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The synchronous reluctance machine is well-known for its highly nonlinear magnetic saturation and cross-saturation characteristics. For high performance and high-efficiency control, the flux-linkage maps and maximum torque per ampere table are of paramount importance. This study proposes a novel automated online searching method for obtaining accurate flux-linkage and maximum torque per ampere Identification. A limited 6 × 2 dq-axis flux-linkage look-up table is acquired by applying symmetric triangle pulses during the self-commissioning stage. Then, three three-dimensional modified linear cubic spline interpolation methods are applied to extend the flux-linkage map. The proposed golden section searching method can be easily implemented to realize higher maximum torque per ampere accuracy after 11 iterations with a standard drive, which is a proven faster solution with reduced memory sources occupied. The proposed algorithm is verified and tested on a 15-kW SynRM drive. Furthermore, the iterative and execution times are evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synchronous reluctance machines are considered a cost-effective solution for several industrial applications and present potential efficiency benefits compared to induction motors. In industrial applications, power supply oscillations can lead to short-term disturbances that can affect the drive operation; therefore, the control must be robust to guarantee high efficiency and service continuity. The focus of this study was to identify the speed boundaries considering different values of applied DC-link voltage, taking into account the highly nonlinear magnetic behavior of the machine and its cross-coupling characteristics. In addition, a comprehensive carrier-based implementation of a pulse width modulation strategy was proposed to achieve optimal efficiency in both the machine and converter, which is essential in the presence of "weak" grids. The proposed technique was demonstrated to meet the desired reference torque and rated speed, even during DC-link voltage drops (up to 7.4% of the rated voltage). The proposed methodology was experimentally validated on a 90 kW SynRM drive with a broader modulation range and higher efficiency. This work considered several different supply voltage levels to assess the stability and continuity of torque output and further proved the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study provides a detailed investigation on the prediction and diagnosis of unsteady electromagnetic vibroacoustic performance of IPMSMs for electric vehicles under typical unsteady operating conditions with consideration of rotor step skewing and current harmonics. Methods: Firstly, the control model considering the influence of PWM carrier modulation and rotor step skewing is established. Based on this, the currents of the IPMSM under unsteady operating conditions (driving condition and feedback braking condition) are obtained. Accordingly, the currents calculated through the control model are used as the excitation source of electromagnetic finite element. Then, the electromagnetic vibroacoustic performance under unsteady operating conditions is calculated through electromagnetic force subsection mapping and acoustic transfer vector (ATV) method. Moreover, the conditions where resonance vibroacoustic occurs are diagnosed. Finally, the results of prediction and diagnosis are fully verified by experiments of multiple physical fields. Results and Conclusions: The amplitude errors between prediction results and test results are less than 3.2 % . The influence of current harmonics on electromagnetic vibroacoustic can be predicted. The frequency range and speed range of predicted peak vibroacoustic are consistent with the experimental results. The rotor step skewing can be used to weaken the vibroacoustic amplitude of IPMSMs under typical unsteady conditions in the full speed range. This study provides guidance for prediction and diagnosis for electromagnetic vibroacoustic performance of IPMSMs under typical unsteady operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric machines are widely employed in a variety of sectors, including automotive and aerospace industry. With the rising trend towards electrification in aviation, electric machines with increased power density and efficiency are becoming key enabling technologies, requiring the development of innovative design procedures. In this study, a preliminary design procedure for Surface Mounted Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines (SPMSMs) intensively cooled by means of oil channels placed in the stator slots is proposed. The analytical derivation of SPMSM sizing equations, including the sub‐domain model and optimisation algorithm will be reported in detail. Indeed, both the electromagnetic and thermal equations of the machine are considered for the derivation of the sizing tool. As a result, the latter allows to capture variation of the machine design not only in terms of mechanical demands, such as power and speed, but also in terms of coolant characteristics, and can be effectively employed to perform trade‐off studies at a preliminary design stage. The proposed design tool will be used for a specific case study: The design of a high‐speed machine for an aerospace hydraulic actuator. The accuracy of the proposed design tool is validated for different parameters by comparing the results to experimental measurements performed on an existing 8‐pole 9‐slot prototype SPMSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates various modes of transport against the dual requirements of Net‐Zero carbon emissions and user convenience, in particular, speed of travel and cost of transportation. Results show that when operated across a whole country, battery‐powered ePlanes have the lowest energy use as measured by well‐to‐wing efficiency of other high‐speed transport systems such as the UKs HS2 and conventional diesel rail systems. This condition may not hold for extremely high passenger numbers per hour as seen in metropolitan areas with high density populations. Various proposed disruptive technologies lower cost of ownership when combined with changes in the transport paradigm that has rarely been explored in other papers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a discrete skew methodology is presented to understand the effect of skewing angle on electromagnetic torque in SynRM design. A new approach is proposed to estimate the amplitude of each torque ripple component as a function of skewing angle. The reduction factor for each harmonic component is derived in general form, allowing for the determination of overall torque ripple waveform. The validity of the proposed method is evaluated through the examination of two SynRMs, resulting in a torque ripple reduction of up to 70%. The results obtained through the use of a proposed analytical ripple reduction estimator and FEA evaluation showed good agreement. The proposed skewing technique was applied on a previously optimized triple-barrier SynRM with a positive outcome: a consistent torque ripple reduction tackling relevant harmonic components. The analysis of harmonic distribution of torque ripple is mandatory for the selection of the optimal skewing strategy when following the proposed method, with two-step skewing recommended