Life cycle design of a single-phase induction motor

Abstract

This study focuses on the optimisation of a single-phase permanent capacitor induction machine with respect to two environmental criteria: gross energy requirement and global warming potential. The study presented has been applied to roller shutter drives; these motors display a low ratio value of cumulative operating time to total lifetime. Since the studied motors are placed in roller shutter tubes, whose diameter has been fixed because of production and distribution constraints, only two free parameters are available as part of our optimisation routine: the active length and number of turns per phase. The short operating times of these motors necessitate a transient thermal modelling approach. Based on the typical operating cycle of a roller shutter, the authors have emphasised the impact of production and transport stages on our optimisation results. Minimising operating losses or maximising operating efficiency are not valid criteria for this particular application. So a new efficiency is introduced: the life-cycle efficiency. Gross energy requirement and global warming potential are the main optimisation criteria whereas active length and turn number are the main sizing parameters available in this study. Sensitivity analyses have also been conducted on: the operating cycle, cage and winding materials, and the energy mix.