Stator Slot Opening Research Articles

Novel Stator Slot Opening to Reduce Electrical Machine Bearing Currents

Ball bearings are largely used in electrical machines, where the high frequency common mode currents affect their lifetime. This document presents a novel Zig-Zag stator slot opening geometry to reduce the winding-to-rotor capacitance <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">C_wr</i> with the consequent reduction of Bearing Voltage Ratio and electrical discharge machining bearing currents. An improved analytical model to permit the calculation of <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">C_wr</i> for unusual slot opening geometries is implemented. Electrostatic and electromagnetic Finite Element Analysis comparisons between the Zig-Zag, oblique and original (classical slot opening configuration) machines are performed. These comparisons suggest that the Zig-Zag model presents the best performance in terms of Bearing Voltage Ratio reduction, while keeping torque performance close to the original machine. An additional comparison between the novel Zig-Zag model and the classical one with reduced slot opening to have the same <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">C_wr</i> values is proposed, showing an higher degradation in terms of torque performance for the latter. The study shows that the Zig-Zag model could be a good candidate to reduce effectively electrical machine bearing currents. A validation test is proposed on two motorette prototypes having classical and Zig-Zag slot opening configurations, respectively. Moreover, the improved analytical method can be helpful for engineers and researchers to calculate <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">C_wr</i> with a good accuracy for unusual slot opening geometries.

A Novel Parallel-Excited Dual-PM Reluctance Machine With Enhanced Torque and Efficiency Performance

This paper presents a novel parallel-excited dual-PM reluctance machine (DPM-RM) with enhanced torque and efficiency performance. The key is to build an integrated magnetic field with two sets of PM excitation sources in both stator yoke and slot openings. Two excitation sources produce a parallel magnetic field, which contributes to a superimposed magnetic flux in the airgap, thus leading to strengthened flux variation, improved back-EMF and torque. Additionally, with a special slot&#x002F;pole combination, biased component and even order harmonics in the phase magnetic flux are eliminated to make the phase flux linkage more sinusoidal. In the meantime, self-inductance variation is greatly suppressed with odd order harmonics of self-inductance removed, resulting in suppressed torque ripple. The prototype is manufactured, and experiments are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the machine design.

Slot opening displacement technique for cogging torque reduction of axial flux brushless DC motor for electric two-wheeler application

Introduction. Reduction of cogging torque is the crucial design consideration of axial flux brushless DC (BLDC) motor, particularly for low-speed applications. Aim. The slot opening displacement technique is presented in this article to reduce cogging torque in axial flux BLDC motors suitable for electric two-wheeler applications. Methods. Double rotor single stator configuration of axial flux BLDC motor is the most suitable for such vehicular applications. Initially double rotor single stator 250 W, 150 rpm axial flux BLDC motor is designed with stator slot opening in middle position and considered as reference motor for further analysis. To evaluate the cogging torque profile of the reference motor 3D finite element modeling and analysis are performed. The design is enhanced by dividing all stator teeth into groups and displacing the slot openings of each group in opposite direction with respect to the adjacent group. Results. The influence of slot opening displacement on cogging torque is evaluated with finite element modeling and analysis. As cogging torque is reduced from 1.23 N×m to 0.63 N×m, the slot opening displacement technique is found to be effective in reducing cogging torque of axial flux BLDC motor.

Investigation of Air-Gap Field Modulation Effect in Spoke-Type PM Machines

In this article, the air-gap field modulation effects (AFMEs) in spoke-type permanent magnet (STPM) machines with concentrated winding are investigated and revealed by quantifying the torque contributions of the various air-gap flux density harmonics. Due to the relatively stronger flux concentrated effect, the STPM structure exhibits greater resulting air-gap field harmonics for torque generation. In order to provide an in-depth understanding of their torque generation mechanism, the contributed torque components of the various air-gap field working harmonics are quantified by employing the Maxwell stress tensor (MST) approach. It identifies a fact that the abundant air-gap flux density harmonics have participated in torque production in the STPM machine. As a consequence, the field-modulated harmonics contributed a nonnegligible torque component, and hence, a pronounced AFME can be obtained in the STPM machine. Besides, the influences of the key dimension parameters, including split ratio, stator slot opening ratio, rotor PM thickness, and length, on AFEM for torque performance of the STPM machines are evaluated by the finite-element (FE) method. Finally, the reliability and effectiveness of theoretical analysis and FE simulation are verified by experiments on an STPM machine prototype.

