Finite element thermal modeling of an induction motor

In the present paper, the authors implement a steady state finite element analysis of the heat field inside an induction motor. The tested machine is a standard squirrel cage asynchronous motor of Totally Enclosed Fan Cooled "TEFC" design. The thermal calculation is done in a 2D radial view that represents an angular space of 12.857 degrees (rotor tooth pitch) of the considered machine. To validate the proposed thermal model, the temperature measurements at different points within the motor were obtained using 16 sensors (CTN thermistors) placed inside the test motor. The simulated temperatures so obtained are in good agreement with the measured ones, and the 2D study seems to be appropriate to characterize the heating of the active parts of the machine.