Advances in electrical machinery with high efficiencies could significantly reduce the cost of industrial and residential energy systems, thereby reducing fossil fuel needs and emissions. Electrical machine design is a comprehensive process based on several factors, including economic factors, material limitations, specifications and special application-dependent factors. At the same time, machine design is a multi-physics task comprising of electric design, magnetic design, insulation design, thermal design and mechanical design. However, the out-of-date conventional machine design can neither reflect the advances in the past 30 years, nor exploit the trade-offs between design factors from the multi-physics nature of the electrical machine. This work focus on the development a fast and efficient method for the design and optimization of Surface Mount Permanent Magnet (SMPM) machines and induction machines, as influenced by the energy source, mechanical loads, thermal effects, and the up-to-date developments in materials and manufacturing capabilities. A new analytical design method is developed for the electromagnetic design of SMPM machines. Both distributed and concentrated winding types of SMPM machines are considered and compared. Based on the proposed electromagnetic analytical design method and a generic thermo-mechanical machine design model [1], an innovative and computationally efficient electromagnetic-thermo-mechanical integrated design method is developed for SMPM machines. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) is applied in a novel way based on this integrated design method for the multi-objective design optimization of SMPM machines. With the proposed method, the thermal and mechanical design is no longer treated separately and heuristically as in the traditional design, but has been systemically integrated with the electromagnetic design; the effect of power source, cooling capability, thermal limits, and up-to-date material capabilities are also reflected in the design and optimization. Superior designs compared to traditional designs can be achieved with PSO based multi-objective optimization. The proposed integrated design approach also has the merit of good computational efficiency and provides a significant time reduction of the design cycle compared to finite element analysis. A novel electromagnetic analytical design method of induction machines has been developed, which needs only six prime design variables but is able to design induction machines in fine details. The advantage over the traditional and other existing design method is that this proposed method does not have the heuristic selection of the design variables and does not need manual design iterations. The computing time is almost negligible and the design cycle is significantly reduced compared to the tradition machine design.

<p>This licentiate thesis describes the modeling and measurements performed with the aim of developing design guidelines for Line Start Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors, LSPMSMs. LSPMSMs can offer higher efficiency than standard induction motors used in the industry today, especially for small motor sizes. The increase in efficiency results in lower environmental impact and reduced electricity cost. The LSPMSM has, however, several drawbacks, among the most important is the reduced starting capability compared to induction motors. Furthermore, the rotor construction is complex and the added cost of magnet material makes the LSPMSM a comparably expensive motor type. The design of a LSPMSM is a trade-off between starting capability and steady state performance. The thesis discusses these trade-offs and the models that can be used as a basis for design and optimization. The models make use of different motor parameters, and a number of measurement methods for measuring these parameters are described and compared. Among these is a step response adapted measurement method that provides most of the parameters of interest. The development and setup of a brake bench for measuring both start-up and steady state performance is presented. Furthermore the start-up behavior and steady-state performance is calculated using measured parameters. The calculated performance is compared to measured performance and found to correlate well for nominal operating conditions. Thus, design guidelines can be based on the models proposed.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2000. / Bibliography: leaves 179-191.

This thesis documents the work and research effort on the design, fabrication and testing of a magnetocaloric MEMS microcooler, focusing on the testing of the microcooler at low magnetic fields. The phenomenon of magnetocaloric effect (MCE), or adiabatic temperature change, which is obtained by heating or cooling magnetic materials due to a varying magnetic field, can be exploited in the area of magnetic refrigeration as a reliable, energy-efficient cooling system. In particular, its applications are being explored primarily in cryogenic technologies as a viable process for the liquefaction of hydrogen. The challenge for magnetic refrigeration is that the necessary MCE is most easily achieved with high magnetic fields (5-6 Tesla) provided by superconducting magnets. However, a significant magnetocaloric effect can be exhibited at lower magnetic fields (1-2 Tesla) by carefully controlling initial temperature conditions as well as by selecting, preparing and synthesizing the optimal fabrication process of Silicon (Si) wafers. A microcooler was integrated based on previous works of others and tested. Finally, testing of the magnetocaloric effect was conducted and results analyzed. Experimental results in these domains demonstrate that magnetic refrigeration can be part of the best current cooling technology, without having to use volatile, environmentally hazardous fluids. The MEMS magnetocaloric refrigerator demonstrated a ~ -12°C change in the temperature of cooling fluid at a magnetic field of 1.2 T.