A Study on Optimization of Noise Reduction of Powered Vehicle Seat Movement Using Brushless Direct-Current Motor.

In this paper, an optimal design model was developed to reduce noise and secure the torque performance of a brushless direct-current motor used in the seat of an autonomous vehicle. An acoustic model using finite elements was developed and verified through the noise test of the brushless direct-current motor. In order to reduce noise in the brushless direct-current motor and obtain a reliable optimization geometry of noiseless seat motion, parametric analysis was performed through the design of experiments and Monte Carlo statistical analysis. The slot depth, stator tooth width, slot opening, radial depth, and undercut angle of the brushless direct-current motor were selected as design parameters for design parameter analysis. Then, a non-linear prediction model was used to determine the optimal slot depth and stator tooth width to maintain the drive torque and minimize the sound pressure level at 23.26 dB or lower. The Monte Carlo statistical method was used to minimize the deviation of the sound pressure level caused by the production deviation of the design parameters. The result is that the SPL was 23.00-23.50 dB with a confidence level of approximately 99.76% when the level of production quality control was set at 3σ.

Design of Quasi-Halbach Permanent-Magnet Vernier Machine for Direct-Drive Urban Vehicle Application

Removing the gearbox from the single-motor configuration of an electric vehicle (EV) would improve motor-to-wheel efficiency by preventing mechanical losses, thus extending the autonomy of the EV. To this end, a permanent-magnet Vernier machine (PMVM) is designed to ensure such operation. This machine avoids the high volume and large pole-pair number of the armature winding since its operating principle resembles that of a synchronous machine with an integrated magnetic gear. Therefore, such a structure achieves low-speed and high-torque operation at standard supply frequencies. From the specification of an urban vehicle, the required specification for direct-drive operation is first determined. On this basis, an initial prototype of a Vernier Machine with permanent magnets in the rotor that can replace the traction part (motor + gearbox) is designed and sized. This first prototype uses radial contiguous surface-mounted magnets and its performance is then analyzed using finite element analysis (FEA), showing a relatively high torque ripple ratio. The rotor magnets are then arranged in a quasi-Halbach configuration and simulations are performed with different stator slot openings and different ratios of the tangential part of the magnet in order to quantify the effect of each of these two quantities in terms of average torque, torque ripples and harmonics of the back-electromotive force at no load. Since the design and optimization of this motor is finite element-assisted, a coupling process between FEA Flux software and Altair HyperStudy is implemented for optimization. This method has the advantages of high accuracy of the magnetic flux densities and electromagnetic torque estimates, and especially the torque ripples. The optimization process leads to a prototype with an average torque value that meets the specification, along with a torque ripple ratio below 5% and a high power factor, while keeping the same amount of magnet and copper.

Performance Improvement for double-stator permanent magnet synchronous machine using analytical subdomain model

An analytical subdomain model is employed in this paper for predicting the magnetic field distributions in a three-phase double-stator permanent magnet synchronous machine (DS-PMSM) during open-circuit and onload conditions. Due to the stator cores are located in the outer and inner parts of the motor, the DS-PMSM construction is quite complex. The rotor magnets are positioned between these two stators. The stator inner radius, stator outer radius, slot opening, magnet arc, magnet thickness, inner and outer air-gap thickness and number of windings turns will directly influence the motor performance in DS-PMSM. The analytical subdomain model employed in this paper has a significant advantage as a rapid design tool since it is capable of precisely predicting the performance of DS-PMSM while requiring less computational effort. The analytical model was initially created using the separation of variables technique in four subdomains based on the Poisson’s and Laplace’s equations: inner air-gap, inner magnet, outer magnet and outer air-gap. Applying the appropriate boundary and interface conditions yields the field solutions in each subdomain. Besides, the fractional DS-PMSM with different number of slots between outer and inner stators to rotor poles can result in low cogging torque and non-overlapping winding configuration. The analytical results are validated by Finite Element Analysis (FEA). The slotted air-gap flux density, back-emf, and output torque have all been evaluated as electromagnetic performances. The results demonstrate that the suggested analytical model is capable of accurately predicting the DS-PMSM performance.

