Thermal nexus model for the thermal characteristic analysis of an open-type air-cooled induction motor

A new thermal nexus model (TNM) is introduced to enhance the existing thermal circuit models by compensating for the modeling of heat transport by air flow. The concepts of unit structure as well as body and surface thermal resistances, which are the most basic components of the thermal nexus, are defined. The thermal circuit for heat transport by air flow is expressed using the capacity thermal resistance and a temperature fitting constant. An iteration algorithm for the temperature fitting constant is suggested to improve the accuracy of the thermal nexus model. The thermal characteristic analysis for an open-type, air-cooled induction motor was performed using the proposed model. Based on the results, the feasibility of the thermal nexus model is examined. The thermal nexus model had an error of less than 2 degrees C for stator and winding temperatures, compared with the CFD and experimental results. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.