I.1.8 - Electric Motor Thermal Management (National Renewable Energy Laboratory)

This project is part of a multi-lab consortium including multiple universities, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), and Ames Laboratory. The project and consortium leverage research expertise and facilities at the national labs, universities, and industry to significantly increase electric drive power density and reliability while simultaneously reducing cost. The consortium is organized around three Keystone projects: (1) Power Electronics, (2) Electric Motors, and (3) Traction Drive System. The Electric Motors Keystone project at NREL focuses primarily on improvements (reductions) in the passive thermal resistance of the electric motor and improved active fluid-based cooling technologies to increase power density, in line with the most recent research priorities outlined in the U.S. DRIVE Electrical and Electronics Technical Team (EETT) Roadmap. NREL's focus in fiscal year (FY) 2021 included: (1) developing models, simulation tools, and experimental prototypes in support of consortium team members for quantifying thermal performance and heat transfer technologies to support motor development efforts, and (2) Utilizing NREL's thermal characterization setup for measuring thermal resistance of high-thermal-resistance materials and interfaces in support of the consortium team members.