Eddy current loss estimation for direct drive wind turbine generators with superconducting excitation winding by numerical and analytical models

AbstractDirect drive wind turbine generators with superconducting excitation winding are studied with focus on the electromagnetic damper design. A semi‐analytical eddy current model is built for parametric design studies based on a vector potential approach. The considered generators employ open stator slots and exhibit strong saturation effects, so that an analytical expression for the source terms is not adequate. Whilst the field equations are solved analytically, an equivalent current loading, accounting for slotting effects and saturation, is obtained by magnetostatic models applying the 2D finite element method (FEM). The proposed framework for the extraction of the current loading is universal and may also be applied to other machine types (e.g., permanent magnet synchronous machines, [PMSM]). In relation to transient FEM models, a considerable time‐saving can be achieved, which is particularly beneficial in case of large models, for example, in case of fractional slot windings or intermittent feeding schemes. The eddy current loss in warm and cold rotor parts in a direct drive generator in the 7 MW power class are computed with the semi‐analytical and transient 2D FEM models under variation of the damper geometry and the stator winding configuration. Minimum damper dimensions as well as constraints regarding applicable stator windings are derived.

A Novel Slot PM-Assisted Hybrid Magnet Memory Machine

This article presents a novel slot permanent-magnet-assisted hybrid-magnet memory machine (SPMA-HMMM) with hybrid permanent magnets (PMs) in both stator yoke and slot opening. The key is each pair of yoke PMs is composed of one pole of high coercive force (HCF) PM and one pole of low coercive force (LCF) PM with flexible flux regulation. LCF PMs can be freely magnetized and demagnetized through dc current pulses, which are supplied by dc excitation coils wound on LCF PMs. This design leads to high efficiency of machine due to negligible field excitation loss. In this article, the machine configuration and operation principle are illustrated in detail. An equivalent magnetic circuit is modeled to unveil flux regulation and parallel excitation effect. Then, the electromagnetic performances of SPMA-HMMM under different magnetization states (MSs) are investigated, which verify flux regulation ability of the proposed machine with changeable MSs of LCF yoke PMs.

Evaluation of a\xa0newly proposed indirect efficiency determination method for permanent magnet synchronous machines

This paper evaluates the applicability of a newly proposed method for the indirect efficiency determination of permanent magnet synchronous machines by measuring individual losses. Similar methods are well-known and standardized for other kinds of electrical machines, but for permanent magnet synchronous machines, only the direct measurement of input and output power is standardized for efficiency determination according to IEC 60034-2‑1. Measurements and finite element simulations are carried out for four selected test machines with a rated power range between 45 kW and 90 kW and with different stator and rotor topologies. It is shown that the proposed method is well applicable for permanent magnet synchronous machines with a distributed integer-slot stator winding. For machine designs with more rotor losses such as motors with tooth coil windings and open stator slots, larger deviations between the direct and indirect efficiency values of up to one percentage point are determined at rated load conditions.

Torque Effects of the Stator Slot Opening Geometry Error in Production of Axial Flux PM Motors

Axial flux permanent magnet machines (AFPM) became popular due to their effective profile. But AFPM machines have hard processes on production. Thus, some errors happen at the slot opening area and these errors affect the torque production. So, torque ripples occur. This paper shows the slot opening errors’ effect on the torque. An analytical model has been used to demonstrate the problem. Also, random slot opening width taken randomly with the ten per cent constraint. Results show that slot opening errors have impacts on the torque ripples.

Split Pole Permanent Magnet Vernier Machine With Halbach Array Magnets in Stator Slot Opening and Consequent Pole Rotor

Due to simpler mechanical structure and magnetic gearing effects, Permanent Magnet Vernier Machines (PMVMs) attract researcher interest because of their higher torque density for direct drive applications. However, regular PMVMs utilize more rare earth Permanent Magnet (PM), which increases machine cost and weight. Moreover, the PMs are mounted on the rotor surface, which enhances flux leakage and flux circulation, which degrade electromagnetic performance that ultimately decreases average torque, torque density, power density and efficiency. A new Split Pole PMVM (SP-PMVM) with Halbach PM arrangement in the stator slot opening and consequent pole rotor is proposed to overcome the issues above. The proposed SP-PMVM enhanced flux modulation phenomena to improve electromagnetic performance. Comparing the proposed machine with the existing designs reveals that the proposed design reduces the PM utilization by 22.2% and improves the flux linkage by 41.3% due to suppression of leakage flux and flux circulation. Moreover, the average torque is boosted by 42.35%. Furthermore, torque and power densities are increased by 83.01% and 44.84%, respectively. In addition, in comparison with the existing conventional design, the efficiency of the proposed model is enhanced by 25.01% at the cost of 19.75% cogging torque.

