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Why the need for liquid cooled motors?
You have a critical process application featuring an electric motor which generates a lot of heat in service. Process applications requiring or benefiting from internal or external liquid cooling are outlined in the following applications:
1. High power and high speed: Speed dictates the size of the motor. Mechanical stresses are greater at high speeds, driving high speed motors into smaller packages. If power and speed requirements are high, then enhanced liquid cooling can be used to increase performance.
2. Low inertia requirements: Designers specify low inertia when they want a responsive system. Low inertia dictates small rotor diameters for electric motors. For a given power rating, a smaller rotor will require enhanced liquid cooling (commonly seen in inertia simulation applications).
3. Size and weight constraints: When the size envelope for a motor is small, or weight constraints drive the size down, then a liquid cooled motor in a smaller frame size is the obvious replacement choice.
4. Air cooling problems: Liquid cooling provides an alternative to air cooling in confined areas, high contamination areas, or areas with high ambient temperatures due to nearby processes. Mining, atomizer systems, injection molding applications, and machines housed in enclosed areas are candidates for liquid cooled systems.
5. Low noise applications: Liquid cooled machinery is much quieter. The cooling system can pump cooling fluid to the machine from a remote area, thus eliminating ambient noise pollution.
6. Environmental control: Hot air exits the machine in a typical air cooled system and is allowed to exhaust into the surrounding area. This is particularly undesirable in confined areas where additional ventilation may be required. The waste heat can be dissipated precisely with a liquid cooled system by pumping the hot cooling fluid to a designated external area.
7. Precision applications: ISO 9000 standards are forcing facilities to control environmental temperatures. Liquid cooling provides superior temperature control to arrest thermal growth problems, control performance variations, and control ambient temperatures in sensitive processes.
What liquid cooling options are available?
The simplest and most economical motor cooling method is by air or fan, but you have now determined that you require some degree of liquid cooling in your critical process. There are still several options. The next economical step is an air-oil lubrication system which delivers a specific quantity of oil to the motor bearings on a timed schedule. Burgi Engineers supply air-oil lubrication systems. Some motors may also be cooled externally with water: Cool plant water is pumped through the shell of the electric motor in this case, and the waste heat is then removed as the water exits the motor and is directed to some remote location. Finally, there are process applications which require a motor to be internally liquid cooled based largely on speed and power requirements. These motors will require sophisticated cooling which must be maintained by a recirculating fluid system. Go to our page on Fluid Handling for details and options on Burgi Engineers recirculating fluid systems. See our page on Performance Motors for a glimpse at other internally liquid cooled motors designed by Burgi Engineers.
Additional cooling and lubrication applications also include:
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Process Heating and Cooling |
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Seals |
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Gear Boxes |
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Power Transmission Devices |
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Closed-loop and Open-loop Systems |
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Antifriction and Fluid Film Bearings |
Contact sales@burgiengineers.com for answers to your critical process application requirements or phone us at (406) 257-2734 for a free consultation.
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