Design and Analysis of a Fractional-Slot Concentrated-Wound Permanent-Magnet-Assisted Synchronous Reluctance Machine

Abstract: The growing need for simpler and cheaper manufacturing process has led to the research into fractional-slot concentrated-wound (FSCW) motors. This concept has been widely investigated for surface-mounted permanent magnet (SMPM) machines. This thesis studies the same concept applied for synchronous reluctance machines (SynRM). In this thesis, a FSCW, 15 kW, 4-pole, Permanent-Magnet-Assisted Synchronous Reluctance Machine (PMaSynRM) is designed and optimized using finite element method (FEM) based simulations for a set of given technical specifications. Initially, the existing synchronous machine topologies are investigated and later two novel motor designs are introduced and optimized, namely, a FSCW-SynRM and a FSCW-PMaSynRM with ferrite magnets. Moreover, the influence of replacing ferrite material with Neodymium Iron Boron (NdFeB) in the FSCWPMaSynRM is analyzed. Detailed investigations are performed in order to compare the impact of material at different temperatures. Variation of the torque-speed capabilities with temperature and a safe operating temperature range where the magnets are not demagnetized are identified. The variation of overload capability with temperature is also studied. Finally, a comparison between the new proposed designs and other existing standard design topologies is performed. It was found that FSCW-SynRM present lower efficiency, power factor and higher torque ripple than DW-SynRM. However when ferrite magnets are inserted in FSCW-PMaSynRM the efficiency, power factor and the flux-weakening capability exceed the values of the DW-SynRM. Moreover, by using NdFeB instead of ferrite in FSCW-PMaSynRM, the torque ripple, the fluxweakening capability and the overload capability improve and a wider safe temperature range for no demagnetization is achievable. Finally, it is found that DW-PMaSynRM with ferrite presents the same efficiency level as FSCW-PMaSynRM with ferrite, but higher power factor and lower torque ripple. However FSCW-PMaSynRM with ferrite have other advantages, such as shorter end-winding length, good fault-tolerant capability and simpler and cheaper manufacturing process.