Maximizing thermal effectiveness and minimizing parasitic loss in a liquid cooled switched reluctance machine

Abstract

The following paper describes three components comprising a thermal management system for a 22,000RPM 150kW switched reluctance machine. The three systems cooling the stator include: jacket cooling, slot cooling and an end-turn cooling systems. The cooling jacket is a dual-flute helical heat exchanger with counterflow coolant. Slot and end-turn cooling systems utilize polymer materials to transport coolant near machine windings with minimal eddy current generation and modest thermal conductivity values. Encapsulate doping was investigated as a method of increasing heat transfer to the cooling systems. Manufacturing and design philosophy is discussed for each system.