Cooling of high power density electrical drive units for mobile machinery

In this proceeding the demand for a high power density of drives in mobile machinery and their constraints are described. To achieve a high power density with electrical machines liquid cooling is a favoured option. Usually it is state of the art to use cooling jackets in those machines due to manufactureability and robustness. The behaviour of often used rectangular channel structures is well known and can be described with basic thermodynamics. Possible improvements by using vortex generators inside the channel of a cooling jacket structure are discussed. A basic dimple geometry is shown and also evaluated for a cooling spiral

Depletion of Macrophages Improves Therapeutic Response to Gemcitabine in Murine Pancreas Cancer.

BACKGROUND: The tumor microenvironment (TME) is composed of fibro-inflammatory cells and extracellular matrix (ECM) components. However, the exact contribution of the various TME compartments towards therapeutic response is unknown. Here, we aim to dissect the specific contribution of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) towards drug delivery and response in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). METHODS: The effect of gemcitabine was assessed in human and murine macrophages, human pancreatic stellate cells (hPSCs), and tumor cells (L3.6pl, BxPC3 and KPC) in vitro. The drug metabolism of gemcitabine was analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Preclinical studies were conducted using KrasG12D;p48-Cre and KrasG12D;p53172H;Pdx-Cre mice to investigate gemcitabine delivery at different stages of tumor progression and upon pharmacological TAM depletion. RESULTS: Gemcitabine accumulation was significantly increased in murine PDAC tissue compared to pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) lesions and healthy control pancreas tissue. In vitro, macrophages accumulated and rapidly metabolized gemcitabine resulting in a significant drug scavenging effect for gemcitabine. Finally, pharmacological TAM depletion enhanced therapeutic response to gemcitabine in tumor-bearing KPC mice. CONCLUSION: Macrophages rapidly metabolize gemcitabine in vitro, and pharmacological depletion improves the therapeutic response to gemcitabine in vivo. Our study supports the notion that TAMs might be a promising therapeutic target in PDAC

Distribution of Cooling Structures in Water Cooled Electrical Machines using Localized Loss Profiles

Cooling is a critical factor for improving power density in electrical appliances, especially in integrated drives for mobile applications. However, the issue of distributed losses in electric machines can lead to hotspots and temperature gradients within the electric drive. Traditional cooling jackets use unidirectional flow without or with evenly distributed cooling structures. This often aggravates the issue of hotspots, resulting in thermal derating and thus limiting the operation range. As well, a non-demand oriented distribution of cooling structures leads to unnecessary pressure losses. This problem is addressed with a newly elaborated method for distributing cooling elements, i.e., pin fins with varying density distribution inside the cooling channel. Results from previous work, numerical simulations, and measurement data from a planar test bench are used. The approach segments the cooling channel by using a loss profile. This profile and analytic heat transfer calculations are used to determine the required density of cooling elements for dissipating the locally induced losses. For a linear channel with uniformly distributed losses, this results in an increasing number of cooling elements within the channel in fluid flow direction. With localized losses, this will result in an increased density distribution in the respective areas. The method is evaluated by applying it to a planar test channel and investigating the temperature distribution on a test bench. First results indicate that the newly developed cooling element distribution provides an advantageous temperature distribution. The temperature gradient along the cooling channel shows a reduction from 23 K to 9 K with the distributed cooling elements. The method, previously tested in the linear planar channel, then is applied to the construction of a cooling jacket with a specifically designed two-layer cooling channel. This design is analyzed using CFD, a prototype is currently under production. Tests on the prototype will follow in further investigations

Optimization of Water Cooling for High Power Density Electrical Machines

The power density of electric machines is a critical factor in various applications, i.e. like the power train. A major factor to improve the power density is boosting the electric current density, which increases the losses in the limited volume of the electric machine. This results in a need for an optimized thermal design and efficient cooling. The dissipation of heat can be achieved in a multitude of ways, ranging from air cooling to highly integrated cooling solutions. In this paper, this variety is shown and analyzed with a focus on water cooling. Further various structures in electric machines are presented. A planar testbench is built to systematically analyze water cooling geometries. The focus lies in providing different power loss distributions along cooling channels, accurate temperature readings in a multitude of locations, as well as the pressure drop across the channel. The test bench results are aligned with simulations and simplified analytical evaluation to support the development process. The main goal in this paper is to determine temperature gradients in the material close to the stator to quantize the potential for future cooling jacket designs. One question ,to answer is: How large the gradient is considering a realistic power loss distribution. Another sensible point are the different thermal expansions of aluminum used in cooling jackets and the steel core of the stator. This can be bypassed by using a steel cooling jacket. In this case, the performance of a steel cooling jacket compared to an aluminum version is investigated and also if light weight construction can compensate the lower thermal conductivity of steel. After the analysis, an outlook about future changes of the measurement methods are given and first potentials for future cooling jackets are proposed

