Optimum design of a lightweight 10MW propulsion motor

Direct drive propulsion motors have the advantage of simplicity and reliability over conventional geared offerings, but often cannot compete due to size & weight penalties. A new in-slot cooling approach is optimized for torque and efficiency and yields a motor small enough to make direct drive propulsion attractive. This innovative approach to liquid-cooled motor delivers higher torque density than equivalent superconducting solutions. A 10MW 130rpm base speed motor is discussed. To compare this design to other comparable designs a performance metric - Mass Normalized Torque - is shown to be more relevant than typical metrics used for such comparisons. In this metric, the 10MW machine outperforms all other conventional machines by a factor of 2.