Development of a Thermal Analysis Tool for Linear Machines

The thermal design is one of the most important stages in the design process of electrical machines. Thanks to software packages, like Motor-CAD, rotating machine designers can predict the thermal operation of the machines with high precision. However, a Motor-CAD equivalent for linear machines does not exist. Thus, linear machine designers must develop specific thermal analysis tools when designing the machines. In this article, a generic thermal analysis tool for different kinds of linear machines is presented. The model has been designed in MATLAB Simulink. Hence, it should be easy to implement for most engineers. The article describes the configuration of the different elements of the tool. The calibration parameters and procedure, and typical values of the calibration variables, are also given in the document. Finally, in order to demonstrate the generic nature of the tool, the model is experimentally validated via DC thermal tests to a linear induction machine and a linear switched-flux permanent magnet machine. The results show that, despite being simple and easy to implement, the model can predict the thermal operation of different machines with high precision.