Effect of Housing Design Modifications on Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer Characteristics of Electrical Motor Casing: A Numerical Study

Totally enclosed fan cooled (TEFC) motors primarily dissipate the electromagnetic losses (heat) generated by various motor components through the housing. Thus, the thermal performance of this class of motors depends on the efficient housing design. This paper presents a numerical investigation of three different housings, each occupying the same volume. The designs are Finned housing (Design 1), Finned housing with fillet profiles of various angles (Design 2), and Finned housing with fillet profiles and a thin central strip (Design 3). We evaluate the thermal performance factor for all the designs to quantify the combined effect of heat transfer and fluid flow. Numerical results illustrate that the proposed designs exhibit superior thermohydraulic performance compared to design 1. The heat transfer coefficient improves by 16% for design 2, and the base temperature reduces by 12% for design 3.