Thermal performance of Pulsating Heat Pipe on Electric Motor as Cooling Application

Abstract

Heat generated in an electric motor can increase the operating temperature. The excessive operating temperature will reduce the electric motor performance and shorten the service life. An appropriate thermal management system is required to reduce the electric motor operating temperature. The objective of this study is to determine the thermal performance of pulsating heat pipes which applied to the electric motor thermal management system. A prototype of electric motor thermal management system was made from an induction motor with a cartridge heater instead of a heat-generating rotor and stator. Six pieces of pulsating heat pipe were mounted using hexagonal heat pipe holder which placed inside the electric motor housing. The pulsating heat pipes are made of a copper capillary tube using acetone as working fluid with a filling ratio of 0.5. The electric power input was varied from 30 W to 150 W. The use of pulsating heat pipes can reduce the electric motor surface temperature by 55.3°C with the minimum thermal resistance of 0.151°C/W.