for mostly-purely-sinusoidal torque waveforms, and multi-step skewing recommended for machines with multiple higher-magnitude harmonic components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an accurate analytical model (AM) for synchronous reluctance machine (SynRM) that incorporates the effect of stator slots on the air gap flux density and torque waveforms. From the formulation of magnetic potential in the air gap for both the stator and rotor, the flux density is obtained, considering the first harmonic of the flux density and the electric loading, the average torque is calculated using the Lorentz’s force. The ripple torque is obtained from the energy stored in magnetic circuit. The method is developed for a rotor with one flux barrier per pole and then extended to a larger number of barriers. To validate the results obtained by the AM proposed finite element analysis have been carried out. Several comparisons have been derived considering different rotor positions as well as different harmonic orders, and the pros and cons of the method are highlighted. The model performs fast and can predict results with high accuracy, and can be adopted to speed up the preliminary design and optimizations of this type of motors, with respect to finite element. In addition, from the analytical expressions it is possible to obtain all the correlations between electrical, magnetic, and geometrical characteristics of the machine, with the advantage of enabling a faster machine design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In high performance electric machines, the increase of fundamental frequency leads to additional losses in the winding due to parasitic effects such as the associated skin and proximity effects. In the first part, this paper presents an investigation into accurate modelling of AC losses in the winding using numerical methods and their experimental verification. Then, using experimental motorette setups, this research provides a comparative study between fixed strand positioning and fixed conductor shapes on the AC losses in the winding. It is shown that the exact position of strands in the conductor is not a critical factor; however, it is very important to control the conductor shape inside the slot. In the final section of this paper, an investigation into the relationship between AC losses in the winding and copper filling factor is presented. It is shown experimentally that counter-intuitive design choices such as using a lower copper fill factor and thicker strand diameters may be beneficial in achieving the highest overall efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a modular approachto the power sharing control of permanent magnet synchronous bearingless machine. The selected machine topology features a winding layout with phases distributed into nonoverlapping three phase groups, a solution whose twofold aim is to increase the fault tolerance and to allow for the radial force generation. The three phase subwindings are supplied by standard three-phase inverter, leading to a modular system architecture. A throughout explanation of the methodology used to develop the control algorithm is presented considering the torque and force control in combination with the power sharing management of the machine. Special emphasis is placed on validating the modeling hypotheses based on a finite element characterization of the machine electro-mechanical behavior. The proposed control strategy is also extended to cater the possibility of one or more inverters failure, thus validating the intrinsic advantage of the redundancy obtained by the modularity of the system. An extensive experimental test campaign is finally carried out on a prototyped multi three-phase permanent magnet synchronous drive. The obtained results validate the bearingless power sharing operation in healthy and faulty scenarios, both at steady state and under extreme transient condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (IPMSM) with segmented skewed poles, the armature reaction magnetic field (AR-MF) changes nonlinearly due to the saturation of the rotor magnetic barrier. Meanwhile, this varies under different excitation currents. As a result, it is difficult to be calculated by means of analytical methods. In this paper, the calculation model of AR-MF of IPMSM is first established by vector superposition method, without considering the saturation effect of rotor and the slotting effect of stator. In the second step, the virtual magnetic field of the rotor is introduced to quantitatively calculate the influence of local inhomogeneous saturation on the AR-MF. The latter is derived by combining both the subdomain method and equivalent magnetic circuit method. The complex relative permeance is also introduced to establish the AR-MF accounting for the stator slotting effect. To validate the AR-MF calculation method proposed, an 8-pole 48-slot IPMSM with segmented skewed poles is considered as a case study, showing a comparison by both with finite element (FE) results and the electromagnetic torque measured on a test bench. The model proposed in this paper shows high accuracy and fast computation with respect to FE analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synchronous reluctance (SynRel) machines are considered one of the promising and cost-effective solutions to many industrial and mobility applications. Nonetheless, achieving an optimal design is challenging due to the complex correlation between geometry and magnetic characteristics. In order to expand the limits formed by template-based geometries, this work approaches the problem by using topology optimization (TO) through the density method (DM). Optimization settings and their effects on results, both in terms of performance and computation time, are studied extensively by performing optimizations on the rotor of a benchmark SynRel machine. In addition, DM-based TO is applied to an existing rotor geometry to assess its use and performance as a design refinement tool. The findings are presented, highlighting several insights into how to apply TO to SynRel machine design and its limitations, boundaries for performance improvements and related computational cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the electro-mechanical devices transforming energy from electrical to mechanical, the squirrel cage induction motor can be surely considered a workhorse of the industry due to its robustness, low cost, and good performance when directly fed by the ac grid. Being the most influencing motor topology in terms of energy consumption, optimizing the efficiency of squirrel cage induction motors could lead to a great impact toward the reduction of the human environmental footprint. The induction motor design aided by finite element analysis presents significant challenges because an accurate performance prediction requires a considerable computational burden. This article makes use of an innovative fast and accurate performance evaluation method embedded into an automatic design procedure to optimize different rotor slot geometries. After introducing the performance estimation approach, its advantages and limits are discussed comparing its prediction with the experimental tests carried out on an off-the-shelf induction motor. Different rotor cage structures with increasing geometrical complexity are then optimized in terms of starting