Validation of LPTN-Based Thermal Modelling for PMSM Using Experimental Data

This study conducts a thermal analysis of a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor (PMSM) utilizing experimental measurements and a Lumped Parameter Thermal Network (LPTN) simulation in Motor-CAD. The aim of this study is to evaluate the precision of LPTN modelling in forecasting temperature distribution during natural convection cooling settings. Experimental data was gathered from four PT1000 temperature sensors positioned at crucial stator winding locations, complemented by thermal imaging for casing temperature observation. The motor functioned at a nominal current of 21A for 180 minutes, and the recorded temperatures were compared with LPTN-simulated values. The results indicate that LPTN predictions align well with experimental data, exhibiting an average variance of around 5%, hence confirming the dependability of this method for PMSM thermal evaluation.