Direct Liquid Cooling Method Verified With a Permanent-Magnet Traction Motor in a Bus

Abstract

Direct liquid cooling (DLC) of electrical machine windings is a clearly effectual cooling method for high-torque and high-power-density applications needed, especially, in heavy vehicles. Usually, in electric vehicles, the stator copper winding losses are the most dominating losses during the accelerating or decelerating (recuperation) modes, and therefore, traditional windings may heat up significantly during high-torque periods. Removing the heat directly from the winding in which most of the heat is generated, allows the most straightforward and effective way of cooling. This paper investigates the feasibility of the direct liquid cooling in a radial-flux permanent-magnet traction motor. This case provides experimental information of the behavior of the direct liquid cooling of the windings. The prototype motor equipped with directly liquid-cooled windings is installed in an electric bus so that typical bus load cycles can be tested.