and rated performance adopting the same design optimization process, the same stator geometry and constituent materials. The analysis of the optimal solutions shows how it is possible to improve the rated efficiency without compromising other performance indexes. The presented results can be used as general design guidelines of squirrel cage induction motors for industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares the machine learning algorithm‐based prediction methods for the traction characteristics in linear traction induction motors operating at common working conditions, i.e. different slip and running velocity, with a symmetric or asymmetric secondary. These models provide a method for obtaining the dynamic characteristics in the motor that considers nonlinear effects. First, some analytical results for the prototype machine under different working conditions is calculated. Second, classification and feature extraction of traction characteristics results including thrust, transversal and vertical forces is made according to the different slip, running speed and lateral secondary displacement, and the results set is divided into training sets and test sets. Third, the prediction model established by different machine learning algorithms are analyzed and compared in principle. These algorithms in this paper mainly contain: artificial neural networks (ANNs), linear regression (LR), symbolic regression using GP, k‐Nearest Neighbour (kNN), random forests (RFRs). The machine learning algorithm‐based prediction methods are trained with the training set, and then the verified with the test set. Finally, this paper discusses the most optimal model for predicting traction characteristics. © 2021 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decade, the trend toward higher efficiency and higher torque density electrical machines (EMs) without permanent magnets (PMs) for the industrial sector has rapidly increased. This work discusses the latest research and industrial advancements in synchronous reluctance machines (SynRMs), being the emergent motor topology gaining wide acceptance by many industries. This article presents an extensive literature review covering the background and evolvement of SynRM, including the most recent developments. Nowadays, SynRM has found its niche in the EM market, and the reasons for that are highlighted in this work together with its advantages and disadvantages. The key journal publications in SynRM topics are discussed presenting the biggest challenges and the latest advancements with particular regards to the design methodology. This article aims to provide a thorough overview to the research community and industry about SynRM. There is a clear potential for SynRM to take over a significant portion of the EM market in the near future to meet efficiency standards in industrial applications without the use of rare-Earth PM technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: This topology is applied to photovoltaic generation conversion using multiple panels and a single magnetic core, using MPPT and obtaining an efficiency over 96%. DC–DC power converters have generated much interest, as they can be used in a wide range of applications. In micro-inverter applications, flyback topologies are a relevant research topic due to their efficiency and simplicity. On the other hand, solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are one of the fastest growing and most promising renewable energy sources in the world. A power electronic converter (either DC/DC or DC/AC) is needed to interface the PV array with the load/grid. In this paper, a modified interleaved-type step-up DC–DC flyback converter is presented for a PV application. The topology is based on a multi-winding flyback converter with N parallel connected inputs and a single output. Each input is supplied by an independent PV module, and a maximum power point tracking algorithm is implemented in each module to maximize solar energy harvesting. A single flyback transformer is used, and it manages only 1/N of the converter rated power, reducing the size of the magnetic core compared to other similar topologies. The design of the magnetic core is also presented in this work. Moreover, the proposed converter includes active snubber networks to increase the efficiency, consisting of a capacitor connected in series with a power switch, to protect the main switches from damaging dv/dt when returning part of the commutation energy back to the source. In this work, the operating principle of the topology is fully described on a mathematical basis, and an efficiency analysis is also included. The converter is simulated and experimentally validated with a 1 kW prototype considering three PV panels. The experimental results are in agreement with the simulations, verifying the feasibility of the proposal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the local inhomogeneous magnetic saturation of the core of the interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (IPMSM), the magnetic field changes nonlinearly, which makes the analytical calculation of the magnetic field difficult. Therefore, the calculation of the magnetic field mostly relies on the finite element method (FEM). However, the high computation cost of FEM restricts the efficiency of the design and analysis of IPMSM. In this article, an analytical model (AM) of slotless open-circuit air-gap magnetic field (OC-AG-MF) of IPMSM with V-shaped segmented skewed poles is derived by combining the subdomain method (SDM) and the magnetic equivalent circuit (MEC) method, and then, the AM of slotted OC-AG-MF of IPMSM with V-shaped segmented skewed poles is obtained by introducing the complex relative permeance. To show the effectiveness of the novel AM, the OC-AG-MF and cogging torque of an IPMSM with V-shaped segmented skewed poles for electric vehicles are calculated by the AM and FEM, respectively. The spatial order, amplitude–frequency characteristics, and the 3-D spatial distribution of the OC-AG-MF are analyzed. Finally, the accuracy of the AM is experimentally verified by direct measurement of OC-AG-MF and no-load back electromotive force (EMF) of the motor. The AM proposed in this article is shown to accurately calculate the radial and tangential components of OC-AG-MF of IPMSM with V-shaped segmented skewed poles considering rotor magnetic bridge saturation effect and stator slotting effect. Meanwhile, the efficiency of the design and analysis of the motor is expected to be improved due to the reduced computational effort compared to the prevalent FEM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we describe the research and development of a 3 kV active rectifier for a 4 MW aerospace generator drive system demonstrator. The converter is fed by a multiphase high-speed/high-frequency permanent magnet generator. The main aim of the work is to demonstrate for the first time the feasibility of an MW-class generator system meeting future hybrid-electric propulsion requirements. A concept with multiple and isolated three-phase systems feeding different power buses is proposed to meet the availability requirements. Multiple converters (one for each three-phase system) are connected in series and/or in parallel to achieve the rated power and dc-link voltage. This article describes the key design concepts and the development and testing