Study of heat pipe in motor cooling: A review

Abstract

The heat pipe as one of the most efficient heat exchanger device is used in many thermal engineering applications. Through sufficient literature research and summary, a comprehensive and systematic analysis of the application of heat pipe cooling technology in motor cooling is provided. The basic principles and key technologies of heat pipe cooling technology is introduced. What’s more, various factors affecting the cooling efficiency of heat pipes and two main types of heat pipe applications in motor cooling are discussed. Finally, the current status of research on heat pipe cooling motors at home and abroad are reviewed.

Effect of Operating Parameters on the Performance of Axially Rotating Horizontal Heat Pipe: Experimental Investigation

“…Traditional water and oil cooling methods have been used for decades but have many limitations, particularly, these methods can be complex, expensive, and prone to sealing issues [39]. By utilizing rotating heat pipes for motor cooling, a more efficient and cost-effective solution that can improve motor performance and extend its lifespan is achieved [28,40].…”

Heat Pipe Bending Effect on Cooling Effectiveness in Electrical Machines

“…4. When the vapor flow through the bending section, there is an additional vapor pressure drop generated by hydraulic loss, which can be empirically evaluated by [23]: (6) Therefore, the thermal resistance of vapor flow can be transformed into the following form: (7) Fig. 4.…”

“…Based on the phase change principle, the heat pipe (HP) presents outstanding thermal properties, i.e., very high thermal conductivity at a small volume and lightweight. Therefore, HPs are being widely applied in motor cooling systems with remarkable cooling performance validated through prototyping and testing [6][7][8][9][10]. During the design and implementation of motor cooling systems, HPs are often bent to adapt to the compact structure of high-power density motors.…”

Research on the Effect of Heat Pipe Inclination Angle on Temperature Distribution in Electrical Machines

“…UE to the depletion of fossil energy and increasingly stringent requirements on carbon emission, there has been tremendous progress in the development of transportation electrification in recent years, such as electric vehicles and more electric aircraft, which propose greater demands on the motor power density and challenges as well to its cooling system [1][2][3][4][5]. To address such technical issues, HPs, which have been verified with remarkable cooling effectiveness in other contexts, are being extensively explored in motor cooling scenarios to enhance cooling capacity and extend power density boundaries [6][7][8].…”