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Recently, the interest in consequent-pole flux-switching permanent magnet (CP-FSPM) machines has been increasing because of the flux-focusing PM arrangements and the removal of the flux-barrier effect. A simple and rigid outer-rotor salient pole rotor structure can be adopted in CP-FSPM machines, making them applicable for in-wheel direct-drive applications. In this study, three CP-FSPM machines with II-shaped (II-PM), V-shaped (V-PM), and straight U-shaped PM (SU-PM) arrays are analyzed and compared. Moreover, a CP-FSPM machine with inclined U-shaped PM (IU-PM) arrays is proposed to improve the flux-focusing effect and stator slot utilization. The working principles of CP-FSPM machines are analyzed by adopting a semi-analytical model. Combining the finite element analysis (FEA) results of air gap flux density and the analytical model of phase back electromotive force (EMF), the contributions of multiple working harmonics to the back EMF are quantitatively analyzed. Additionally, 6/16 and 6/17 CP-FSPM machines with different PM arrangements are globally optimized. Both the no-load and on-load performance of the optimized machines are included in the performance comparison. The results illustrate that the 6/16 and 6/17 machines exhibit their respective merits, and the IU-PM machine shows the best torque production ability in these CP-FSPM machines with the same design criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) is designed according to the traditional motor design theory, the performance of the motor is often challenging to achieve the desired goal, and further optimization of the motor design parameters is usually required. However, the motor is a strongly coupled, non-linear, multivariate complex system, and it is a challenge to optimize the motor by traditional optimization methods. It needs to rely on reliable surrogate models and optimization algorithms to improve the performance of the PMSM, which is one of the problematic aspects of motor optimization. Therefore, this paper proposes a strategy based on a combination of a high-precision combined surrogate model and the optimization method to optimize the stator and rotor structures of interior PMSM (IPMSM). First, the variables were classified into two layers with high and low sensitivity based on the comprehensive parameter sensitivity analysis. Then, Latin hypercube sampling (LHS) is used to obtain sample points for highly sensitive variables, and various methods are employed to construct surrogate models for variables. Each optimization target is based on the acquired sample points, from which the most accurate combined surrogate model is selected and combined with non-dominated ranking genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II) to find the best. After optimizing the high-sensitivity variables, a new finite element model (FEM) is built, and the Taguchi method is used to optimize the low-sensitivity variables. Finally, finite element analysis (FEA) was adopted to compare the performance of the initial model and the optimized ones of the IPMSM. The results showed that the performance of the optimized motor is improved to prove the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless charging systems (WCSs) are considered very appropriate to recharge underwater surface vehicles (USVs) due to their safe, flexible, and cost-effective characteristics. The small depth of immersion of USVs allows a WCS operated at an mm-level distance using a dock. Resultant tight coupling between the transmitter and receiver is conducive to high power, yet faces a challenge to alleviating misalignment sensitivity. In addition, considering USVs' endurance, the weight of a WCS should be strictly limited. In this paper, a 6.0 kW underwater WCS is analyzed, designed, and optimized, which achieves a good balance of power capacity, misalignment tolerance, and onboard weight. A multi-receiving-coil structure is employed, which is crucial to large misalignment tolerance. On this basis, two types of coils adapting the hull shape of USV, viz., curved and quasi-curved coils, are devised and compared in case the hydrodynamic performance of USV is degraded. Finally, the weight of receiver is effectively reduced using bar-shaped ferrite without sacrificing the power capacity of WCSs. The results indicate a merely 8.73% drop in coupling coefficient with misalignment ranging from 0 to 100 mm. Moreover, ferrite use is reduced by 40.48 kg compared to a ferrite sheet, which accounts for 50.28% weight of the receiver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel asymmetric spoke-type interior permanent magnet (AS-IPM) machine is proposed in this paper. It utilizes the magnetic-field-shifting (MFS) effect to improve the torque performance, which achieves a high utilization ratio of both permanent magnet (PM) torque and reluctance torque. In addition, a general pattern of rotor topologies is proposed to represent all possible machine structures. Various rotor structures can be obtained by changing the design parameters of the general pattern. A non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) is adopted to automatically search for optimal rotor configurations. With the aid of the optimization program, an asymmetric spoke-type rotor structure with improved performance is obtained. To showcase the advantages of the proposed machine, the electromagnetic