Employing the Peltier Effect to Control Motor Operating Temperatures
Electrical insulation failure is the most common failure mechanism in electrical machines (motors and generators). High temperatures and/or temperature gradients (HTTG) are the main drivers of insulation failure in electrical machines. HTTG combine with and augment other destructive effects from ove...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Energies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/5/2498 |
| _version_ | 1797615379167576064 |
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| author | Stephen Lucas Romeo Marian Michael Lucas Titilayo Ogunwa Javaan Chahl |
| author_facet | Stephen Lucas Romeo Marian Michael Lucas Titilayo Ogunwa Javaan Chahl |
| author_sort | Stephen Lucas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Electrical insulation failure is the most common failure mechanism in electrical machines (motors and generators). High temperatures and/or temperature gradients (HTTG) are the main drivers of insulation failure in electrical machines. HTTG combine with and augment other destructive effects from over-voltage, to voltage transients, overload and load variations, poor construction techniques, and thermal cycling. These operating conditions cause insulation damage that leads to electrical insulation failure. The insulation failure process is greatly accelerated by pollutants and moisture absorption. A simple and robust way to reduce HTTG and moisture adsorption is by maintaining constant internal temperatures. The current method to maintain elevated internal temperatures and reduce condensation issues is by internal electrical heating elements. This paper examines the effectiveness of applying thermoelectric coolers (TECs), solid-state heat pumps (Peltier devices), as heaters to raise a motor’s internal temperature by pumping heat into the motor core rather than heating the internal air. TEC technology is relatively new, and the application of TECs to heat a motor’s internal volume has not previously been explored. In this paper, we explore the hypothesis that TECs can pump heat into a motor when out of service, reducing the HTTG by maintaining high winding slot temperatures and eliminating condensation issues. This paper describes a test motor setup with simple resistive heating (traditional method), compared with the application of TECs with heat sinks, heat pipes, and a water circulation heat exchanger, to gauge the capability of TECs to heat the inner core or winding area. In this paper, we demonstrate the full integration of TECs into a motor. The results show that each of the systems incorporating the TECs would effectively pump heat into the core and keep the winding hot, eliminating condensation issues and water ingress due to thermal cycling. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:25:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-51e87bb367224deea7f9c571b3b0013a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:25:26Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj.art-51e87bb367224deea7f9c571b3b0013a2023-11-17T07:39:26ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732023-03-01165249810.3390/en16052498Employing the Peltier Effect to Control Motor Operating TemperaturesStephen Lucas0Romeo Marian1Michael Lucas2Titilayo Ogunwa3Javaan Chahl4UniSA STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, AustraliaUniSA STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, AustraliaUniSA STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, AustraliaUniSA STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, AustraliaUniSA STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, AustraliaElectrical insulation failure is the most common failure mechanism in electrical machines (motors and generators). High temperatures and/or temperature gradients (HTTG) are the main drivers of insulation failure in electrical machines. HTTG combine with and augment other destructive effects from over-voltage, to voltage transients, overload and load variations, poor construction techniques, and thermal cycling. These operating conditions cause insulation damage that leads to electrical insulation failure. The insulation failure process is greatly accelerated by pollutants and moisture absorption. A simple and robust way to reduce HTTG and moisture adsorption is by maintaining constant internal temperatures. The current method to maintain elevated internal temperatures and reduce condensation issues is by internal electrical heating elements. This paper examines the effectiveness of applying thermoelectric coolers (TECs), solid-state heat pumps (Peltier devices), as heaters to raise a motor’s internal temperature by pumping heat into the motor core rather than heating the internal air. TEC technology is relatively new, and the application of TECs to heat a motor’s internal volume has not previously been explored. In this paper, we explore the hypothesis that TECs can pump heat into a motor when out of service, reducing the HTTG by maintaining high winding slot temperatures and eliminating condensation issues. This paper describes a test motor setup with simple resistive heating (traditional method), compared with the application of TECs with heat sinks, heat pipes, and a water circulation heat exchanger, to gauge the capability of TECs to heat the inner core or winding area. In this paper, we demonstrate the full integration of TECs into a motor. The results show that each of the systems incorporating the TECs would effectively pump heat into the core and keep the winding hot, eliminating condensation issues and water ingress due to thermal cycling.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/5/2498electric motorcondensationinsulationthermoelectric devicethermal management |
| spellingShingle | Stephen Lucas Romeo Marian Michael Lucas Titilayo Ogunwa Javaan Chahl Employing the Peltier Effect to Control Motor Operating Temperatures Energies electric motor condensation insulation thermoelectric device thermal management |
| title | Employing the Peltier Effect to Control Motor Operating Temperatures |
| title_full | Employing the Peltier Effect to Control Motor Operating Temperatures |
| title_fullStr | Employing the Peltier Effect to Control Motor Operating Temperatures |
| title_full_unstemmed | Employing the Peltier Effect to Control Motor Operating Temperatures |
| title_short | Employing the Peltier Effect to Control Motor Operating Temperatures |
| title_sort | employing the peltier effect to control motor operating temperatures |
| topic | electric motor condensation insulation thermoelectric device thermal management |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/5/2498 |
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