STAR-CCM+ and SPEED for electric

machines cooling analysis

Stefan Holst

Overview

SPEEDs own thermal capability consists of simplified circuit models

Good for a first shot
Circuit model allows for quick analysis of duty cycle simulations

Efficiency requirements, space and weight restrictions lead to more

complex machine and machine enclosure designs
Identifying hot spots becomes tricky
STAR-CCM+ can show its strength in these models

User should benefit as much as possible from the work done in SPEED
Import geometry
Import distribution of heat loads electromagnetic losses
Future: coupled EMAG and thermal analysis in a single tool

Loss mechanisms and distribution

Ohmic heating in all conducting parts

Windings, laminated rotor and stator core and magnets
Winding/copper losses are usually the largest contributor

Hysteresis effects mostly in steel parts

Simulation these effects directly

requires coupled transient EMAG run
Very costly for a design calculation

Note: Losses occur locally

Steinmetz Loss calculation

Alternative to coupled simulation
Hysteresis and eddy currents are mostly
driven by changes in the magnetic field
Get magnetic field for various rotor
positions and attribute losses to size of
field changes
Strong variation in the teeth

Magnets shield the rotor core

Workflow diagram

Initial 2D Machine Layout

Geometry Import

Heat Loads from SPEED

Perform EMAG layout

Perform thermal circuit
simulation of duty cycles 10-16
nodes

Meshing automatically specified

Physical setup
Either CHT
Or EMAG
Or even coupled

Import via STAR-CCM+ file

format *.sbd
Surface data needs to be
mapped to volume

Geometry import

xGDF & xDEF files contain the complete

EMAG setup in XML
Currently only Geometry import
Future versions include physics and
models for end-windings, skew

Cooling mechanism
Air cooled
Exterior and interior

Spray cooling of the end windings

Water cooling around the stator
More on that now

Results for a cooling jacket around the stator

Heat conduction, convection and radiation in the interior air

1l/min water pumped through

How to keep the rotor cool?

Introduce holes into the rotor

Four CAD features later weve got holes in the rotor

Remesh and further iterating gives

Data Mapper

Losses are given in 2D but the thermal simulation is in 3D

Data Mapper functionality extension to facilitate precise mapping even
for skewed machines will come with 7.04
Improved mapping quality compared
to current nearest neighbour
interpolation

Three mappings are defined here:

Rotor
Stator
Windings

SPEED only provides total losses in

magnets

Support for end windings

Examples so far have been hand made 3D CAD constructions

Glimpse on the EMAG solver

Magnetostatic runs for different rotor positions

Glimpse on the EMAG solver

Low frequency electro-magnetic solver

Frequency/domain size determines applicability
An e-machines frequency range might not be allowed in areas like mine
detection with far larger length scales

Coupled transient and magnetostatic mode

Magnetostatic can be coupled with motion to cater for loss calculations

Non-linear material support

SPEED model import brings in BH-curves
Tabular data or functional description
Isotropic electric conductivity and permeability

EMAG solver outlook

Circuit
Transient 3D requires feedback from the circuit
Extend circuit capability in BSM for general use

Flux linkage report for electromagnetic circuit elements

Field simulation
Hysteresis modeling
Residual magnetism

Force/Torque calculation
Anisotropy
Electric conductivity and
permeability
Infrastructure

Thank you

Thank you!