Personal best times in an olympic distance triathlon and a marathon predict an ironman race time for recreational female triathletes

"The aim of this study was to investigate whether the characteristics of anthropometry, training or previous performance were related to an Ironman race time in recreational female Ironman triathletes. These characteristics were correlated to an Ironman race time for 53 recreational female triathletes in order to determine the predictor variables, and so be able to predict an Ironman race time for future novice triathletes. In the bi-variate analysis, no anthropometric characteristic was related to race time. The weekly cycling kilometers (r = -0.35) and hours (r = -0.32), as well as the personal best time in an Olympic distance triathlon (r = 0.49) and in a marathon (r = 0.74) were related to an Ironman race time (< 0.05). Stepwise multiple regressions showed that both the personal best time in an Olympic distance triathlon ( P = 0.0453) and in a marathon (P = 0.0030) were the best predictors for the Ironman race time (n = 28, r² = 0.53). The race time in an Ironman triathlon might be partially predicted by the following equation (r² = 0.53, n = 28): Race time (min) = 186.3 + 1.595 × (personal best time in an Olympic distance triathlon, min) + 1.318 × (personal best time in a marathon, min) for recreational female Ironman triathletes.

Ad libitum fluid intake leads to no leg swelling in male Ironman triathletes - an observational field study

BACKGROUND: An association between fluid intake and limb swelling has been described for 100-km ultra-marathoners. We investigated a potential development of peripheral oedemata in Ironman triathletes competing over 3.8 km swimming, 180 km cycling and 42.2 km running. METHODS: In 15 male Ironman triathletes, fluid intake, changes in body mass, fat mass, skeletal muscle mass, limb volumes and skinfold thickness were measured. Changes in renal function, parameters of skeletal muscle damage, hematologic parameters and osmolality in both serum and urine were determined. Skinfold thicknesses at hands and feet were measured using LIPOMETER(R) and changes of limb volumes were measured using plethysmography. RESULTS: The athletes consumed a total of 8.6 +/- 4.4 L of fluids, equal to 0.79 +/- 0.43 L/h. Body mass, skeletal muscle mass and the volume of the lower leg decreased (p 0.05). The decrease in skeletal muscle mass was associated with the decrease in body mass (p >0.05). The decrease in the lower leg volume was unrelated to fluid intake (p >0.05). Haemoglobin, haematocrit and serum sodium remained unchanged (p >0.05). Osmolality in serum and urine increased (p <0.05). The change in body mass was related to post-race serum sodium concentration ([Na+]) (r = -0.52, p <0.05) and post-race serum osmolality (r = -0.60, p <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In these Ironman triathletes, ad libitum fluid intake maintained plasma [Na+] and plasma osmolality and led to no peripheral oedemata. The volume of the lower leg decreased and the decrease was unrelated to fluid intake. Future studies may investigate ultra-triathletes competing in a Triple Iron triathlon over 11.4 km swimming, 540 km cycling and 126.6 km running to find an association between fluid intake and the development of peripheral oedemata

Strategien und Methoden der ressourceneffizienten Produktion: Green Factory Bavaria

Zur Reduktion des Ressourcenbedarfs der Industrie und somit zur Unterstützung der bayerischen Energiewende ist ein bedarfsgerechter Wissenstransfer aus der angewandten Forschung in produzierende Unternehmen von großer Bedeutung. Deshalb wurden im Projekt Green Factory Bavaria von 2012 bis 2017 Strategien und Methoden zur Steigerung der Ressourceneffizienz in der Produktion erforscht und entwickelt. Hierfür entstand an den Standorten Augsburg und Bayreuth jeweils eine Demonstrations-, Lern- und Forschungsplattform. Ziel dieses Buches ist es, einen Überblick über die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse zu geben und durch einen flächendeckenden Wissenstransfer einen signifikanten Beitrag zur Energiewende zu leisten