Employing the Peltier Effect to Control Motor Operating Temperatures

Stephen Lucas (), Romeo Marian, Michael Lucas, Titilayo Ogunwa and Javaan Chahl
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Stephen Lucas: UniSA STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia
Romeo Marian: UniSA STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia
Michael Lucas: UniSA STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia
Titilayo Ogunwa: UniSA STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia
Javaan Chahl: UniSA STEM, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, SA 5095, Australia

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 5, 1-15

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: electric motor; condensation; insulation; thermoelectric device; thermal management (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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