Saturation Consideration in Modeling of the Induction Machine Using Subdomain Technique to Predict Performance

In this article, the analysis of induction machines using five separated subdomains including the rotor slot, rotor slot opening, airgap, stator slot opening, and stator slot regions is considered. The Maxwell equations of each region are solved considering the boundary conditions. Uniform distributions of the current density in the rectangular slots of both the rotor and stator are considered to find the energy of the winding and to calculate the machine inductances using the energy equation. The calculated flux density of each subdomain is used to find the flux distribution. The calculated magnetic flux intensities are required to estimate the saturation level of the motor cores and correct the saturation-related values such as the leakage and magnetizing inductances. The machine core losses are calculated based on the Steinmetz equation at the no-load condition. The calculated inductances and resistances are used in the equivalent circuit of the squirrel-cage induction machine (SCIM) for the performance prediction. The results demonstrate the reliability of the saturation model in the prediction of the saturation influence in a wide range of magnetization levels. The accuracy of the proposed model in the prediction of the performance of the SCIM is validated using two-dimensional (2-D) and 3-D finite-element analysis results. A sensitivity analysis with 75 different geometries was conducted to show the capability of the model for the performance prediction of a wide range of induction machines.

Magnetic field and electromagnetic performance analysis of permanent magnet machines with segmented Halbach array

PurposeThis study aims to accurately calculate the magnetic field distribution, which is a prerequisite for pre-design and optimization of electromagnetic performance. Accurate calculation of magnetic field distribution is a prerequisite for pre-design and optimization.Design/methodology/approachThis paper proposes an analytical model of permanent magnet machines with segmented Halbach array (SHA-PMMs) to predict the magnetic field distribution and electromagnetic performance. The field problem is divided into four subdomains, i.e. permanent magnet, air-gap, stator slot and slot opening. The Poisson’s equation or Laplace’s equation of magnetic vector potential for each subdomain is solved. The field’s solution is obtained by applying the boundary conditions. The electromagnetic performances, such as magnetic flux density, unbalanced magnetic force, cogging torque and electromagnetic torque, are analytically predicted. Then, the influence of design parameters on the torque is explored by using the analytical model.FindingsThe finite element analysis and prototype experiments verify the analytical model’s accuracy. Adjusting the design parameters, e.g. segments per pole and air-gap length, can effectively increase the electromagnetic torque and simultaneously reduce the torque ripple.Originality/valueThe main contribution of this paper is to develop an accurate magnetic field analytical model of the SHA-PMMs. It can precisely describe complex topology, e.g. arbitrary segmented Halbach array and semi-closed slots, etc., and can quickly predict the magnetic field distribution and electromagnetic performance simultaneously.

A novel doubly‐fed doubly‐salient machine with DC‐saturation‐relieving structure for wind power generation

This paper presents a novel doubly-fed doubly-salient machine (DF-DSM) with DC-saturation-relieving effect for wind power generation application, which possesses the advantages of enhanced torque density, reduced torque ripple and improved power density. The key is that PMs are introduced into the stator slot openings to mitigate the saturation effect in stator core caused by DC field excitation, and relatively large excitation current can be fed into stator field windings, which contributes to improved power density of machine. In addition, with the armature winding artificially connected, the reluctance of all magnetic paths is kept the same, and the variation of self-inductance is compensated, and the torque ripple is greatly suppressed. In this paper, the machine structure and DC-saturation-relieving working principle are introduced. The slot-pole combinations are analysed, and dimension parameters are optimized. By using time-stepping finite-element analysis, the electromagnetic performance of optimal machine is evaluated which verifies the validity of the proposed design.

Optimization of double stator PMSM with different slot number in inner and outer stators using genetic algorithm

&lt;span lang="EN-US"&gt;This paper describes the performance enhancement of double stator permanent magnet synchronous machines (DS-PMSM) based on genetic algorithm optimization (GAO). Generally, throughout the development stage, an analytical calculation is implemented to build the initial model of the DS-PMSM since the analytical calculation can provide the initial parameters based on the types and materials used in the machine design. For further improvement, GAO might potentially be applied to provide the optimization technique in searching the optimal motor parameters iteratively and intelligently with specific objective functions. For this aim, a three-phase, DS-PMSM with different number of slots between the outer and inner stators is first designed by using analytical parameter estimation and then later optimized by GAO. The outer and inner stators have 12-slots and 9-slots respectively, while, the rotor carries 10 magnetic poles. Four main input motor parameters, i.e. outer stator slot opening, outer magnet pole arc, inner stator slot opening and inner magnet pole arc are varied and optimized to achieve the design objective functions, i.e. high output torque, low torque ripple, low cogging torque and low total harmonic distortion (THDv). The results from the optimized GAO are compared with the initial motor model and further validated by finite element method (FEM). The results show a good agreement between GAO and FEM. GAO has achieved very significant improvements in enhancing the machine performance.&lt;/span&gt;

