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This paper systematically presents the development of novel stator electrically field excited synchronous machines having salient pole rotors without any coils or magnets. This kind of new machine does not use slip-rings/brushes required in the conventional rotor wound field machines and combines the synergies of wound field machines, permanent magnet (PM) machines, switched reluctance, and synchronous reluctance machines. This paper describes the machine topologies, winding configurations, electromagnetic performance, and torque/power density, as well as acoustic noise and vibration, together with a comparison with the Toyota Prius interior PM machine in terms of torque/power speed characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel switched flux permanent magnet (PM) machine with a partitioned stator structure is proposed, consisting of a conventional switched flux machine with the PMs removed from the stator teeth and placed on a secondary stator within a salient rotor. This novel machine harnesses two distinct synergies in machine design: magnetically geared and switched flux machines. The machine is optimized and the performance is compared with different numbers of rotor poles and validated by experiment. This machine benefits from reduced copper loss, improved torque density, and torque per magnetic volume, compared with conventional switched flux machines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the electromagnetic performance of an 18-slot/10-pole fractional-slot surface-mounted permanent-magnet (SPM) machine and compares its performance with conventional fractional-slot 9-slot/10-pole, 12-slot/10-pole, and integer-slot 30-slot/10-pole SPM machines by 2-D finite-element (FE) analysis (FEA). The winding factors of the 18-slot/10-pole machine are first analyzed, and then its back electromagnetic force, average torque, cogging torque, and torque ripple are investigated. In addition, the influence of stator current excitation on the average torque and torque ripple, the impact of end windings on the average torque, the flux-weakening capability, the fault-tolerant capability, the magnet loss, and the mutual coupling between phases are also studied by 2-D FEA. The results show that the torque ripple can be suppressed in the 18-slot/10-pole SPM machine, whereas the average torque can be improved compared with the 12-slot/10-pole SPM machine. The unbalanced magnetic force in the 9-slot/10-pole SPM machine can be eliminated. Although the flux-weakening and fault-tolerant capabilities are reduced compared with the conventional 9-slot/10-pole and 12-slot/10-pole machine, the mutual coupling between phases can be eliminated. The magnet loss is slightly higher than that of a 30-slot/10-pole machine but significantly lower than those in both 9-slot/10-pole and 12-slot/10-pole machines. Finally, the experimental results are given for validation of theoretical analyses and FE results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, stator/rotor pole combinations, winding configurations, and electromagnetic performance of novel variable flux reluctance machines (VFRMs), which employ a doubly salient structure similar to switched reluctance machines (SRMs) but with stator-located dc field windings, are investigated. VFRMs with 12 stator poles are taken as examples to illustrate the method for determining the winding connections and winding factors. The back-electromotive force (EMF), self- and mutual inductances, cogging torque, static torque, torque ripple, and unbalanced magnetic force (UMF) are investigated by finite-element analyses. It is found that many stator/rotor pole combinations, i.e., 12/8 (which may be derived from the conventional three-phase SRM), 12/10, 12/11, 12/13, and 12/14, are feasible for the 12-stator-pole VFRMs. Among these pole number combinations, the 10- and 14-rotor-pole VFRMs can eliminate the inherent UMF in 6/5 and 6/7 VFRMs and exhibit more sinusoidal back-EMF waveforms and have higher torque density than an 8-rotor-pole VFRM, whereas the 11- and 13-rotor-pole VFRMs exhibit similar torque density as the 10- and 14-rotor-pole VFRMs, but with negligible cogging torque and torque ripple, albeit with UMF. Five prototype VFRMs with 12 stator poles and different rotor poles have been designed, manufactured, and tested to verify the analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a novel switched flux permanent-magnet (SFPM) memory machine, which consists of changeable magnetized permanent magnets (CMPMs) in the stator, is developed and investigated. By changing the magnetization directions of CMPMs, the PM flux linkage can be either enhanced or weakened. When PM flux linkage is weakened at high speed, the flux density in the lamination as well as iron loss can be reduced. Thus, higher efficiency can be obtained. To evaluate the efficiency improvement of SFPM memory machine, the efficiency map is calculated and compared with that of interior PM machine by taking Toyota/Prius 2010 as benchmark. It shows that several step changes of PM flux linkage can enlarge the high-efficiency region, and also reduce the back-EMF at high speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of stator and rotor pole arcs on electromagnetic torque of variable flux reluctance machines (VFRMs) having different stator and rotor pole combinations is investigated. Different from 6/4 stator/rotor pole switched reluctance machines, which usually employ equal stator pole arc and stator slot opening, unequal stator pole arc and slot opening can boost the torque density of the VFRM. Moreover, the optimal rotor pole arc to rotor pole pitch ratio in VFRMs is \(\sim ~1/3\) and the optimal stator pole arc is equal to or slightly smaller than the optimum rotor pole arc. For a 6-pole stator, the 4-, 5-, 7-, and 8-pole rotor VFRMs with the optimal stator and rotor pole arcs can increase the average torque by 1%, 4%, 30.7%, and 72.9% compared with those having equal stator pole arc and stator slot opening. In addition, the 6/7 stator/rotor pole VFRM exhibits the largest torque density. Prototype machines