Comparative Study of Biased Flux PM Machines Having Different Stator Core Segments and Armature Winding Configurations

Abstract

This article proposes a comparative study of biased flux permanent magnet (BFPM) machines having different stator core segments and armature winding configurations. The topologies of the four investigated machines and their operating principles are introduced first. Then, in the case of same envelope size and copper loss, all four BFPM machines are designed based on the single variable optimization method to obtain higher average torque, along with their comparison of electromagnetic characteristics such as phase back-electromotive force (back EMF), cogging torque, and torque capability. It is shown that by exploiting both flux focusing (FC) and dual armature (DA) design, the average torque of the BFPM machine has a 132% sharp increase. Furthermore, to reveal the real performance of the DA-FC-BFPM machine, its comparison with machines such as DA doubly salient permanent magnet (DA-DSPM) machine, DA flux reversal permanent magnet (DA-FRPM) machine, DA flux switching permanent magnet (DA-FSPM) machine, wound rotor synchronous (WRS) machine, and surface-mounted permanent magnet (SPM) machine is performed. Finally, a prototype machine is built and tested to verify the finite-element predictions.