SuperThermo Motors
Pioneering motor technology with superconductors and thermoelectric cooling.
The race toward electric aviation is accelerating, but one problem still holds it back: OVERHEATING. As electric motors push to deliver more power, they face the constant threat of overheating and performance loss. With SuperThermo Motors, we’re turning that challenge into opportunity. By fusing High-Temperature Superconductors (HTS) with thermoelectric materials, our research is crafting motors that can cool themselves while they run.The result? Electric motors that are lighter, stronger, and capable of flying longer without fear of thermal failure, bringing us closer to a future where electric aircraft can soar safely across oceans and beyond.
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Project Overview
Started in September 2024, SuperThermo Motors is a research initiative focused on enhancing thermal management and cooling for electric motors in electric aviation. The project investigates innovative pathways to control, distribute, and dissipate heat within high power electric propulsion systems, one of the most critical barriers to long-duration, all electric flight.
By combining advanced material science with smart design and simulation methods, the research aims to develop motor architectures that remain stable and efficient under extreme thermal loads. This includes building predictive models, testing new cooling mechanisms, and validating them under aviation-relevant operating conditions.
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Significance
The aviation sector significantly contributes to the global COâ‚‚ emissions and, when accounting for non COâ‚‚ effects such as contrails and high altitude emissions, has been estimated to contribute about 5% of global warming. In the European Union alone, direct aviation emissions in recent years have represented about 3.8%–4% of total regional greenhouse gases. As the world moves toward clean energy solutions, the demand for reliable, efficient, and sustainable electric motors in aviation is growing rapidly.
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The SuperThermo Motors project is significant because by improving thermal management in electric propulsion systems, it enables longer flight durations, higher power densities, and greater reliability for electric aircraft. In doing so, it helps address a leading barrier to broader adoption of emission-free aviation, and thereby supports a reduction in aviation’s environmental footprint potentially lowering contributions by several percentage points as the technology is adopted across the industry.
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Challenges
A major challenge in electric aviation is the overheating of electric motors, which limits their ability to function efficiently over long durations. Current motor technology struggles with thermal management, leading to overheating that restricts motor performance and safety, especially in long flights over oceans. Without effective cooling solutions, electric motors cannot meet the operational demands of aviation, presenting a significant barrier to the widespread adoption of electric aircraft.
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Research Approach
SuperThermo Motors addresses the challenge of thermal management by integrating HTS and thermoelectric materials into electric motor designs.
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HTS materials maintain superconductivity at elevated temperatures, enable more efficient power transmission and reduce resistive losses, leading to less heat generation.
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Thermoelectric materials facilitate heat absorption and conversion into usable energy, enhancing overall cooling performance.
By combining these technologies, th research aims to significantly improve heat dissipation in electric motors, enabling them to operate at optimal performance over extended periods without the risk of overheating.
This approach is poised to provide a more reliable and energy-efficient solution for long-duration, emission-free flights, advancing the field of clean aviation.
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Ackhnowledgements
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University of Washington Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering for providing research support, facilities, and guidance.
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Engineering Innovation Challenge for fostering innovation and supporting the development of this project.
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