published_or_final_version / Electrical and Electronic Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The current standard electrical downhole machine is the induction machine which is relatively inefficient. Permanent magnet (PM) machines, having higher efficiencies, higher torque densities and smaller volumes, have widely employed in industrial applications to replace conventional machines, but few have been developed for downhole applications due to the high ambient temperatures in deep wells and the low temperature stability of PM materials over time. Today, with the development of variable speed drives and the applications of high temperature magnet materials, it is increasingly interesting for oil and gas industries to develop PM machines for downhole applications. Recently, some PM machines applications have been presented for downhole applications, which are normally addressed on certain specific downhole case. In this thesis the focus has been put on the performance investigation of different PM machines for general downhole cases, in which the machine outer diameter is limited to be small by well size, while the machine axial length may be relatively long. The machine reliability is the most critical requirement while high torque density and high efficiency are also desirable. The purpose is to understand how the special constraints in downhole condition affect the performances of different machines.  First of all, three basic machine concepts, which are the radial, axial and transverse flux machines, are studied in details by analytical method. Their torque density, efficiency, power factor and power capability are investigated with respect to the machine axial length and pole number. The presented critical performance comparisons of the machines provide an indication of machines best suitable with respect to performance and size for downhole applications. Conventional radial flux permanent magnet (RFPM) machines with the PMs on the rotor can provide high torque density and high efficiency. This type of machine has been suggested for several different downhole applications. Flux-switching PM (FSPM) machines, which have the PMs located on the stator and are therefore more reliable, can theoretically also exhibit high torque density and relatively high efficiency. This thesis has put an emphasis on studying this type of machine. Two FSPM machines have been investigated in detail and compared by analytical method, FEM simulation and prototype measuremens. Their operating principle and important design parameters are also presented. A lumped parameter magnetic circuit model for designing a high-torque FSPM machine is newly introduced and the designed machine is verified by FEM simulations. A prototype machine with an outer diameter of 100 mm and an axial length of 200 mm is built in the laboratory and tested at room temperature. Based on that, the machine performance at an ambient temperature of 150°C is also predicted. The results show that the FSPM machine can provide a high torque density with slight compromise of efficiency and power factor. Choosing a proper machine type is significantly dependent on the application specifications. The presented results in this thesis can be used as a reference for selecting the best machine type for a specific downhole case.

This work is intended to contribute with knowledge to the area of electic motorsfor propulsion in the vehicle industry. This is done by first studying the differentelectric motors available, the motors suitable for vehicle propulsion are then dividedinto four different types to be studied separately. These four types are thedirect current, induction, permanent magnet and switched reluctance motors. Thedesign and construction are then studied to understand how the different typesdiffer from each other and which differences that are of importance when it comesto vehicle propulsion. Since the amount of available data about different electricmotors turned out to be small a tool was developed to use for collecting data fromthe sources available which can be for instance product sheets or articles with informationabout electric motors. This tool was then used to collect data that wasused to create models for the different motor types. The created motor models foreach motor type could then be used for simulating vehicles to investigate how thespecific motor is suited for different vehicles and applications. The work also containsa summary of different electric motor comparison studies which makes it agood source of information during motor type selection in the process of designingan electric vehicle.

The kinetic energy present in tidal currents and other water courses has long been appreciated as a vast resource of renewable energy. The work presented in this doctoral thesis is devoted to both the characteristics of the hydro-kinetic resource and the technology for energy conversion. An assessment of the tidal energy resource in Norwegian waters has been carried out based on available data in pilot books. More than 100 sites have been identified as interesting with a total estimated theoretical resource—i.e. the kinetic energy in the undisturbed flow—in the range of 17 TWh. A second study was performed to analyse the velocity distributions presented by tidal currents, regulated rivers and unregulated rivers. The focus is on the possible degree of utilization (or capacity factor), the fraction of converted energy and the ratio of maximum to rated velocity, all of which are believed to be important characteristics of the resource affecting the economic viability of a hydro-kinetic energy converter. The concept for hydro-kinetic energy conversion studied in this thesis comprises a vertical axis turbine coupled to a directly driven permanent magnet generator. One such cable wound laboratory generator has been constructed and an experimental setup for deployment in the river Dalälven has been finalized as part of this thesis work. It has been shown, through simulations and experiments, that the generator design at hand can meet the system requirements in the expected range of operation. Experience from winding the prototype generators suggests that improvements of the stator slot geometry can be implemented and, according to simulations, decrease the stator weight by 11% and decrease the load angle by 17%. The decrease in load angle opens the possibility to reduce the amount of permanent magnetic material in the design.

