer from surface to adjacent fluid.
As a heat sink, the finned casing is been used and the 6 4 0.999
varying impact of the geometry of fin on the functioning of 7 5 1.000
cooling has been examined using three various designs. By
introducing rectangular fins, the high temperature on the end
windings will be reducing. The temperature of the windings
is reduced by increasing the depth of the fins. Geometry of V. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
finned casing was generated for two different dimensions as
shown in fig 6 and fig 7, A. Contours of Temperature of Motor
To evaluate the effectiveness of CFD was this studies
primary aim in order to optimize the BLDC electric motor’s
thermal parameters. To have a simplest geometry, to
minimize the manufacturing cost was the goal of the design.
The cylindrical housing was the initial geometry and for
contours of temperature, the ANSYS simulation is analyzed
for rotor, stator, shaft and other BLDC motor components.
Fig.8 shows the temperature contours of the BLDC
motor. The contours of temperature illustrate the flux of heat
of these parts from winding, rotor, bearing and stator.
Fig 6. 5 mm Fin Geometry at the Housing of the Motor

Fig 7. 10mm Fin Geometry at the Housing of the Motor

Fig 8. Contours of Temperature of BLDC Motor
Consider a surface at a temperature Ts losing heat to a
fluid at a temperature Tf. The heat rate is given by, The temperature is due to the flux linkage of the stator
conductor and rotor permanent magnet flux linkage. During
q = ¥ (hpkA) (Ts-TĞ) (4) higher load condition the flux linkage will be more, the
speed of the rotor increases and obviously the temperature
Where, h is the heat transfer coefficient and
of the BLDC motor also increases. Fig 9 shows the
A is the area of the base surface.
temperature increase on the housing and stator at the
If heat transfer rate is to be increased, the available
posterior side of the motor. Fig 10 explains this using the
options are to be increase the value of h, increase the area A
results of air flow profile.
or increase the difference in the temperature (Ts-Tf).
But, in this motor application it is not feasible to
increase the difference in the temperature, because the
temperature in the system is fixed by other constraints. The
only option is to increase the area. This is done using the
extended surface or fins. Fin dimensions and its efficiency is
given in table IV.
TABLE IV. Fin Dimensions and its Efficiency.

Fin Dimension
S.No
mL Qfin/Qlongfin = tanh mL
1 0.1 0.100

2 0.2 0.197
Fig 9. Higher Temperature at the Motor Rear Side

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 Since a casing on the outer housing is absent, the air
gets mixed with the surrounding, therefore the air flow
volume is minimized past the housing’s rear side. From fig.
14, it is evident that within the fan region, there is a
turbulent flow and there is reduced velocity towards the
motor’s rear side. The wall heat transfer coefficient is
affected by the profile of the airflow. Heat transfer rate in-
between the housing and the flowing air is influenced and
thereby persuade the distribution of temperature on the
stator and the housing. The analysis of flow of air was
simulated using ANSYS fluent as shown in fig. 10.

Fig 12. Contours of Temperature with 10mm Fins

In the end windings there is no significant effect on the

orientation of the fins on the temperature as seen in fig. 13.
In this case, fins of 10 mm depth, with axial orientation
were employed as contrary to the radial orientation
considered previously.

Fig 10. Air Flow Simulation of BLDC PM Motor

B. Contours of Temperature with Fins

As a heat sink, the finned casing is used and the varying
effect on the cooling performance of the fin geometry is
examined by the use of three different designs. By
introducing rectangular fins, the upmost temperature on the
terminal windings will be reducing. The temperatures of the
windings are reduced by a further increase of the fin’s
depth. By using the rectangular fins, the highest temperature
of the motor’s critical components will be reduced.
Fig 13. Contours of Temperature wih 10mm Depth Axial Fins
Rectangular fins of 2 mm thick and 5 mm deep are
introduced. This reduces the upmost temperature on the
Observed heat transfer rate for different fins are
terminal windings by about 11%, as in fig. 11. The depth of
tabulated in Table V, also graphically represented in Fig
the fins if further increased to decreases the windings
14 and Fig 15.
temperature up to 17%. This is evident from fig. 12.
However, in designing the fins, utmost care should be taken, TABLE V. Temperature and Heat Transfer Rate for Fins..
as it should not comprise the rigid structure of the housing. Temperature and Heat transfer rate
S.No Rate of heat
Fins (mm) Temperature(ºC)
transfer(W)
5 mm (or) 0.005
1 59.42 ºC 141.48 W
m
10 mm (or) 0.01
2 55.48 ºC 204.33 W
m
20 mm (or) 0.02
3 49.13 ºC 244.68 W
m

Fig 11. Contours of Temperature of BLDC Motor

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Fig 14. Temperature vs Fins
Fig 15. Heat Transfer vs Fins
VI. CONCLUSION AND FUTURE SCOPE
A. Conclusion
The conclusion of this research has led to several
conclusions to be made about this cooling of BLDC
Permanent magnet motor. Several recommendations were
also outlined for future consideration in this continuing
development of BLDC motor cooling system and
manufacturability.
To study the thermal problem, CFD analysis was
performed on the BLDC motor. The results denotes that at
the end windings, the highest temperature occurs due to low
rate of transfer of heat through the insulation of the air gap
and winding, where both have very low thermal
conductivity.
Using the three geometry designs, the housing geometry
effect has been evaluated and the results shows that the fins
which are introduced on the housing will enhance the rate of
transfer of heat and the temperature of the end winding, that
shall be decreased up to 17%. There is no effect of
significant on the orientation of the fin on the winding
temperature’s maximum end but shall be considered as the
motor design parameter.
The results of computation show that to reduce the
temperature of the winding and to protect the insulation, an
excess cooling in the winding might be essential. By CFD
results the profile of air-velocity on the housing has been
provided, related to coefficient of transfer of heat. To
improve the motor’s thermal management, the CFD can be
used in the electric machinery design and also for the
reduction of the time of the design.
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B. Future Scope
To enhance the analysis, there are a few characteristics
that shall be integrated.
x Firstly, the usage of the various geometries such as
triangular, parabolic, trapezoidal can be explored.
x Secondly, in the motor designs, to improve the
flow and minimize the power to run the cooling
fans, the fan geometry effects shall be included.
x Thirdly, in order to have a complete view of axial
transfer of heat, the thermal contact resistance due
to the structure of the lamination of the rotor and
stator can be assessed.
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