Integrated Drives for Transport - A Review of the Enabling Thermal Management Technology

Electric drives which are deployed in transport applications often have stringent volume/mass constraints requiring that the subsystems of electric drives are incorporated in a tightly packaged mechanical arrangement. As integration of mechanical and electronic subsystems becomes more intricate the thermal management issues relating to dealing with the loss in the converter and actuator in tandem become more complex. This paper presents a review of the state of the art manufacturing techniques and technologies which are enabling ever greater integration in electric drives for transport applications through better thermal management.