Youguang Guo

Comparative study of 3-D flux electrical machines with soft magnetic composite cores

This paper compares two types of three-dimensional (3D) flux electrical machines with soft magnetic composite (SMC) cores, namely claw pole and transverse flux machines. 3D electromagnetic field analysis is conducted for the computation of some important parameters and optimization of the machine structures. An equivalent electric circuit is derived to calculate the machine performances. The analysis methods are validated by experimental results of a single phase claw pole permanent magnet machine with a SMC core. Useful conclusions are drawn from the evaluation and comparison of two machines with soft magnetic composite cores.

A Simple Method to Reduce Torque Ripple in Direct Torque-Controlled Permanent-Magnet Synchronous Motor by Using Vectors With Variable Amplitude and Angle

In this paper, a modified direct torque control (DTC) for permanent-magnet synchronous machines, which enables important torque- and flux-ripple reduction by using voltage vectors with variable amplitude and angle, is proposed. In the proposed DTC, the amplitudes of torque and flux errors are differentiated and employed to regulate the amplitude and angle of the output voltage vectors online, which are finally synthesized by space-vector modulation (SVM). Two simple formulas are developed to derive the amplitude and angle of the commanding voltage vectors from the errors of torque and flux only. The conventional switching table and hysteresis controllers are eliminated, and a fixed switching frequency is obtained with the help of SVM. Stator flux is estimated from an improved voltage model, which is based on a low-pass filter with compensations of the amplitude and phase. The proposed DTC is comparatively investigated with the existing SVM-DTC from the aspects of theory analysis, computer simulation, and experimental validation. The simulation and experimental results prove that the proposed DTC is very simple and provides excellent steady-state response, quick dynamic performance, and strong robustness against external disturbance and control-parameter variations.

A High-Frequency Link Multilevel Cascaded Medium-Voltage Converter for Direct Grid Integration of Renewable Energy Systems

Recent advances in solid-state semiconductors have led to the development of medium-voltage power converters (e.g., 6-36 kV) which could obviate the need for the step-up transformers of renewable power generation systems. The modular multilevel cascaded converters have been deemed as strong contenders for the development of medium-voltage converters, but the converters require multiple isolated and balanced dc supplies. In this paper, a high-frequency link multilevel cascaded medium-voltage converter is proposed. The common high-frequency link generates multiple isolated and balanced dc supplies for the converter, which inherently minimizes the voltage imbalance and common mode issues. An 11-kV system is designed and analyzed taking into account the specified system performance, control complexity, cost, and market availability of the power semiconductors. To verify the feasibility of the proposed system, a scaled down 1.73-kVA laboratory prototype test platform with a modular five-level cascaded converter is developed and explored in this paper, which converts a 210 V dc (rectified generator voltage) into three-phase 1 kV rms 50 Hz ac. The experimental results are analyzed and discussed. It is expected that the proposed new technology will have great potential for future renewable generation systems and smart grid applications.

Development of a PM transverse flux motor with soft magnetic composite core

This paper reports the design, performance analysis, fabrication, and experimental results of a three-phase, three-stack permanent magnet transverse flux motor with a soft magnetic composite stator core, which was designed to take advantage of the unique properties of the new material. Parameter computations by finite element analysis of the magnetic field and performance prediction by the equivalent electric circuit are discussed. To validate the simulation, a prototype motor has been fabricated and operated with a sensorless, brushless direct coupler drive scheme. The experimental results are thoroughly presented and agree with the theoretical calculations very well.

Measurement and Modeling of Rotational Core Losses of Soft Magnetic Materials Used in Electrical Machines: A Review

In many situations, for example, in the cores of a rotating electrical machine and the T-joints of multiphase transformers, the magnetic flux varies with time in terms of both magnitude and direction, i.e., the local flux density vector rotates with varying magnitude and varying speed. Therefore, it is important that the magnetic properties of the core materials under various rotational magnetizations be properly investigated, modeled, and applied in the design and analysis of electromagnetic devices with rotational flux. Drawing from the huge amount of papers published by various researchers in the past century, this paper presents an extensive survey on the measurement and modeling of rotational core losses of soft magnetic materials used in electrical machines, particularly from the view of practical engineering application. The paper aims to provide a broad picture of the historical development of measuring techniques, measuring apparatus, and practical models of rotational core losses.

