Multiphysics Analysis of Tubular Linear Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Operating Immersed in Crude Oil

In-pipe inspection robots are an interesting solution for petrochemical industries for monitoring, maintenance and repairing activities. Depending on the working conditions and project specifications, high performance in-pipe inspection robots are required. In this paper a novel topology of an in-pipe robot is proposed based on a tubular linear permanent magnet synchronous motor (TLPMSM) used as the moving part. The application requires that the robot is immersed in crude oil where the operating temperature can vary in a range of 4 °C up to 100°C and must travel distances in the range of kilometers. In order to maximize the performance of the studied linear motor, and to identify limits of operation a multiphysics analysis was performed using numerical methods to evaluate coupled electromagnetic, thermal and fluid dynamics behavior.