with optimal stator and rotor pole arcs are manufactured and measured to validate the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents optimal third harmonics in both permanent magnet (PM) shaping and current waveform to improve the output torque of five-phase surface-mounted PM (SPM) machines. The optimal value of third harmonic injected into the sinusoidal PM shape and current waveform for maximum torque improvement is analytically derived and validated by both finite element (FE) analyses and experiments. It is found that the optimal third harmonic is 1/6 of the fundamental one for both PM shape and current waveform. For the five-phase SPM machines having rotors without shaping, Sine shaping, or Sine shaping with third harmonic injected, the electromagnetic performance including the back EMF waveform, cogging torque, average torque, torque ripple, copper loss, iron loss, impact on power inverter, and demagnetization withstand capability are compared. It is demonstrated that, although the copper loss and iron loss increase due to additional third harmonic in the winding current and magnet shape, the average torque with optimal third harmonics injected in PM shaping and current waveform can be improved by >30% while the torque ripple and remains similar to that of the one with Sine shaping. In addition, this will reduce the dc bus voltage while maintaining the machine torque density. Furthermore, the machine with Sine and Sine+3rd rotors presents much better demagnetization withstand capability performance than conventional rotor. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In order to simplify manufacture processes and improve fault-tolerant capabilities, modular electrical machines, especially the ones with segmented stators, are increasingly employed. However, flux gaps between segments are often inevitable. In this paper, to take advantage of these flux gaps to enhance the machine performance, novel modular permanent magnet machines with different slot/pole combinations have been proposed. The influence of these flux gaps on the electromagnetic performance of modular PM machines, such as winding factor, open-circuit air-gap flux densities, back-EMFs, cogging torque, on-load torque, inductances, magnetic saturation and copper losses, are comprehensively investigated and general rules have been established. It is found that for modular machines having slot number higher than pole number, the flux gaps between stator segments degrade the electromagnetic performance due to the lower winding factor and the flux defocusing effect. However, for modular machines having slot number lower than pole number, the electromagnetic performances can be significantly improved using proper flux gap width due to the higher winding factor and the flux focusing effect. The finite element results are validated by experiments using two prototype modular machines. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A rotor shaping technique with optimal third harmonic is presented to enhance the average torque of interior permanent-magnet (IPM) machines in this paper. The optimal value of third harmonic injected into the rotor outer surface shape has been derived and further confirmed by both finite-element analyses and experiments. The impact of the optimal third harmonic to the rotor shape on the electromagnetic performance, including harmonics in the back electromotive forces, cogging torque, average torque, and torque ripple, is investigated. It is demonstrated that without any modification of the costly rare earth permanent magnet employed for the inverse-cosine-shaped rotor, the average torque of the machine of an inverse cosine injected with an optimal third-harmonic-shaped rotor can be improved by > 6%. Simultaneously, the torque ripple remains almost unchanged, and the saliency ratio is also improved, further boosting the average torque. Finally, the machines with both conventional and optimal third harmonic rotors are prototyped and tested to validate the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents the simplified analytical optimization and comparison between electrically excited (EE) and permanent-magnet (PM) machines in terms of torque per volume T/V and torque per weight T/G for low-speed applications when their copper loss and overall size are the same. Analytical torque models for both machines are individually developed and optimized to obtain the optimal flux density ratio, split ratio, and maximum torque densities. Furthermore, the variation of optima with the number of poles and machine size is also investigated. The analytical analyses are validated by both finite-element analyses and experiments. It is concluded that torque densities of PM machines can be more than \sqrt2 times higher than those of EE machines. For EE machines, there is an optimal pole number to maximize torque densities, and large volume applications are preferred. In actual applications, EE machines are more likely to compromise the torque density to meet the thermal constraints. It also shows that the optimal T/G designs have significantly higher split ratio and are more cost- and weight-effective than the optimal T/V designs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes the operation principle and analyzes the electromagnetic performance of synchronous reluctance (SynR) machines having the structure of switched reluctance machines but excited by an ac sinusoidal current with dc bias, i.e., salient-pole SynR with nonoverlapping concentrated windings and a dc bias excitation. Under such excitation, these machines become similar to permanent magnet (PM) counterparts. The dc bias, which is equivalent to the PM excitation, produces back electromotive force (EMF) in the ac coils as well as cogging torque. Thus, injecting the ac coils by sinusoidal currents results in output torque on the machine shaft. The produced back EMF and cogging torque, and torque ripple magnitudes and periods, as well as the optimal ac current angle and the ac/dc current density ratio, strongly depend on the winding connection configuration. The maximum average torque can be achieved when the