Abstract: “This paper proposes a coupling analysis of the electromagnetic and thermal-fluid fields in an interior permanent magnet motor for electric vehicles. Both electrical and magnetic materials have temperature-dependent properties. The power loss produced by the electromagnetic analysis reheats the motor and its rise in temperature alters the material properties as well as motor performance. The temperature-dependent power loss is used as a heat source to create a lumped-circuit thermal model in terms of equivalent thermal resistances and thermal capacitances, in order to investigate the transient response of the motor. Simulation results confirmed that coupled electromagnetic and thermal-fluid analysis is able to predict the performance of a motor prior to its prototyping.”

Keywords: electromagnetic analysis, thermal-fluid analysis, coupling simulation, temperature dependence.