of the converter to meet the challenging application requirements. Reduced power tests are carried out on a full-scale 4 MW converter prototype, validating the proposed design. The work represents a step forward in terms of voltage, power, and output frequency with respect to the state-of-the-art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is focused on the design, optimisation and control of a permanent magnet assisted synchronous reluctance machine (PMaSynRel) for low cost high efficiency household appliances, in particular a motor for washing machine. The design and optimisation of the motor aims at maximising the torque produced and power factor, while minimise torque oscillations and the losses, thus improving the efficiency. A campaign of tests has been carried out on the prototype of the optimised machine, comparing finite element results and experimental measurements as a validation of the proposed design. In addition, torque ripple measurements are confirming that the solution proposed is meeting the optimisation design targets. The outcomes of this project are demonstrating that PMaSynRel drives are a suitable candidate for white goods sector, and that the proposed design is able to boost the performance and efficiency class with respect to the state-of-the-art solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deals with the power-sharing control of bearingless multisector and multithree-phase permanent magnet machines. The proposed control strategy allows to distribute the power flows among the three-phase inverters supplying the machine during bearingless operation of the drive. The control technique is based on the extension of the vector space decomposition modeling approach. The components producing the electromagnetic torque, i.e., the q-axis currents, are controlled independently from the d-axis ones, also with the aim of managing the power flows among the three-phase systems. Conversely, the d-axis currents are exploited for the generation of the radial forces needed to levitate the rotor, while considering the compensation of the forces caused by the q-axis currents in case of unbalanced power sharing strategy. The validity of the proposed method is confirmed by simulations and experimental tests on a prototyped bearingless multisector permanent magnet synchronous machine. The proposed approach is a contribution to the development of advanced control systems employing multiphase drives in the field of bearingless and multiport applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to better address the problem of many high-order harmonics’ concentration in the output voltage, a novel five-phase piecewise-random-switching-frequency space vector pulse width modulation (PRSF-SVPWM) strategy is proposed for a five-phase voltage source inverter. Compared to the conventional random switching frequency SVPWM (RSF-SVPWM), the entire fundamental period of this method is divided into two half-fundamental periods, so the original switching frequency in a single fundamental period is randomized in segments respectively. During this process, parameters named the offset frequency and random frequency are defined and assigned reasonably. In this way, high-frequency harmonics in one period are spread into a wider range. Subsequent simulation and experimental results verify that the proposed random modulation strategy can further reduce amplitudes of harmonics near switching frequency and its integer multiples, even though within a narrow switching frequency range, and a satisfactory effect of high-order harmonic dispersion is finally obtained, which contributes to the application and popularization of random pulse width modulation strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel design concept for Synchronous Reluctance (SynRel) machines aimed at reducing the torque ripple. Two general sizing approaches based on the homothetic scaling principle are defined and compared. An in depth analysis on the torque ripple, for a wide range of scaled geometries, evaluated by finite element, has been carried out at different operating conditions. A further analysis is performed on 4 scaled geometries that have been optimized starting from 4 random rotor geometries. It is shown that the main rotor geometrical variables converge to similar values for all scaled machines. The accuracy of the proposed model is then validated by comparing the FE simulated torque ripple waveforms with the experimental data carried out, for a range of operating conditions, on a machine prototype. The outcome of this work is a fast and accurate scaling technique for the preliminary design of SynRel machines with reduced torque ripple. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, one of the challenges in transport electrification is the reduction of the components’ size and weight in order to improve the power density. This is often achieved by designing electrical machines with higher rotational speeds and excitation frequencies. In addition, the converter needs to control the machine over a wide speed range given by the mission profile. Therefore, copper losses can significantly increase due to the combination of high frequency excitation and the harmonics introduced by the converter. The winding arrangement design plays a key role in the minimization of the copper losses, thus towards a higher efficiency and/or an improved power density. Different winding topologies can be adopted for high speed electrical machines and amongst them random windings are still one of the most widespread types. This paper presents an in depth study on AC losses in random windings for high frequency motor applications. An analytical method is compared against 2-D Finite Element (FE) simulation results. These are then compared to experimental measurements taken on a custom motorette. Importantly, in order to take into account the random positions of each strand within the machine slots, an Experimental Statistic Method (ESM) is proposed. The ESM allows to define the probability distribution which is useful to evaluate the winding copper losses at the design stage. The contribution of the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) effect is also considered and experimentally evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of anisotropic electrical machines is strongly dependent on the current loop characteristics. The problems for achieving robustness and fast response, without overshoot and oscillations, are mainly related to different values and behavior of the direct and quadrature inductances ($L_d, L_q$), as well as to high output frequencies. In this article, a novel current controller structure based on internal model control method is presented, taking into account the magnetic anisotropy ($L_d\ne L_q$). The model of salient machines is derived directly in the discrete domain and used to obtain a model-based controller. The controller derivation does not rely on transport-delay approximations, which enables improved decoupling of axes dynamics and the closed-loop robustness for very high output frequencies. The presented controller enables enhanced response for higher current loop bandwidth and output frequencies than the state-of-the-art methods. The experimental verification is performed on a three-phase synchronous machine, using a standard industrial three-phase