Abstract:
This paper describes a recent approach to optimizing the design and performance of electric drives using Particleworks, a popular mesh-less simulation tool for Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) widely used in the automotive industry. The novelty of the methodology is the integration of the fluid and thermal simulations in one, mesh-less and easy to setup digital model. This approach proved to be particular efficient in dealing with the simulation of oil jets directly cooling the coils, a strategy that proved to be superior to external, stator-based water jackets.The primary focus is to explore the potential of this software to facilitate the screening of diverse flowrates and oil properties, such as viscosity, for the improvement of Heat Transfer Coefficient (HTC) distribution and overall thermal management.The findings reveal that specific oil properties and flowrates can substantially affect the HTC distribution, influencing the operating temperatures within the electric drive, thereby providing a novel way to improve the overall efficiency and longevity of electric drives. The robust nature of the Particleworks tool, combined with its capacity for versatile manipulation of input parameters and integrated thermal solver, offers a broad spectrum of possibilities for the future development and optimization of e-drive thermal management strategies, all packed in one digital tool. Β© 2023 AEIT.
