Simulation of axial cooling loop for high speed spindles with rectangular crossection using CFD

The purpose of this paper is to numerically analyze the three-dimensional fluid motion and temperature distribution in built-in motorized high-speed spindle housing having axial water cooling channel with rectangular crossection. A three dimensional finite element model of high speed spindle housing is developed and simulated using computational fluid dynamics software to determine the temperature distribution considering the impedance of the motor coils. The effects of different heat sources and varied number of loops are examined in detail. The model is based upon a custom-built high performance spindle, which is used in the printed-circuit board industry, with a maximum speed of 160,000 rpm. The results indicate that the designed cooling loop is more effective and increase in temperature can be reduced significantly.