This study provides an overview of new trends in the development of cooling systems for electric motors. It includes a summary of academic research and patents for cooling systems implemented by leading motor manufacturers at TRL9. New trends in the cooling management of air and liquid cooling systems are discussed and analyzed with a focus on temperature distribution and its influence on the power-to-dimension ratio of electric motors. The prevailing cooling method for synchronous and asynchronous motors is air cooling using external fins, air circulation ducts, air gaps, and fan impellers to enhance efficiency and reliability. Internal cooling with rotor and stator ducts, along with optimized air duct geometry, shows potential to increase the power-to-dimension ratio and reduce motor size. Liquid cooling systems offer a power-to-dimension ratio of up to 25 kW/kg, achieved through redesigned cooling ducts, stator heat exchangers, and cooling tubes. However, liquid cooling systems are complex, requiring maintenance and high ingress protection ratings. They are advantageous for providing high power-to-dimension ratios in vehicles and aircraft. Discussions on using different refrigerants to improve efficient motor cooling are underway, with ozone-friendly natural refrigerants like CO₂ considered to be promising alternatives to low-pressure refrigerants with high global warming potential.

The adoption of the EU F-Gas Regulation 517/2014 and the resulting development of the multi-ejector concept have led carbon dioxide to take center stage as the sole refrigerant (R744) in several applications. Therefore, a knock-on effect on the number of supermarkets relying on “CO₂ only” refrigeration systems has been experienced. Additionally, a global consensus of commercial multi-ejector based R744 units is also intensifying as a consequence of both the promising results obtained and the other measures in force for environment preservation. Furthermore, the multi-ejector concept is expected to offer significant energy savings in other high energy-demanding buildings (e.g., hotels, gyms, spas) as well, even in warm climates. In this investigation, the evolution of R744 ejector supported parallel vapor compression system layouts for food retail applications was summed up. Furthermore, their technological aspects, the results related to the main theoretical assessments and some relevant field/laboratory measurements were summarized. Also, the experience gained in the adoption of the multi-ejector concept in transcritical R744 vapor-compression units aimed at other energy intensive applications was presented. Finally, the persistent barriers needing to be overcome as well as the required future work were brought to light.

During the last decade, many industrial and medical applications have shown a requirement for low-temperature-cooling usage (from −40 to −80 °C), which cannot be efficiently obtained via the conventional refrigeration systems usually employed for medium-temperature applications (from 0 to −40 °C). A proper ultra-low-temperature (ULT) refrigeration system design is essential to achieve the desired output. The performance can be maximised via the suitable selection of the configuration and refrigerant for a specific temperature range. This work contributes a detailed overview of the different systems and refrigerants used in ultra-low-temperature applications. Different systems, such as single-stage vapour compression, multi-stage, cascade, auto-cascade, and air refrigeration cycles, are presented and discussed. An energy analysis is then carried out for these systems identifying the optimal system design and refrigerant selection to achieve the highest performance. This paper aims to provide the reader with a comprehensive background through an exhaustive review of refrigeration systems suitable for ultra-low-temperature applications. The effectiveness of these systems is proven numerically, mainly based on the temperature level and purpose of the application.

After the recent renewed interest in CO₂ as the refrigerant (R744) for the food retail industry, many researchers have focused on the performance enhancement of the basic transcritical R744 supermarket refrigeration unit in warm climates. This task is generally fulfilled with the aid of energy-based methods. However, the implementation of an advanced exergy analysis is mandatory to properly evaluate the best strategies needing to be implemented to achieve the greatest thermodynamic performance improvements. Such an assessment, in fact, is widely recognized as the most powerful thermodynamic tool for this purpose. In this work, the advanced exergy analysis was applied to a conventional R744 booster supermarket refrigerating system at the outdoor temperature of 40 °C. The results obtained suggested the adoption of a more sophisticated layout, i.e., the one outfitted with the multi-ejector block. It was found that the multi-ejector supported CO₂ system can reduce the total exergy destruction rate by about 39% in comparison with the conventional booster unit. Additionally, the total avoidable exergy destruction rate was decreased from 67.60 to 45.57 kW as well as the total unavoidable exergy destruction rate was brought from 42.67 down to 21.91 kW.