Slot-PM-Assisted Hybrid Reluctance Generator With Self-Excited DC Source for Stand-Alone Wind Power Generation

This article proposed a new slot-permanent-magnet (PM)-assisted hybrid reluctance generator (SPMa-HRG) with self-excited dc source for stand-alone wind power generation system. By introducing PM excitation in stator slot openings, enhanced torque density due to flux modulation effect can be achieved compared with the original reluctance topology. Moreover, the introduced PMs make it feasible to build a self-excited dc source to fed dc field winding without using extra power supply. In particular, a simple design of ac supply winding is proposed, by splitting a small portion of ac armature winding to provide electrical power to dc field winding through a diode rectifier and small-capacity H-bridge converter. Compared with using separate dc source, the device cost is reduced, and the system reliability is improved. In this article, the generator structure and operation principle are introduced. PM usage is optimized to obtain the optimal torque. The feasibility of the optimal design with self-excited dc source is verified by field-circuit coupled finite element analysis.

Analysis of Dual-Armature Flux Reversal Permanent Magnet Machines With Halbach Array Magnets

In this paper, a novel dual-armature (DA) flux reversal permanent magnet (PM) machine with halbach array magnets in the stator slot opening is proposed, which is abbreviated as DA-Halbach machine. Besides the stator armature windings, another set of windings is added in the rotor slots to further enhance torque performance via fully utilizing the rotor space. The influences of major geometric parameters on torque performance are investigated. Both DA-Halbach machine and conventional Halbach machine are optimized with the goal of maximum torque under the same copper loss using finite element (FE) method. The electromagnetic performance of two optimized machines are compared, the results show that the proposed DA-Halbach has larger torque and smaller torque ripple than conventional Halbach machine. When compared with surface-mounted PM machines, the proposed DA-Halbach machine still show better torque performance.

Partitioned Stator Hybrid Excitation Doubly Salient Machine With Slot Halbach PM Arrays

A new partitioned stator (PS) hybrid excitation (HE) machine with slot Halbach permanent magnet (PM) arrays is proposed in this paper. Due to the adoption of PS structure, its armature winding (AW) is located in the outer stator, and the PMs and the field winding (FW) are housed in the inner stator, thus the space utilization is significantly enhanced. The key difference of proposed machine is that Halbach PM arrays are employed in the inner stator slot openings, so that the parallel magnetic circuit between PM field and wound field is performed and the ratio of PM field short-circuited in the inner stator is effectively reduced. Thus a wider speed regulation region and a higher torque/power density can be achieved. Firstly, the configuration of proposed machine is described, based on which its operating principle is discussed. Then the electromagnetic performances are calculated and compared based on 2-dimensional finite element analysis (FEA). The results show that the torque can be improved by 76% with a similar magnetic field regulation ratio compared with an existing PS-HE machine with slot PMs. Finally, a prototype machine is built and tested to verify the analysis and FEA results.

Implementation of Embedded Magnetic Encoder for Rotor Position Detection Based on Arbitrary Phase-Shift Phase-Lock Loop

Rotor position is essential in control of permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs). In terms of resolution, structural complexity, occupied volume, anti-interference ability, environmental adaptability, and cost, embedded magnetic encoder based on linear Halls owns strong competitiveness. When linear Hall sensors are selectively installed at stator slot openings in extremely compact scenario, signal phase-shift asymmetry between two or three Hall sensors is inevitable. Conventionally, prefilter synchronous reference frame-phase-locked loops exhibit excellent phase-lock ability at fixed frequency (50/60Hz), but become ill when frequency changes especially at zero frequency. In this article, a novel transformation matrix is derived to map the asymmetric phase-shift signals onto two-phase stationary coordinate system. Then, an arbitrary phase shift-phase-locked loop is formed by replacing <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Clark</i> transformation with the proposed transformation matrix, which can accurately extract rotor position and speed information in a simple and effective way, avoiding the utilization of complex notch filter. Simulations in continuous domain based on MATLAB and experiments in discrete domain based on an 18-slot/20-pole prototyped PMSM both confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method.