inverter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the linear induction motor commonly work with a laterally asymmetric secondary as it is applied to pull rail vehicles, this paper presents a complete equivalent circuit model considering the asymmetry to predict thrust, vertical and transversal forces. First, six correction factors are presented to quantify the variations in the air-gap magnetic flux and secondary induced current as the linear induction motor operating with a laterally asymmetric secondary. Second, it develops a circuit model based on the existing T-model for the rotary induction motor and two correction factors for the magnetizing branch, which is used to indicate the electromagnetic variations in the air-gap flux and secondary plate due to the asymmetry. Third, the mathematical expressions for the thrust, vertical and transversal forces are derived by applying the equivalent circuit model. Then, the six correction factors are calculated with a prototype motor, and the results of them are comprehensively analyzed. Finally, the characteristics in the prototype motor are calculated with the mathematical expressions in a range of rated speed, and validated by the experimental measurements carried out on a test rig and line for linear motors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rotor slot geometry of a squirrel cage induction motor plays the most important role in defining the torque-speed characteristic when the power supply is directly provided by the main grid. In this article it is shown how the rotor slot geometry can be optimised to satisfy different electromechanical requirements, depending on specific applications. This work, the second of two companion papers, briefly recalls the novel systematic approach, proposed in Part I, to perform the optimization of squirrel cage induction motors. Here, the optimization results achieved satisfying a wide spectrum of requirements are analysed in depth. Furthermore, the trade-off among the several performance indexes, and their correlation with the geometrical parameters is discussed. The possible advantages, and disadvantages of adopting a copper cage is also quantified for all possible performance requirements. The influence of the motor thermal behaviour, and harmonic losses on the overall performance are also discussed allowing to validate the proposed design optimization procedure, and its results. The outcomes of this work are opening to new design approaches that enable to optimise the performance of one of the most popular electrical machines adopted in industry, the squirrel cage induction motor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Squirrel cage induction motor is the most widely adopted electrical machine in applications directly fed by the main grid. The analysis, design, and optimization of this machine topology has been addressed by a considerable amount of literature over the last century. Although its wide adoption, the induction motor design, especially when carried out in an automatic fashion, still presents significant challenges because the accurate prediction of the performance requires time-consuming finite element analysis. This work proposes a systematic approach to perform the design optimization of a squirrel cage induction motor focusing on the rotor slot geometry, being this the major player in defining the torque-speed characteristic. Structured as a two-parts companion papers, this first part presents an innovative performance evaluation methodology which allows a very fast estimation of the torque, and efficiency behaviour preserving the results’ accuracy. The proposed performance estimation technique is assessed against experimental tests carried out on an off-the-shelf induction motor. The selection of the performance indexes to be optimized is justified in detail along with the description of a generalized rotor parametrization which allows a comprehensive exploration of the research space. The presented optimization procedure is then applied to a case study, and the preliminary results are commented, highlighting benefits, and drawbacks of the proposed methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a postfault control algorithm that minimizes the stator Joule losses in multiphase induction machines under an open-phase fault and for different star connection layouts. The key novelty is that the algorithm can be applied to any configuration of a multi-n-phase machine, independently of the connection of the neutral points. The latter is analytically derived and is based on the space vector representation of the machine model. In addition, it is shown that a low number of neutral points helps to reduce the winding losses in case of an open-phase fault but requires additional control regulators and computational efforts. The theory is applied to an asymmetrical quadruple-three-phase induction machine, which is configured to represent five different motor layouts. Finally, experimental results are presented to validate the control algorithm. The optimal solution that is given in this article can be employed for the control of symmetrical or asymmetrical multiphase machines with different star connection layouts and in any open-phase postfault operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a rotor position tracking control (RPTC) strategy is proposed to effectively reduce the speed fluctuation for a direct-drive permanent magnet synchronous motor servo system operating at a low speed with different torque disturbances. In this article, considering the derivative relationship between the rotor position and speed, a speed command is converted to a real-time rotor position trajectory, and then a position-current two-loop control with the RPTC controller is proposed based on the internal model method to smoothly track the rotor position. In addition, the parameter design of the RPTC controller from the perspectives of robust stability and antidisturbance capability is investigated as well. The comparative simulation and experimental results demonstrate that, at a low speed, the proposed RPTC strategy has a good speed performance for both periodic and nonperiodic torque disturbances. Moreover, it enjoys a simple implementation for not requiring the precise speed feedback and specific torque disturbance information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a simple analytical model for the sizing of synchronous reluctance (SynRel) machines. The accuracy of the method is achieved by modeling a simple rotor geometry that presents all the characteristics of a real machine. The analytical equations proposed are able to guarantee accurate and fast results during the preliminary design of the machine. A generalized sizing approach, based on the saliency ratio, is presented in detail. The method is flexible and can be adapted for any SynRel machine. The accuracy of the proposed model is validated for a range of operating conditions, comparing the results with both finite element simulations and experimental measurement carried out from an existing four poles SynRel 15-kW prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Finite-set model predictive current control (FS-MPCC) has been employed for machine drives owing to the good dynamic performance. Sensitivity to parameter variation is one of the main barriers to its widespread application. To overcome this barrier, this article proposes an improved FS-MPCC for surfaced permanent magnet synchronous machines (SPMSMs). The contribution of this article is developing a novel current update mechanism, where the variation of resistance, rotor flux linkage, and inductance is considered, in which a modified coordinate system that contains a stationary and rotary axis frame is introduced. In this case, the predicted parameter can be obtained more accurately based on this mechanism, which can suppress the disturbances caused by model parameter mismatch. In addition, SPMSM parameter mismatch effect on FS-MPCC performance is analyzed in this article, which testifies that resistance mismatch influence on current prediction error can be neglected in practical system. The proposed FS-MPCC is validated and compared with different state-of-the-art methods. Improvement of the proposed control strategy is validated by means of experimental results on a 2-kW test rig. