TY - GEN
T1 - High reliability piezoelectric fan cooling for electric machine thermal management
AU - Gilson, G. M.
AU - Pickering, S. J.
AU - Hann, D. B.
AU - Gerada, C.
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - Electric machine thermal management is critical for the correct operation of high power density aerospace electrical machines. However, with increasing power density, a reliable, fault tolerant cooling mechanism needs to be developed. Piezoelectric fans are presented here as a potential, fault tolerant, forced cooling convective system that may further enhance the overall cooling of electric machines. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) techniques were implemented to map and quantify the flow fields generated by one such fan along the fin base and fin side walls of a vertical straight finned motor heat sink. Common fluid flow governing parameters (vibration amplitude, separation distance, and fin length) were investigated; the optimum fin/fan geometry of which resulted in mean flows in excess of 2.48m/s and turbulence values in excess of 2.00m/s. Detailed thermal results indicate that an average convective heat transfer coefficient enhancement of 340% on the fin base and an enhancement of 36% on each of the fin side walls are attainable. This in turn resulted in a 64% reduction in the electric machine heat sink cooling mass relative to natural convection cooling.
AB - Electric machine thermal management is critical for the correct operation of high power density aerospace electrical machines. However, with increasing power density, a reliable, fault tolerant cooling mechanism needs to be developed. Piezoelectric fans are presented here as a potential, fault tolerant, forced cooling convective system that may further enhance the overall cooling of electric machines. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) techniques were implemented to map and quantify the flow fields generated by one such fan along the fin base and fin side walls of a vertical straight finned motor heat sink. Common fluid flow governing parameters (vibration amplitude, separation distance, and fin length) were investigated; the optimum fin/fan geometry of which resulted in mean flows in excess of 2.48m/s and turbulence values in excess of 2.00m/s. Detailed thermal results indicate that an average convective heat transfer coefficient enhancement of 340% on the fin base and an enhancement of 36% on each of the fin side walls are attainable. This in turn resulted in a 64% reduction in the electric machine heat sink cooling mass relative to natural convection cooling.
KW - Aerospace electric machines
KW - Flow visualisation/measurement
KW - Forced cooling
KW - Heat transfer enhancement
KW - Piezoelectric fans
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84864704770&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1049/cp.2012.0154
DO - 10.1049/cp.2012.0154
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:84864704770
SN - 9781849196161
T3 - IET Conference Publications
SP - P103
BT - 6th IET International Conference on Power Electronics, Machines and Drives, PEMD 2012
T2 - 6th IET International Conference on Power Electronics, Machines and Drives, PEMD 2012
Y2 - 27 March 2012 through 29 March 2012
ER -