System-Level Design Optimization Methods for Electrical Drive Systems: Deterministic Approach

Electrical drive systems are key components in modern appliances, industry equipment, and systems, e.g., hybrid electric vehicles. To obtain the best performance of these drive systems, the motors and their control systems should be designed and optimized at the system level rather than the component level. This paper presents an effort to develop system-level design and optimization methods for electrical drive systems. Two system-level design optimization methods are presented in this paper: 1) single-level method (only at system level); and 2) multilevel method. Meanwhile, the approximate models, the design of experiments technique, and the sequential subspace optimization method are presented to improve the optimization efficiency. Finally, a drive system consisting of a permanent-magnet transverse flux machine with a soft magnetic composite core is investigated, and detailed results are presented and discussed. This is a high-dimensional optimization problem with 14 parameters mixed with both discrete and continuous variables. The finite-element analysis model and method are verified by the experimental results on the motor prototype. From the discussion, it can be found that the proposed multilevel method can increase the performance of the whole drive system, such as bigger output power and lower material cost, and decrease the computation cost significantly compared with those of single-level design optimization method.

System-Level Design Optimization Method for Electrical Drive Systems—Robust Approach

A system-level design optimization method under the framework of a deterministic approach was presented for electrical drive systems in our previous work, in which not only motors but also the integrated control schemes were designed and optimized to achieve good steady and dynamic performances. However, there are many unavoidable uncertainties (noise factors) in the industrial manufacturing process, such as material characteristics and manufacturing precision. These will result in big fluctuations for the products reliability and quality in mass production, which are not investigated in the deterministic approach. Therefore, a robust approach based on the technique of design for six sigma is presented for the system-level design optimization of drive systems to improve the reliability and quality of products in batch production in this work. Meanwhile, two system-level optimization frameworks are presented for the proposed method, namely, single-level (only at the system level) and multilevel frameworks. Finally, a drive system is investigated as an example, and detailed results are presented and discussed. It can be found that the reliability and quality levels of the investigated drive system have been greatly increased by using the proposed robust approach.

Design and Analysis of a Claw Pole Permanent Magnet Motor With Molded Soft Magnetic Composite Core

Soft magnetic composite (SMC) materials and SMC electromagnetic devices have undergone substantial development in the past decade. Much work has been conducted on designing and prototyping various types of electrical machine. However, the iron cores were often made by cutting existing SMC preforms that were formed by compacting SMC powder in simple cylinder or bar-shape molds, and the magnetic properties of the cores may deteriorate significantly during the cutting process. To investigate ldquoindustry production-readyrdquo products, this paper presents the design and analysis of a claw-pole permanent magnet (PM) motor with a molded SMC core of low mass density to replace the existing induction motor in a dishwasher pump. The magnetic properties of the molded SMC core are measured and utilized in the motor design and analysis. Finite element analysis (FEA) of magnetic field is carried out to accurately determine key motor parameters, and an improved phase variable model is applied to predict the motor performance. Both parameter computation and performance prediction are validated by the experimental results on the prototype.

Unbalanced Magnet Pull in Large Brushless Rare-Earth Permanent Magnet Motors With Rotor Eccentricity

Permanent magnet motors are now the focus of application in larger drive and generator systems. They often utilize rare-earth magnets where attractive forces are large and unbalanced magnetic pull (UMP) will be generated even when unexcited. In this paper, a 4-pole machine design is utilized which has either surface magnets or consequent poles. Dynamic eccentricity up to 80% is put into the machine model and a variety of simulations carried out to investigate the UMP. It is found that with strong and thick magnets the machine is robust and the UMP is almost load independent. The consequent pole rotor arrangement produces much higher UMP when the dynamic eccentricity aligns with the steel poles. In the simulations, the different stress components are investigated to assess the validity of a commonly held approximation where the radial force is taken to be a function of the square of the radial air-gap flux.

An Improved Equivalent Circuit Model of a Single-Sided Linear Induction Motor

The derivation of the equivalent circuit for a single-sided linear induction motor (SLIM) is not straightforward, particularly if it includes longitudinal end effects from the cut-open primary magnetic path, transversal edge effects from the differing widths between the primary lamination and secondary sheet, and half-filled primary slots. This paper proposes an improved series equivalent circuit for this machine. The longitudinal end effects are estimated using three different impedances representing the normal, forward, and backward flux density waves in the air gap, whose two boundary conditions are deduced by introducing the conception of magnetic barrier surface. The transversal edge effects are accounted for by correction coefficient K̅t and air-gap flux density correction coefficient K̅̅b. Using the series circuit, the performance of the SLIM was assessed in a similar manner to a rotating induction machine. A 4-kW SLIM prototype was tested, which validated the simulation technique.