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a concept for homothetic scaling of Synchronous Reluctance (SynRel) machines with the aim to generate a design for a wide range of power ratings. A generalized modeling approach, based on the saliency ratio, is presented in detail to analytically evaluate the magnetic behavior of the scaled SynRel machines. The analytical model has been applied to a wide range of machines and validated through finite element analysis. General scaling functions are derived to size and evaluate the performance of the scaled machines using the data resulting from the analytical model. The accuracy of the proposed functions is validated, for a range of operating conditions, comparing the results with the experimental measurement carried out on two 4-poles SynRel prototypes. These have been designed using the homothetic method proposed, which has been proven to be a quick and accurate preliminary sizing tool for SynRel motors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a virtual cogging torque (VCT) control method to reduce the speed ripple of direct-drive permanent magnet synchronous machine servo system under low-speed conditions is proposed. Compared with other factors, at low speeds, the cogging torque is the main factor that deteriorates the drive performance, even induces speed oscillations. Especially in this article, due to volume limitation, the cogging torque is designed larger than normal one in order to remove the need of brake. Based on the model of permanent magnet synchronous motor, the cause and effect of the cogging torque are analyzed. Inspired by the characteristic of cogging torque, the VCT control method is proposed and investigated to significantly reduce the speed ripple at low speeds. The main idea of this proposed control method is to produce a proper VCT and continuously move the corresponding virtual stable equilibrium point to drive the rotor smoothly. In addition to the principle of this control method, its analysis and implementation are studied as well. Simulation and experimental results from the prototype demonstrate that the proposed control method is correct and valid, and it is simple and effective to smooth the speed at low-speed operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An eccentric position diagnosis method of static eccentricity (SE) fault of external rotor permanent magnet synchronous motor (ER‐PMSM) is presented. Firstly, an analytical model of no‐load radial magnetic field of ER‐PMSM is established. Analytical models of no‐load Back‐EMF of both unit motors and the whole motor are carried out and are verified by finite element method (FEM) and experimental measurements. Then, the influences of SE ratio, SE circumferential angle, winding distribution mode and number of parallel branches on no‐load radial magnetic field and no‐load Back‐EMF are analyzed based on these analytical models. The results show that SE does not affect the frequency characteristics of no‐load radial magnetic field, but changes space order characteristics. On one hand, for ER‐PMSM, of which the number of unit motors is equal to 1, SE causes no‐load Back‐EMF distortion. On the other hand, for ER‐PMSM, of which the number of unit motors is greater than 1, SE does not affect no‐load Back‐EMF of the whole motor, but it still leads to no‐load Back‐EMF distortion of unit motors. Therefore, based on total harmonic distortion (THD) of no‐load Back‐EMF of unit motor, a projection method of intersection lines for SE fault diagnosis of ER‐PMSM is proposed finally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the air gap magnetic field characteristics of external rotor permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) under both the stator and rotor coordinate systems considering low‐order current harmonics and high‐order sideband current harmonics are analysed. A direct measurement technique (DMT) for air‐gap magnetic field is proposed. First, an analytical model of air gap magnetic field of external rotor PMSMs is established. The spatial order and frequency characteristics of stator/rotor air gap magnetic field are revealed. Then, a 24‐pole 27‐slot external rotor PMSM is taken as an example. The analytical and finite element (FE) results are compared and analysed. The difference of the spatial order and frequency characteristics between the stator and rotor air gap magnetic field are verified. Next, a new DMT is proposed, which can detect the precise distribution and local microscopic characteristics on the order of 10−1 mm with high resolution. The accuracy of analytical and FE model are verified by the DMT and an indirect experimental test of no‐load back electromotive force. Finally, the mechanical challenges of in‐wheel motors and the practicablility of DMT for eccentricity detection are further discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an integrated control strategy for a starter/generator (S/G) system based on five-phase dual-stator winding induction machine (FPDWIM). The FPDWIM has a cage-type rotor and two sets of stator windings. One is a five-phase control winding (CW), and the other is a five-phase power winding (PW). In the starting mode, the FPDWIM works as a motor. The CW provides both active power and reactive power to drive the engine. In the generating mode, the CW mainly handles reactive power while the PW outputs active power. To achieve the integration of the starting and generating controls, indirect CW-flux-oriented control (ICWFOC) to operate in both starting and generating modes is proposed in this paper. In starting mode, the CW current and flux are controlled to output a constant starting torque; while in the generating mode, both CW and PW dc bus voltages are regulated. In this way, the principles and structures of the control strategies in both modes are compatible, resulting in a simpler implementation and improved performance. With the proposed control strategy, the system can complete the starting–generating operation with a smoother transition process. Simulation and experimental results are compared to validate the proposed control strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rotor structure of synchronous reluctance machines (SynRel) is conventionally retained mechanically by iron ribs. In this paper, a novel structure for high-speed synchronous reluctance rotor is presented. The novelty of this paper is the proof of a concept of SynRel machine without iron