CFD Simulation for E-Motor Cooling

Recent advancements in simulation methods and computing power have introduced new approaches over the last three to five years. One of the most promising for powertrain applications is Moving Particle Simulation (MPS), a meshless CFD technique.

The MPS method, proposed by Koshizuka and Oka in 1996, is a deterministic Lagrangian particle approach for calculating incompressible free-surface flows and non-Newtonian liquids. While it shares core concepts with smooth particle hydrodynamics (SPH), MPS has evolved from a semi-implicit predictor-corrector formulation to fully explicit formulations. This evolution has enhanced efficiency for large-scale models, reducing simulation time and computational effort.

MPS has gained popularity in the automotive sector and is now a well-established method for analyzing free-surface and liquid flows. Its applications include oil splash and sloshing in gearboxes and transmissions, forced lubrication by oil jets, piston cooling, crankcase sloshing, and jet or spray cooling of wet electric motors.

The CFD Simulation for E-Motor Cooling Process

Simulating oil-cooled e-motors presents significant challenges due to the system's geometrical complexity, particularly in the winding region, the multiphase nature of flow dynamics, and rotational speeds reaching up to 20,000 rpm. Traditional Eulerian mesh-based fluid dynamics solvers struggle to produce models with reasonable setup times and computing requirements, which are crucial for efficiently integrating CFD codes into the industrial R&D workflow.

CFD Simulation for E-Motor Cooling offers a viable alternative, providing accurate and efficient simulations that address these challenges. By leveraging MPS, engineers can achieve precise modeling of complex systems and high rotational speeds, making it an essential tool for modern powertrain and automotive applications.

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