Thermal-Aware Motor Control for Overheating Prevention Using Real-Time Temperature Feedback Control Strategy

Motor overheating is a major cause of insulation wear, torque loss, reduced efficiency, and early failure in industrial electric machines. This is especially true when these machines operate under heavy or varying load conditions. Traditional proportional-integral (PI) based motor control does not account for real-time thermal behaviour. This results in unsafe torque commands, which lead to heating and reduce the machine’s lifespan. This study introduces a Thermal-Aware Motor Control Strategy (TAMCS) that combines real-time temperature feedback with traditional PI and fractional order proportional-integral-derivative (FOPID) controllers. This strategy aims to prevent overheating while retaining dynamic performance intact. The study developed a combined electromechanical and thermal MATLAB model that includes Joule heating, heat dissipation, rotor dynamics, and thermal derating logic. The work tested various conditions, including step load, sinusoidal load, and continuous overload conditions. The results indicate that without thermal awareness, motor temperature can rise above 120°C, which exceeds safe limits. With the proposed method, the torque was derated when the temperature went above the maximum temperature. This adjustment leads to a temperature reduction of 35 to 48%, an 18% improvement in efficiency, and a 40% decrease in thermal stress during heavy load operations. Findings were validated with a first-order thermal model, confirming a maximum error of 4.6% or less between simulated and analytical temperatures. This study shows that Thermal-Aware Control greatly enhances reliability, prevents thermal damage, and offers a practical, low-cost solution for real-time motor protection in industrial settings.