Simplified Analytical Optimization and Comparison of Torque Densities Between Electrically Excited and Permanent-Magnet Machines

Abstract

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 √2 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.