ac/dc current density ratio is 2 and the symmetrical winding connection, which results in a lower torque ripple, is employed. A prototype machine is built and tested to confirm the analyses and conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a three-phase wound-field switched-flux (WFSF) machine. It is found that this machine has much higher average torque compared with the conventional 12-slot/8-pole machine with a segmented rotor and 12-slot/5-pole WFSF machine under the constraint of the same copper loss. All of those machines have been optimized to achieve the maximum torque for comparison. The performances of four machines, including back electromotive force, cogging torque, and static torque, are analyzed and compared by 2-D finite-element analysis and validated by experiments on the prototype machines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a comparative study of two types of low-cost single-phase wound-field switched-flux machines with dc field and ac armature windings having the same coil-pitch of 2 slot-pitches and having different coil-pitches of 1 and 3 slot-pitches, respectively. Both can share the same stator lamination, but the latter can have shorter end windings and lower iron loss for the 12-slot/6-pole configuration. The performance, including back electromotive force, cogging torque, and static torque, of both machines are analyzed and compared by 2-D finite-element analysis and validated by experiments on the prototype machines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the aid of finite-element and analytical methods, this paper investigates the influence of static/rotating eccentricities on the cogging torque of permanent-magnet machines having various pole/slot number combinations (2p/Ns), including fractional-slot topologies, such as 2p = Ns\pm 1, 2p = Ns\pm\break 2, and 2p/Ns = 8/12, as well as an integer-slot machine 2p/Ns = 4/12. It is found that the influence of eccentricity reduces significantly with the number of structure cyclic symmetry, which is equal to the greatest common divisor of slot and pole numbers. Hence, the eccentricity shows the largest influence in machines having 2p = Ns\pm 1, small influence in machines having 2p = Ns\pm 2, and the smallest influence in the other machines. The static and rotating eccentricities result in cogging torque components multiples of $(2p)$th and (N_{s})th orders, respectively. Both static and rotating eccentricities produce similar cogging torque magnitude. The experimental results validate the FE and analytical investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents two short-circuit fault models of a hybrid excitation flux switching permanent magnet machine, i.e., excitation phase short-circuit and interturn short-circuit in excitation windings. Two-dimensional finite element (FE) method is used to calculate the major parameters, such as armature and excitation inductances, which are not only functions of rotor position, but also of armature and excitation currents. Moreover, in case of short-circuits, the variations of armature and excitation currents are often significant. This in turn leads to an important change in winding inductances. Therefore, in order to precisely predict machine performance under short-circuit conditions, the use of inductances versus rotor position and RMS currents is essential. With the obtained FE results, two MATLAB/Simulink-based models are established. Then, the previously mentioned short-circuits have been studied and their influences on electromagnetic performances, such as armature and excitation currents, speed and torque, armature and excitation copper losses, stator and rotor core iron losses, as well as permanent magnet (PM) eddy current losses are analyzed. Experiments have been carried out to validate the simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Novel synchronous machines with doubly salient structure and permanent magnets (PMs) in stator yoke have been developed in this paper. The stator is constituted by T-shaped lamination segments sandwiched with circumferentially magnetized PMs with alternate polarity, while the rotor is identical to that of switched reluctance machines (SRMs). The stator pole number is multiples of six, which is the number of stator poles in a unit machine. Similar to variable flux reluctance machines (VFRMs), the rotor pole numbers in the novel machines are not restricted to those in SRMs. When the stator and rotor pole numbers differ by one (or the number of multiples), the novel synchronous machines show sinusoidal bipolar phase flux linkage and back electromotive force (EMF), which make the machines suitable for brushless ac operation. Moreover, two prototype machines with six-pole stator and five-pole, seven-pole rotors are designed and optimized by 2-D finite element analysis. It shows that, compared with VFRMs, the novel machines can produce \(\sim 70\) % higher torque density with the same copper loss and machine size. Meanwhile, the proposed machines have negligible reluctance torque due to very low saliency ratio. Experimental results of back EFM, cogging torque, and average torque on the prototypes are provided to validate the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to facilitate the selection of machine whether it is suitable for high-frequency (HF)-signal injection-based sensorless control or not, this paper proposes a complete experimental investigation method for the analysis and validation of machine saliency level, including primary saliency, which is essential for HF injection-based sensorless control, and the secondary saliency, which will deteriorate the rotor-position estimation. The experimental results obtained on a new type of switched-flux permanent-magnet (SFPM) machine prove that with identified primary saliency, the accurate rotor-position estimation can be achieved, and with small secondary saliency, the estimation will not be deteriorated much in the SFPM machine. The conclusion is verified by the experiments based on the HF pulsating signal injection-based sensorless control at zero and low speeds. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, a novel sensorless control strategy with the injection of a high-frequency pulsating carrier signal into a stationary reference frame is proposed. Differing from the two most commonly used conventional high-frequency carrier signal injection methods, i.e., the injection of a rotating carrier voltage into a stationary reference frame and the injection of a pulsating carrier voltage into an estimated synchronous reference frame, the new proposed strategy injects a pulsating high-frequency carrier voltage into a stationary reference frame, which is as stable as the rotating carrier signal injection method. Then, the rotor position information can be retrieved from the carrier current response that is amplitude-modulated by the machine saliency, which is as simple as the pulsating carrier signal injection method. The signal demodulation process, the compensation of the cross-saturation effect, and magnetic polarity detection are also discussed and analyzed in detail. The experimental results on an interior permanent-magnet synchronous machine demonstrate that the new proposed strategy has a robust magnetic polarity detection and that it can achieve an accurate rotor position estimation with good steady-state performance and dynamic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an improved rotor position estimator based on a third-harmonic flux linkage which is the integration of third-harmonic back electromotive force. Different from the conventional rotor position estimation based on zero crossings of a third-harmonic flux linkage, the continuous signal is taken as reference, and the phase difference between the estimated and reference third-harmonic flux linkages is derived and used to compensate the estimation error in the speed calculated from the zero crossings at each sampling instant. Then, the rotor position can be derived from the compensated rotor speed, and the accuracy of rotor position estimation can be significantly improved, particularly under a dynamic condition. Several experiments have been implemented on a dSPACE platform with a laboratory permanent-magnet synchronous machine, and the experimental results validate that the improved rotor position estimator based on the continuous signal of third-harmonic flux linkage can achieve accurate rotor position estimation and outstanding dynamic performance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This work presents a permanent magnet (PM) shaping technique with optimal third harmonic to improve the output torque without deteriorating the torque ripple in surface-mounted PM (SPM) machines. The optimal value of third harmonic injected into the sinusoidal PM shape for maximum torque improvement is analytically derived and confirmed by finite-element analysis. Further, the influence of magnet edge thickness on the airgap field distribution is investigated and utilized to compensate the inter-pole flux leakage and curvature effect. It is found that the optimal third harmonic is 1/6 of the fundamental one. For the SPM machines having rotors without shaping, Sine shaping, Sine shaping with third harmonic injected, the electromagnetic performance, including the back-EMF waveforms, cogging torque, average torque, and torque ripple are compared. It is demonstrated that the average torque in the machine of a Sine shaping with an optimal third harmonic injected can be improved by >9\%, while the torque ripple remains similar to that of the one with Sine shaping. Finally, the machines with both conventional (without shaping) and optimal third harmonic PM rotors are prototyped and measured to validate the analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes a method for online estimating the rotor flux linkage and voltage-source inverter (VSI) nonlinearity of permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) drives. Thermocouples are employed for measuring the temperature variation of the stator winding in order to obtain the actual value of stator winding resistance. An Adaline estimator is used for online estimation of distorted voltage Vdead due to VSI nonlinearity. Both are subsequently used for the estimation of the rotor flux linkage. The proposed method is experimentally validated on a PMSM drive system and shows good performance in tracking the variation of the rotor flux linkage and compensating the VSI nonlinearity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Winding resistance and rotor flux linkage are important to controller design and condition monitoring of a surface-mounted permanent-magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) system. In this paper, an online method for simultaneously estimating the winding resistance and rotor flux linkage of a PMSM is proposed, which is suitable for application under constant load torque. It is based on a proposed full-rank reference/variable model. Under constant load torque, a short pulse of id \neq 0 is transiently injected into the d-axis current, and two sets of machine rotor speeds, currents, and voltages corresponding to id = 0 and id \neq 0 are then measured for estimation. Since the torque is kept almost constant during the transient injection, owing to the moment of system inertia and negligible reluctance torque, the variation of rotor flux linkage due to injected id \neq 0 can be taken into account by using the equation of constant torque without measuring the load torque and is then associated with the two sets of machine equations for simultaneously estimating the winding resistance and rotor flux linkage. Furthermore, the proposed method does not need the values of the dq-axis inductances, while the influence from the nonideal voltage measurement, which will cause an ill-conditioned problem in the estimation, has been taken into account and solved by error analysis. This method is finally verified on two prototype PMSMs and shows good performance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In sensorless control of permanent-magnet brushless ac machines, it is necessary to identify the initial rotor position prior to start-up of the machine. Although saliency-tracking-based sensorless techniques