ribs. Structurally, the rotor iron lamination segments are embedded in an adhesive resin material with high temperature resistance and mechanical strength. Three four-pole SynRel machines have been designed with the target of improving motor torque, and compared for different ribs configuration. It has been shown that the proposed motor performs enhanced torque, power factor, and efficiency with respect to conventional SynRel with iron ribs. An extensive sensitivity analysis of the ribless rotor geometry is carried out, followed by both mechanical analysis and experimental over speed test to guarantee its robustness above the operating speed range. The manufacturing procedure of this novel rotor is introduced. Finally, the experimental results on both SynRel prototypes are presented, showing the increase in torque, power factor, and efficiency of the proposed solution. This paper is a first step toward the definition of a viable and novel solution of SynRel machines with improved performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the high accurate current set-points solution for interior permanent-magnet synchronous motors (IPMSM) in wide-speed range applications. Considering voltage and current constraints, the operating regions can be divided into maximum torque per ampere, maximum current, field weakening, and maximum torque per voltage regions, which requires solving different nonlinear functions in real time to obtain optimal current set-points. Traditional methods including curve-fitting methods and polynomial approximation (PA) methods are not easy to obtain these solutions, especially involving magnetic saturation problems. In this paper, Newton–Raphson algorithm for improving the control accuracy of the current set-points is proposed. Meanwhile, parameters influence including magnetic saturation and resistive voltage drop is fully investigated. Compared with PA method, the proposed method is able to converge to accurate solutions in few numbers of iterations with reduced execution time, which can be easily implemented on an off-the-shelf digital signal processor. Both simulation results and experimental results on an 8-kW IPMSM rig are conducted showing good agreement with the expected results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The starter/generator (SG) system is widely used in various applications, including more-electric/hybridelectric aircraft (MEA/HEA) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). The electric machine operates as a motor to provide the required torque to start the engine. Once the engine starts, the same electric machine transforms to a generator to produce electrical power. With the advantages of a simple and robust structure, low cost and maintenance, and a good overload capability, the cage-type induction machine (IM) is a competitive candidate for SG systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a cost-effective and highly accurate resolver-to-digital conversion method is presented. The core of the idea is to apply a third-order rational fraction polynomial approximation for the conversion of sinusoidal signals into the pseudo linear signals, which are extended to the range 0°–360° in four quadrants. Then, the polynomial least squares method is used to achieve compensation to acquire the final angles. The presented method shows better performance in terms of accuracy and rapidity compared with the commercial available techniques in simulation results. This paper describes the implementation details of the proposed method and the way to incorporate it in digital signal processor-based permanent magnet synchronous motor drive system. Experimental tests under different conditions are carried out to verify the effectiveness for the proposed method. The obtained maximum error is about 0.0014° over 0°–360°, which can usually be ignored in most industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a droop-based distributed control strategy for multithree-phase machines that provides augmented controllability during power sharing transients. The proposed strategy is able to mitigate the mutual interactions among different sets of windings without controlling any subspace variable, also offering a modular and redundant design. On the contrary, in a centralized configuration, subspaces would be controlled using the vector space decomposition, but fault tolerance and reliability levels required by the stricter regulations and policies expected in future transportation systems would not be satisfied. The proposed method is analytically compared against the state-of-the-art power sharing technique and equivalent models and control design procedures have been derived and considered in the comparison. Uncontrolled power sharing transients and their effects on mutual couplings among isolated sets of windings have been compared against the proposed regulated ones. Experimental results on a 22-kW nine-phase multithree-phase synchronous machine rig validate the design procedures showing good agreement with the expected performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The more electric aircraft concept aims to improve the fuel consumption, the weight, and both the maintenance and operating costs of the aircraft, by promoting the use of electric power in actuation systems. According to this scenario, electromechanical actuators for flight control systems represent an important technology in next generation aircraft. This paper presents a linear-geared electromechanical actuator for secondary flight control systems, where the safety and availability requirements are fulfilled by replicating the electric drive acting on the drivetrain. Indeed, the architecture considered consists of two power converters feeding as many electrical machines coupled to the same mechanical system. The design of both the permanent magnet synchronous machine and the power converter are addressed. Preliminary results on the electric drive prototype are also provided and compared to the design requirements. Finally, the electromechanical actuator performance at system-level is evaluated in Dymola environment, analyzing different operating modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with a comparative study between reluctance (REL), permanent magnet assisted reluctance (PMAREL), and surface mounted permanent magnet (PM) synchronous machines with rotor eccentricity. Static, dynamic, and combined eccentricity cases are considered. For the sake of generality, this comparison is carried out at different levels of air-gap flux density, as different current angles, different PM materials, and different number of magnetic poles. Additionally, different stator windings arrangements, i.e, distributed and fractional slot concentrated windings are taken into account. Besides, different rotor geometries of REL and PMAREL machines are included. As a case of study, 36-slot machine is analyzed, considering three flux barriers per pole; however, the study can be applied to any machine geometry. Due to the structural criticality of the rotor iron ribs of the REL machines, the impact of the eccentricity on the mechanical stress acting on those ribs and the deformation of the rotor is studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface-mounted permanent magnet (SPM) machines are preferred for high-speed aerospace applications over induction and switched