Most electrical machines available in the market utilise some form of silicon iron (SI) as the core material. Although SI based electrical machine manufacturing methods are well established and simple, SI has significant iron losses specifically in high frequency variable-speed motor drive applications. Two alternative magnetic materials have recently been developed: amorphous magnetic material (AMM) and soft magnetic composite, which can each offer unique characteristics that can be utilised to improve the performance of electric machines. AMM offers extremely low iron losses which makes it a good candidate for high-efficiency and variable-speed motor applications. However, due to handling and cutting limitations, AMM has not been utilised widely in rotating electrical machines. A commercially viable AMM cutting technique was recently developed by the industrial partner of this project. It is thus now practical to cut the AMM ribbon into a machine stator, particularly for axial-field stators which generally require less cutting than radial-field stators. This thesis investigates an innovative motor design based on applying the cut AMM in an axial-field permanent magnet (AFPM) machine for general drive applications. It includes a detailed review of the analytical approach, finite element analysis (FEA), iron loss investigation and prototype performance comparisons. Analytical analysis of the AFPM machine was performed and the key design variables were evaluated to optimise the design parameters based on the use of AMM. The AMM cutting constraints, design and performances trade-offs were also investigated in the design. The research study provides a design procedure to determine the basic physical size and configuration (e.g. combination of the number of slots and poles, slot width and depth, number of winding layers, air gap length, magnet thickness) based on certain basic specifications. In addition, a comprehensive investigation was conducted on the iron loss of various materials to compare these with AMM. Due to the three dimensional (3D) nature of the AFPM structure, the theoretical design was validated using 3D FEA and extensive simulation results are provided. A number of AMM AFPM prototypes were successfully designed and constructed. Due to limited available materials, the prototypes were built using uncoatedAMMribbon which has substantially higher iron loss characteristics. Nevertheless, it is believed that it would still provide a valuable understanding of the real machine characteristics and allow initial design validation. The prototype was tested in a custom-built test rig to validate the analytical and 3D FEA predictions. Overall, a good correspondence between the results and predictions has been achieved. Extensive experiments have been conducted to investigate and demonstrate the characteristics of the AMM prototype machines which are based on fractional-slot concentratedwinding single-sided AFPM machines. This includes comparisons against identical silicon iron and soft magnetic composite prototypes. In addition, the laboratory experimental results also highlighted the significant effect of the open-circuit losses on the overall machine performance. Therefore, the open-circuit loss components which includes bearing, windage, magnet and iron losses were separated based on 3D FEA and experimental results. The above research studies demonstrated the potential and feasibility of cut AMM to produce highly efficient AFPM machines. In addition, the innovative cutting technique also has the potential for mass production of low-cost AMM machines. The research work in this thesis makes a significant contribution to the design of axial-field permanent magnet machines based on AMM. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1375647 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, 2009

Fault tolerant motor drives are becoming more important in safety critical applications. Although a single motor module fault tolerant drive may be sufficient in some applications, this motor drive only offers limited redundancy. This thesis investigated the dual motor module fault tolerant drive system in which two motor modules were connected electrically in phase and on a common shaft provide redundancy and to increase the reliability of the entire drive system. A general phase current mathematical model to produce the desired output torque was developed to minimize copper loss and torque ripple in the motor drive, which is applicable to both sinusoidal and trapezoidal brushless permanent magnet motor types. A detailed fault effect investigation was performed in this thesis and it is concluded that switch short-circuit fault is the most serious fault since it reduces the electromagnetic torque output significantly and generates larger torque ripple in the motor drive due to the presence of large drag torque. Three fault remedial strategies were proposed to compensate the torque loss and to reduce the torque ripple under different faulty conditions. It is concluded from the analytical results that fault remedial strategy 3 is the tradeoff algorithm in which the zero torque ripple factor can be achieved with only a modest increase in copper loss comparing with the minimum possible value. Two practical dual motor module fault tolerant brushless permanent magnet drive test arrangements with different motor structures were developed in this thesis. The computer simulation studies using the MATLAB Simulink were performed to verify the effectiveness of the proposed fault remedial strategies. The efficiency of the motor drive was predicted based on torque loss measurements and the results were verified in the simulation study. The effect of faults on the drive efficiency was investigated as well. The entire fault tolerant motor drive control system was also developed to verify the analytical and simulation results. A fault detection and identification method to detect switch open-circuit faults, switch short-circuit faults, and the winding short-circuit faults was also proposed. Its advantages are the simplicity of the implementation and reduction of the cost of the drive system. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed fault remedial strategies can be implemented in real time motor control and are effective to compensate the torque loss and reduce the torque ripple. / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, 2008