are proven to be a good candidate to estimate the initial rotor position in sensorless control, magnetic polarity identification is another important issue. Since the machine saliency undergoes two cycles in a single electrical period, the estimated position information based on machine saliency has an angle ambiguity of \pi. With the aid of magnetic saturation effect, this paper proposes a robust initial rotor position estimation scheme, which utilizes both d- and q-axis carrier currents, instead of only the q-axis carrier current, in conventional pulsating-carrier-signal-injection-based sensorless control algorithm. Integrated with conventional carrier-signal-injection-based sensorless algorithm, the proposed technique could obtain the initial rotor position for both standstill and free-running rotors. Finally, the experimental results confirm the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Cogging torque, as one of the main parasitic demerits of permanent magnet brushless machines, is of particular importance and primary concern during the machine design stage in many high-performance applications. Hence, numerous design techniques have been proposed and employed to effectively alleviate the cogging torque in permanent magnet brushless machines. The effects of rotor step skewing techniques including both conventional and herringbone styles on the cogging torque of permanent magnet brushless machine are comprehensively investigated and compared by synthesized 2-D and 3-D finite-element analysis in this paper. The results have revealed that both the conventional and herringbone rotor step skewing techniques can reduce the cogging torque significantly, but the latter is less effective than the former especially with small skewing step numbers. Moreover, the machine with herringbone rotor step skewing technique has rather peculiar and asymmetric cogging torque profiles, while the machine with conventional rotor step skewing technique exhibits normal and symmetric ones. The validity of the obtained results and findings is underpinned by the experiments on the prototype machine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper investigates the influence of slot/pole number combination and winding configuration on the electromagnetic performance, such as flux density, back-EMF and electromagnetic torque, of permanent magnet machines having static or rotating rotor eccentricities. It shows that the eccentricity does not affect the back-EMF and electromagnetic torque of rotational symmetrical machines whose configuration repeats every certain amount of angle. However, it significantly distorts the back-EMF and torque waveforms of rotational asymmetric machines. Further, the static eccentricity does not change the harmonic contents of back-EMF, but results in unbalanced three phase back-EMF. Hence, the temporal order of the main torque ripple due to the static eccentricity is equal to the pole number. On the other hand, the rotating eccentricity results in more back-EMF harmonics of orders equal to the PM magnetisation order plus/minus one. Therefore, the temporal order of the main torque ripple due to the rotating eccentricity is equal to the triplen number closest to the pole number. The prediction is validated by the experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a comparative study between novel variable flux reluctance machines (VFRMs) and doubly-fed doubly salient machines (DFDSMs), having the same stator outer diameter and axial length. For comparison, a 6-pole stator is used in VFRMs and DFDSMs, while a 5-pole rotor is optimized for VFRMs and a 4-pole rotor for DFDSMs. Compared with DFDSMs in which the flux-linkage and back-EMF are asymmetric particularly under heavy magnetic saturation, they become symmetrical and essentially sinusoidal in the VFRMs. Hence, the torque ripple in VFRMs can be significantly reduced. Further, due to the shorter flux path in the VFRMs, their average torque under the same copper loss can also be increased by 20% \sim 30% for the optimally designed VFRMs and DFDSMs within the same space envelop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skewing is one of the most widely used methods to reduce the torque ripples. However, it was reported that the on-load torque ripple was not always reduced by the conventional skewing, in which the skewing angle is one period of torque ripple. This paper proposes the way of improving the skewing to reduce the torque ripple when the conventional skewing fails. It is found that by optimizing the skewing angle and current phase advance angle together, the improved skewing is able to meet the stringent torque ripple requirement over the whole load range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a novel sandwiched switched flux permanent magnet (SSFPM) machine using V-shaped magnets for maximizing output torque and improving magnet usage efficiency. The operation principle of conventional 6/10-stator/rotor-pole SSFPM machine is firstly described. Such SSFPM machine and a novel one with V-shaped magnets are optimized and then compared with the conventional 12/10-stator/rotor-pole SFPM machine by two-dimensional (2-D) finite element analysis (FEA). It is found that the SSFPM machine with V-shaped magnets exhibits higher torque density and higher magnet usage efficiency. In addition, the influence of step-skew angle on the torque ripple suppression is investigated in the SSFPM machine with V-shaped magnets. The FEA predicted back-EMF, cogging torque, torque-current characteristic are validated by experiments on the prototype machines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, novel variable flux reluctance machines (VFRMs) with different rotor pole numbers, which employ a doubly salient structure together with field windings identically located in the stator for each phase, are investigated and compared. Different from other doubly salient machines, such as switched reluctance machines (SRM) and doubly fed doubly salient machines (DFDSM), the equation for determining the stator/rotor pole numbers, i.e., Nr=Ns\pm 2k, is no longer limited in VFRMs. More feasible selections of rotor pole numbers can be used if the stator/rotor pole numbers can satisfy Nr\ne kNph. Thus, for a 6-stator pole machine not only the rotor pole number can be selected as even numbers, such as 4- and 8-rotor poles, which are commonly used for SRM and DFDSM, but odd numbers, such as 5- and 7- rotor poles, are also feasible. The benefits of using 5- and 7-rotor poles are the cancellation of even-order harmonics together with the third-order harmonic in the flux-linkage and back-EMF. Hence, more sinusoidal back-EMF can be obtained to produce a lower torque ripple. The cancellation in 5- and 7-rotor pole machines is because the flux generated by field and armature windings can pass through the adjacent stator poles to form a shorter flux path, which can further increase their average torque. To validate the analysis, four prototype machines with different rotor pole numbers are manufactured and tested. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, cogging torque characteristics in both single-phase and three-phase flux switching transverse flux permanent magnet machines (FS-TFPMM) are analyzed by 3-D finite element method (FEM). It is found that the cogging torque of the FS-TFPMM is significantly influenced by the ratios of stator and rotor core circumferential widths to pole pitch, ks and kr. When kr>1-ks, the cogging torque waveform has additional two zero-crossing points, whilst its amplitude is significantly reduced. The optimal ratios of ks and kr are selected to reduce the cogging torque and to maximize the permanent magnet flux linkage. A 380 W three-phase prototype is designed, manufactured, and tested to verify the optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the influence of skewing on torque ripples, including the electromagnetic (EM) torque ripple, and the cogging torque, in permanent magnet (PM) machines. It is found that the effectiveness of skewing largely depends on the axial variation of a torque ripple phase but less on its magnitude under skewing. It is further found that, in both linear and nonlinear cases, the EM and the on-load torque ripple cannot be fully eliminated by skewing one on-load torque ripple period or any other angles, except 360^\circ electrical, which is impractical. This is due to the fact that the EM torque ripple, especially its phase, of each slice is different due to the axial variation of the equivalent current phase advance angle introduced by skewing. In nonlinear cases, the EM torque ripple variation is further aggravated by the axial variation of magnetic saturation. The EM torque ripple as well as the on-load torque ripple may be even increased by skewing, especially when the cogging torque is low and electric loading is high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new speed range extension method for the simplex wave winding permanent-magnet (PM) brushless DC machine is proposed in this paper. The machine is with PM excitation, electric commutation, and close-connected winding identical to the brushed DC machine (see Zhu , “A new simplex wave winding permanent-magnet brushless DC machine,” IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 252–259, Jan. 2011). By properly controlling the status of power electronic switches, the number of coils being connected into the equivalent circuit can be reduced, and thus the speed range will be extended. For the prototype of 10-pole and 11-slot machine, besides operating with all the 11 coils, the machine can be controlled with only 8 or 6 coils operating for wider speed range. The experiments verify the new speed range extension method for simplex wave winding PM brushless DC machine. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Unbalanced magnetic forces (UMFs) exist in permanent magnet machines with diametrically asymmetric windings, e.g., machines having pole and slot numbers differed by one and two, even when there is no rotor eccentricity. In machines having pole and slot numbers differed by two, the on-load UMF results only when the single-layer winding is employed and the number of coils is odd. This paper investigates the influence of slot and pole number combinations on the UMF by using an analytical method based on the finite-element predicted airgap flux densities. A UMF may be divided into two components due to the radial and circumferential traveling stresses. It is found that they are additive for machines having pole number 2p = 3k - 1, e.g., 8-pole/9-slot and 8-pole/6-slot, but partially canceling for machines having 2p = 3k + 1, e.g., 16-pole/15-slot and 16-pole/18-slot. Furthermore, due to the additive and canceling effects, for the same slot number, the machine having a smaller pole number exhibits a larger UMF when the slot/pole numbers differ by one, whereas the machine having a larger pole number exhibits a larger UMF when the slot/pole numbers differ by two and the slot number is higher than 6. For the same pole number, machines having slot/pole numbers differed by two exhibit a smaller UMF than machines having slot/pole numbers differed by one. It is also found that, if 2p = 3k + 1, the UMF gradually diminishes to 0 with the increase in pole number. On the other hand, when 2p = 3k - 1, it reduces to a certain value with the increase in pole number. The experimental results are provided to verify the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Switched-flux permanent magnet (PM) (SFPM) machines have attracted considerable interest in recent years, since the flux focusing can be utilized, both armature windings and PM excitation sources are on the stator, while the salient pole rotor is very simple and robust. In SFPM machines, the high variable flux densities throughout the stator core result in iron loss being a significant proportion of the total losses. This paper presents a novel modular-rotor SFPM machine that facilitates a reduction in iron loss for a marginal reduction in output torque. The modular rotor also offers a reduction in rotor mass over the conventional-rotor topology. The electromagnetic performance of both conventional- and modular-rotor SFPM machines is analyzed by 2-D finite element analyses and is verified by measurements on small-scaled prototype SFPM machines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The torque ripple of a permanent magnet (PM) machine is mainly due to the cogging torque and distortions of the back-emf waveforms, winding inductances and current waveforms. Both the cogging torque and back-emf are normally calculated at open-circuit conditions. However, they are affected by the electric loading and magnetic saturation. This paper investigates the influence of the load conditions on the cogging torque and back-emf waveform by employing a frozen permeability finite element technique. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the rotor skew on the minimization of the cogging torque, thus torque ripple, is also highlighted. It is found that the cogging torque magnitude is significantly increased under load conditions due to more flux leakage through tooth tips. However, the more important issue is that the cogging torque periodicity also changes, thus the rotor skew technique becomes less effective. In addition, the back-emf waveform under load conditions contains more harmonics, which leads to more electromagnetic torque ripple. It is also proven that the cogging torque, back-emf harmonics and consequently the output torque ripple are effectively diminished if the machine is skewed by one actual cogging torque period, i.e., when the electrical loading influence is considered. The analysis results are supported by experimental measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In order to improve the electromagnetic performance and ease the manufacture process, particularly stator winding, it is often preferable to employ a modular stator, e.g., individual stator tooth/back-iron segments, or separate stator tooth segments and back-iron segments. However, due to manufacture limits, there always exhibit additional air gaps between the stator teeth and back-iron segments. In practice, such gaps are likely to be nonuniform due to manufacture tolerances. This paper investigates the influence of uniform and nonuniform additional gaps on the cogging torque of permanent-magnet machines having either unskewed or step-skewed rotors. It is found that the presence of these gaps increases the cogging torque magnitude due to increased flux leakage through the tooth tips, while the uneven gaps can cause a significant increase in both the peak and periodicity of cogging torque waveform, which causes the skew method ineffective, as confirmed by both finite-element analyses and experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a comparative study of torque–speed characteristics and cogging torque of the fractional-slot interior permanent magnet brushless ac machines having different slot openings, viz. open slot, closed slot, and hybrid slot (sandwiched open and closed slots), and unskewed and step skewed rotors. The influence of such alternate slot openings on the magnetic cross-coupling and cogging torque is particularly emphasized. Furthermore, the repercussion of the manufacturing limitations and tolerances on the cogging torque of machines having these alternate slot openings is also investigated. The magnetic cross-coupling level and the sensitivity of cogging torque to manufacturing limitations and tolerances strongly depend on the slot opening materials. The finite-element analyses are experimentally validated. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper investigates the influence of nonideal voltage measurements on the parameter estimation of permanent-magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs). The influence of nonideal voltage measurements, such as the dc bus voltage drop, zero shift in the amplifier, and voltage source inverter nonlinearities, on the estimation of different machine parameters is investigated by theoretical and experimental analysis. For analysis, a model-reference-adaptive-system-based estimator is first described for the parameter estimation of the q-axis inductance, stator winding resistance, and rotor flux linkage. The estimator is then applied to a prototype surface-mounted PMSM to investigate the influence of nonideal voltage measurement on the estimation of various machine parameter values. It shows that, at low speed, the inverter nonlinearity compensation has significant influence on both the rotor flux linkage and winding resistance estimations while, at high speed, it has significant influence only on the winding resistance estimation and has negligible influence on the rotor flux linkage estimation. In addition, the inverter nonlinearity compensation will not influence the q-axis inductance estimation when it is under id = 0 control. However, the dc bus voltage drop due to the load variation and zero shift in the amplifier will significantly influence the q-axis inductance estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Based on the subdomain field model accounting for tooth-tips, the eddy current losses in magnets are calculated for surface-mounted permanent magnet machines. The contributions of both self action of each harmonic and mutual interaction between field harmonics of different orders to magnet loss are accounted for in the developed model. It allows for predicting magnet losses due to the open-circuit, armature reaction and load fields. By using the model, the influence of the slots, tooth-tips, tooth body shape, and current angle on the magnet loss is studied and the mutual interaction between field harmonics of different order are analysed. Extensive finite element analysis demonstrates excellent accuracy of the developed analytical model. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The split ratio is one of the most important design parameters for permanent-magnet (PM) brushless machines. It has been optimized for maximum torque density with both internal rotor and tubular PM brushless machines in existing papers. This paper proposes an analytical model to determine the optimal split ratio for external rotor PM brushless machine having nonoverlapping winding. The influence of winding factor, tooth tip, and end winding on the split ratio is considered. The theoretical analyses are verified by finite element analysis and validated with experimental measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, two identical surface-mounted permanent magnet machines are analyzed, with particular reference to rotor eddy current loss, when they are back-to-back connected and used as a motor and a generator, respectively, the motor being driven by pulsewidth modulation (PWM) inverters and the generator being connected to the 3-phase resistance load. Losses in both motor and generator under three different DC supply voltages and PWM duty ratios, including the eddy current losses in sleeves and magnets, and the iron losses, are predicted using finite element analysis. Thermal fields are analyzed using analytical lumped-circuit method based on the obtained losses. Predicted temperature rises of machines are compared with measured results and good agreement is achieved. The analysis reveals that the mmf time harmonics due to nonsinusoidal phase current and PWM carrier harmonics induce significant eddy current losses in magnets and sleeve of the motor, causing very large difference in temperature rises of the motor and generator. It is also found that the difference becomes more significant with the decrease of PWM duty ratio and increased DC supply voltage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel axial field flux-switching permanent magnet (AFFSPM) machine with a doubly-salient structure is presented as a wind power generator. One rotor is sandwiched between two stators in which both windings and permanent magnets are placed. This novel generator is suitable for the wind power generation system because of its shorter axial length and higher power density. A three-phase 12/10-pole 0.6 kW AFFSPM generator is designed. The power-size equation of the machine is deduced, and the size of generator is determined. Based on the 3-D finite element method, the electromagnetic performances of the generator are investigated. According to the theoretical calculation, a prototype is manufactured and the experiments are done. The analysis results are consistent with the experimental ones well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cogging torque, as a very important design consideration in permanent-magnet (PM) machines, has been widely investigated for decades. In this paper, the study will be focused on the cogging torque behavior in surface-mounted PM (SPM) machines with two types of cost-effective PM designs. The results show that in a SPM machine with either type of cost-effective PM design, low cogging torque performance can be achieved, as confirmed by both finite-element analyses and experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper investigates the effectiveness of sensorless operation in carrier-signal-injection-based sensorless-control methods for permanent-magnet brushless ac motors. The sensorless safety operation area (SSOA) is introduced with due account for the quantization error in the analog to digital conversion. The SSOA defines a working area in the d–q plane in which the motor can operate in sensorless mode with a guaranteed performance in steady state. With the aid of SSOA, a proper injected carrier signal can be selected for the specific prototype machine and current-measurement resolution. Experimental results confirm that the performance of sensorless operation can be guaranteed when the machine operates inside the SSOA with cross-saturation compensation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The significant influence of slot opening on the optimal stator and rotor pole combination and on the electromagnetic performance of the switched-flux permanent magnet (SFPM) machine is observed and investigated in this paper. A new SFPM brushless machine with remarkable slot opening relative to the magnet thickness is developed to reduce the magnet usage and to increase the slot area. Its stator slot opening is almost several times of that in the conventional SFPM machine, but its magnet usage is only half. However, the new machine exhibits \sim40% larger back EMF and electromagnetic torque than those of the conventional machine, while its cogging torque and torque ripple are significantly lower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel E-core hybrid-excited switched-flux permanent-magnet (SFPM) brushless machine is proposed based on an E-core SFPM machine, which has significantly less magnet and higher torque density than those of a conventional SFPM machine. The proposed machine has a simple structure. The main flux path of dc excitation does not affect the magnet excitation because it is not through magnets. The combination of stator and rotor pole numbers of the proposed machine is optimized, and the flux-enhancing and flux-weakening capabilities are investigated by 2-D finite-element analyses and experimentally validated. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In conventional rotating carrier signal injection-based sensorless method, a positive-sequence carrier current has no use, and only the negative-sequence carrier current is used to estimate the rotor position information. The inverter nonlinearity effects, however, distort the negative-sequence carrier current and result in inaccurate position estimation. With the aid of theoretical analysis and experimental measurement, it is proven in this paper that the positive-sequence carrier current distortion resulting from inverter nonlinearity effects can be used to compensate the influence of inverter nonlinearity on negative-sequence carrier current. Hence, a new online postcompensation scheme is developed in this paper by utilizing the distortion of positive-sequence carrier current due to inverter nonlinearity effects. The proposed method can be easily implemented on standard voltage source inverter without any offline commissioning process or hardware modification. Experimental results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method in suppressing the influence of inverter nonlinearity on the rotor position estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]