reluctance machines, since they combine the advantages of high torque density and efficiency. Also, in aerospace applications, where low rotor weight and inertia are essential requirements, a permeable hollow shaft is proposed to replace the need for rotor back-iron and reduce the overall rotor weight. For rotor mechanical integrity, a retaining sleeve is commonly used, leading to thicker magnetic airgap. Furthermore, when permeable rotor endcaps are applied, an increase of the magnetic end leakage occurs, i.e. end-effect. In this study, the influence of the rotor endcaps on the mechanical and electromagnetic performance of a high-speed SPM machine is investigated through 3D-finite element analyses. Also, different endcap thickness and different rotor shaft materials are investigated and compared in this work. Finally, a prototype of the SPM machine under study has been manufactured and tested. The comparison between simulation and experimental results is presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface‐mounted permanent magnet (SPM) machines are preferred for high‐speed aerospace applications over induction and switched reluctance machines, since they combine the advantages of high torque density and efficiency. Also, in aerospace applications, where low rotor weight and inertia are essential requirements, a permeable hollow shaft is proposed to replace the need for rotor back‐iron and reduce the overall rotor weight. For rotor mechanical integrity, a retaining sleeve is commonly used, leading to thicker magnetic airgap. Furthermore, when permeable rotor endcaps are applied, an increase of the magnetic end leakage occurs, i.e. end‐effect. In this study, the influence of the rotor endcaps on the mechanical and electromagnetic performance of a high‐speed SPM machine is investigated through 3D‐finite element analyses. Also, different endcap thickness and different rotor shaft materials are investigated and compared in this work. Finally, a prototype of the SPM machine under study has been manufactured and tested. The comparison between simulation and experimental results is presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synchronous reluctance machine has high flux density fluctuations in the iron due to the high harmonics results from the rotor anisotropy. Thus, an accurate computation of the iron losses is of paramount importance, especially during the design stage. In this paper, a nonlinear analytical model considering the magnetic iron saturation and the slotting effect is proposed. The model estimates accurately the iron losses at a wide range of operating speed. In addition, the accuracy of the nonlinear model when the machine is highly saturated, i.e., when it works along the maximum torque per ampere (MTPA) trajectory, is presented and verified. The model presented is general and can be applied to other configurations. A 36-slot four-pole machine, with three flux-barriers per pole is considered as a case study. Finite element analysis is used to validate the results achieved by means of the nonlinear analytical model. Furthermore, an experimental setup is built to validate the simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An often-overlooked aspect during the development process of electrical machines is the validity and accuracy of the machine material properties being used at the design stage. Designers usually consider the data provided by the material supplier, which are measured on material in an unprocessed state. However, the fact that the machining processes required to produce the finished product (e.g., the stator core) can permanently vary the material properties is very often neglected. This paper, therefore, deals with and investigates the effects that such processes can have on the overall machine performance. To do this, three sets of material data, the material suppliers’ data, material data based on conventional characterization methods, and material data based on test samples that include the manufacturing processes, are used to develop three versions of the same baseline machine. The results of these three machines are then compared, and the resulting variations of the machine's performance are presented and described. The chosen baseline machine is a high-performance and relatively high speed, aerospace, electrical machine. Special attention is focused on the efficiency maps of the machine, as this aspect is highly dependent on the material properties that are the most sensitive to manufacturing processes such as the material's anhysteretic B–H curve and its specific core loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the design process of a 10 kW 19 000 r/min high power density surface mounted permanent magnet synchronous machine for a directly coupled pump application. In order to meet the required specifications, a compact machine with cooling channels inside the slots and flooded airgap has been designed through finite element (FE) optimization. For high power density, high-speed machines, an accurate evaluation of the power losses, and the electromechanical performance is always extremely challenging. In this case, the completely flooded application adds to the general complexity. Therefore, this paper deals with a detailed losses analysis (copper, core, eddy current, and mechanical losses) considering several operating conditions. The experimental measurements of ac copper losses, as well as the material properties (BH curve and specific core losses) including the manufacturing process effect on the stator core, are presented. Accurate 3-D FE models and computational fluid dynamics analysis have been used to determine the eddy current losses in the rotor and windage losses, respectively. Based on these detailed analysis, the no-load and full-load performance are evaluated. The experimental results on the manufactured prototype are finally presented to validate the machine design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benefits of implementing a damper winding in salient-pole synchronous generators are widely known and well consolidated. It is also well known that such a winding incurs extra losses in the machine due to a number of reasons. In order to improve the overall efficiency and performance of classical salient-pole, wound field synchronous generators that employ the traditional damper cage, an improved amortisseur winding topology that reduces the inherent loss is proposed and investigated in this paper. This is essential in order to meet modern power quality requirements and to improve the overall performance of such “classical” machines. The new topology addresses the requirements for lower loss components without compromising the acceptable values of the output voltage total harmonic distortion and achieves this by having a modulated damper bar pitch. As vessel for studying the proposed concept, a 4-MVA salient-pole synchronous generator is considered. A finite element model of this machine is first built and then validated against experimental results. The validated model is then used to investigate the proposed concept with an optimal solution being achieved via the implementation of a genetic algorithm optimization tool. Finally, the performance of the optimized machine is compared to the original design both at a steady state and transient operating conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]