performance is compared between a conventional spoke-type interior permanent magnet (S-IPM) machine and a proposed AS-IPM machine. The finite-element simulation results show that the optimal design of the AS-IPM performs a 7.7% higher output torque ripple due to the MFS effect while the total PM volume remains the same. Meanwhile, the torque ripple of the proposed structure is significantly reduced by 82.1%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reluctance machine is a potential candidate for electrical vehicle propulsion because of its reliable structure, low cost, flexible flux regulation ability, and wide speed range. However, the torque density is unsatisfactory because of the poor excitation ability and low stator core utilization factor. To solve this problem, in this paper, a novel hybrid reluctance machine (HRM) with the skewed permanent magnet (PM) and the zero-sequence current is proposed for electric vehicles. The skewed PM has two magnetomotive force (MMF) components with different functions. The radial MMF component provides extra torque by the flux modulation effect. The tangential MMF component can generate a constant biased field in the stator core to relieve the saturation caused by the zero-sequence current and thus improve the utilization factor of the stator core. Therefore, torque improvement and the relief of stator core saturation can be simultaneously achieved by the skewed PM. In this paper, the machine structure and principle of the proposed machine are introduced. And ultimately, the machine's electromagnetic performances are evaluated under different PM magnetization directions and zero-sequence current angles by using finite element analysis (FEA). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As asymmetric interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (AIPMSM) has excellent performance but complicated topological structure, a novel high-resolution encoding and edge smoothing method is proposed for topology optimization of the asymmetric rotor of interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (IPMSM) in this study. This method aims to solve complex electromagnetic design problems with time-dependent performance through a multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) integrated with a high-resolution encoding and edge smoothing method. The complex structure is represented by a high-resolution image-like matrix and then vectorized by the edge smoothing method. Therefore, the commonly used discrete binary encoded variables related to the finite element (FE) model are replaced with a vectorized topological structure and other control variables. In this sense, high-resolution matrix and edge smoothing methods are used for the first time to represent the rotor topology of AIPMSMs. Compared with the traditional topology optimization method, the proposed method has the advantage of expressing more complex and vectorized topological structures; meanwhile, the obtained performance is accurate and trustworthy using conventional FE simulation. Numerical results show that a stable convergence is achieved with the avoidance of checkerboards and material overlapping. It is shown that the proposed method can find solutions with better performances, in comparison with the reference model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the fact that the operation of electrical machines generates various loss components that finally become heat, developing advanced thermal management technologies is essential to control temperature increases and to guarantee safe operations. Meanwhile, the armature winding can stand larger currents when the machines are equipped with advanced cooling systems, which directly improves torque/power densities. This paper aims to provide a systematic review of the latest developments of advanced thermal management technologies of electrical machines. According to different heat dissipation mechanisms, the cooling systems studied in this paper are categorized into five major types: enclosed housing cooling, enhanced conductive cooling, embedded heat pipe cooling, direct oil cooling, and enhanced rotor cooling. The advantages and disadvantages of these cooling systems are researched and compared comprehensively. This study contributes to the revelation of insights on the thermal management of electrical machines and offers good guidance for the thermal management of electrical machines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To address such challenges as an uncertain number of demagnetization poles of the permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) and cases in which the fault cannot be located, this paper proposes a fault identification and location methodology based on the analysis of the motor stator current. First, the influence of the irreversible demagnetization of permanent magnets on the analytical model of the back electromotive force (Back-EMF) of the rotor in a single motor stator slot is analyzed. Moreover, considering the topology of the motor, the influence of the demagnetization fault on the stator phase current and branch current is analyzed. Since the stator phase currents cannot diagnose the partial demagnetization faults of PMSM with some topological structures, the stator branch current is selected as the signal for the identification and localization of the demagnetization fault. Secondly, the demagnetization fault