Thermal trade-off analysis of an exterior rotor e-bike switched reluctance motor

In this paper, the thermal tradeoffs of an exterior rotor e-bike switched reluctance motor are investigated. Geometry and material parameters are varied to elucidate their relative effects on the loss and temperature distribution within the motor; a non-trivial problem given the non-linear response of SRM loss production to geometry changes. Motor transient thermal performance has been evaluated at discreet points distributed throughout the torque-speed envelope and the maximum coil temperatures were observed to determine the allowable operating time before reaching the motor thermal class rating. A simple drive-cycle was included to evaluate the transient thermal response of the motor under real-world load conditions.