diagnosis and mode recognition of the motor are carried out through the amplitude of the real-time branch current and the harmonic components of the PMSM. A sample database of demagnetization faults is established through calculation and normalization of the residual value of the stator branch current and the branch current of the healthy motor after demagnetization in one pole order. The fault threshold is obtained by analyzing the residual of the branch current of uniform demagnetization and the Pearson correlation coefficient of the fault sample database. Then, the correlation coefficient between the real-time branch current residual value of PMSM and the fault sample database is analyzed, and the number of demagnetization poles and the fault location are determined by the number and location of the calculated correlation coefficient exceeding the threshold. Finally, the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method are verified by the finite element analysis (FEA) results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a permanent magnet (PM) linear memory machine is proposed for ocean wave power generation. A notable feature of this machine is its online tunable mnemonic flux. This enables it to operate efficiently in a wide speed range and makes it suitable for the variable-speed wave-power generation. Moreover, this machine has both the PMs and the windings arranged in its stator so that it does not need slip rings or brushes. The proposed machine is also robust and cost-effective because it has a simple translator of slotted steel. In this paper, the configuration and working principle of the linear memory machine are firstly introduced. The results of a parametric analysis are presented to investigate the effects of the proposed machine's geometric parameters. The performance of the proposed machine is then analyzed using time-stepping finite element method (TS-FEM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Magnetic field regulation is a difficult and long-existing issue in surface-mounted permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs). To produce effective and efficient flux regulation for PMSMs, a new topology, named a dual-structure parallel hybrid excitation machine (DS-PHEM), is presented in this paper. In this machine, the rotating permanent magnet (PM) excitation and stationary DC field excitation are artificially arranged and designed at the inner and outer magnetic circuits, respectively. Therefore, a decoupling and parallel feature is obtained between two excitation sources. This machine integrates the merits of a brushless structure and theoretically infinite constant power range, as well as zero risk of demagnetization. In this paper, the machine configuration is introduced, mainly focusing on some important design criteria for electromagnetic integration, and the operating principles of flux control are also analyzed in detail. To further verify the feasibility of the proposed scheme, the overall electromagnetic performance of the proposed DS-PHEM is evaluated by using the time-stepping finite-element method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bearing current problems frequently appear in wind turbine systems, which cause wind turbines the break down and result in very large losses. This paper investigates and compares bearing current problems in three kinds of wind turbine generators, namely doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG), direct-drive permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG), and semi-direct-drive PMSG turbines. Common mode voltage (CMV) of converters is introduced firstly. Then stray capacitances of three kinds of generators are calculated and compared through the finite element method. The bearing current equivalent circuits are proposed and simulations of the bearing current are carried out. It is verified that the bearing currents of DFIGs are more serious than the two kinds of PMSG, while common mode current (CMC) of the direct-drive PMSG is much greater than the other two types of wind turbine generators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new DC coil free hybrid excited machine concept, which has no external field windings. The technical novelty is the integration of field windings and armature windings. DC bias current is injected into the excitation and the field windings in the traditional hybrid excited machine are eliminated. Compared with traditional hybrid-excited machines with additional field windings, the proposed machine can realize a higher slot utilization ratio, hence achieve a higher torque density and a wider flux adjusting range. Another advantage of the proposed machine is that the voltage drop associated with flux regulation is small due to the small DC resistance, and the torque generating capability at the flux regulating region can be improved accordingly. The rotor is specifically designed with magnet-iron sequences and a consequent-pole, in which the permanent magnet and iron pole are alternatively employed. A bi-directional flux modulating effect can be achieved, which can contribute to the magnetic coupling in the air-gap. Analytical derivation is used to describe the operating principle, and the proposed machine was optimally designed using the Tabu search algorithm. A prototype was made, and its performances investigated through experimental tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]