The permanent magnet motors have become essential parts of modern motor drives recently because need for high efficiency and accurate dynamic performance arose in the industry. Some of the advantages they possess over other types of electric motors include higher torque density, higher efficiency due to absence of losses caused by field excitation, almost unity power factor, and almost maintenance free construction. With increasing need for specialized PM motors for different purposes and areas, much effort has also gone to design methodologies. In this thesis a design model is developed for surface PM motors. This model is used with an available optimization algorithm for the optimized design of a PM motor. Special attention is paid to measurement of parameters of a sample PM motor. As a result of this study, an effective analytical model with a proven accuracy by measurement results is developed and applied in a design process of a surface PM motor. Parametric and performance results of analytical model and tests have been presented comparatively. A prototype motor has been realized and tested.

Recently, permanent magnet assisted (PMa)-synchronous reluctance motors (SynRM) have been considered as a possible alternative motor drive for high performance applications. In order to have an efficient motor drive, performing of three steps in design of the overall drive is not avoidable. These steps are design optimization of the motor, identification of the motor parameter and implementation of an advanced control system to ensure optimum operation. Therefore, this dissertation first deals with the design optimization of the Permanent Magnet Assisted Synchronous Reluctance Motor (PMa-SynRM). Various key points in the rotor design of a low cost PMa-SynRM are introduced and their effects are studied. Finite element approach has been utilized to show the effects of these parameters on the developed average electromagnetic torque and the total d-q inductances. As it can be inferred from the name of the motor, there are some permanent magnets mounted in the rotor core. One of the features considered in the design of this motor is the magnetization of the permanent magnets mounted in the rotor core using the stator windings to reduce the manufacturing cost. At the next step, identification of the motor parameters is discussed. Variation of motor parameters due to temperature and airgap flux has been reported in the literatures. Use of off-line models for estimating the motor parameters is known as a computationally intensive method, especially when the models include the effect of cross saturation. Therefore in practical applications, on-line parameter estimation is favored to achieve a high performance control system. In this dissertation, a simple practical method for parameter estimation of the PMa-SynRM is introduced. Last part of the dissertation presents one advanced control strategy which utilized the introduced parameter estimator. A practical Maximum Torque Per Ampere (MTPA) control scheme along with a simple parameter estimator for PMa-SynRM is introduced. This method is capable of maintaining the MTPA condition and stays robust against the variations of motor parameters. Effectiveness of the motor design procedure and the control strategy is validated by presenting simulation and experimental results of a 1.5 kW prototype PMa-SynRM, designed and manufactured through the introduced design method.

<p>A regular vehicle of today is equipped with an internal combustion engine that runs on either gasoline or diesel, which are fossil fuels from oil reserves that are millions of years old. In all types of combustion processes carbon dioxide and several other emissions are produced. There are none known technologies of today that can reduce the emissions of carbon dioxide from combustion, but the amount that is produced is mainly dependent on the fuel that is used. Combustion of fossil fuels increases the contamination of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and diminishes the oil resources. The results are global warming and empty oil reserves within a few decades with the current production tempo, in addition to many other pollution effects that are harmful to the environment. A transition towards a society based on sustainable transportation is therefore urgent. The hydrogen fuel cell powered car with an electric propulsion system has the potential to be the car of the future that possesses the required characteristics of no harmful tailpipe emissions. There are some obstacles in the way for an early commercialisation, including the expensive catalysts used today and the lack of an infrastructure based on hydrogen, though. The hybrid electric vehicle, with both a conventional as well as an electric drivetrain, is a natural candidate for making the transition from the conventional car towards the car of the future. </p><p>This thesis is focused on the design and analysis of permanent magnet machines for a novel hybrid electric vehicle drive system called the Four Quadrant Transducer. A number of electrical machine aspects are identified, including cores of soft magnetic composites, fractional pitch concentrated windings, core segmentation, novel machine topologies and cost effective production methods. The main objective is to analyse and judge the many unconventional machine aspects of which some may have the potential to improve the performance and reduce the cost of permanent magnet machines. Another objective is to study the effects of the use of fossil fuels and describe them with a new perspective and thereby make one small contribution to the debate about energy issues. Much focus has been spent on the theory of concentrated windings for permanent magnet machines. The potential parasitic effects and methods to improve the torque performance have been described. Other topics that have been given a high priority are material and power loss studies. An important contribution to the understanding of iron losses during field-weakening operation has been presented. A comprehensive use of finite element modeling has been done in the analysis combined with measurements on several laboratory prototypes. </p><p>The Four Quadrant Transducer drivetrain and its two electrical machines intended for a midsized passenger car has been studied. The gearbox can be of a simple single stage type, which reduces the mechanical complexity and makes the traction performance of the vehicle smooth, without gear changes and drops in power. Simulations on a complete hybrid system show that fuel savings of more than 40% compared to a conventional vehicle can be achieved at citytraffic driving. The savings are modest at highway driving, since the engine is required to operate at high power during such conditions, and the support from the electrical system is negligible. The laboratory prototypes have shown that it is possible to manufacture high performance electrical machines with high material utilization and potential for automated production. The described concepts offer cost effective solutions for future drive systems in automotive and industrial applications. A number of weaknesses with the presented constructions have also been characterized, which should serve as guidelines for creating more optimized machines. </p>

Η παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία πραγματεύεται τη μελέτη, το σχεδιασμό και την εξομοίωση ενός σύγχρονου κινητήρα μόνιμου μαγνήτη οδηγούμενο από ελεγχόμενο τριφασικό αντιστροφέα. Η εργασία αυτή εκπονήθηκε στο Εργαστήριο Ηλεκτρομηχανικής Μετατροπής Ενέργειας του Τμήματος Ηλεκτρολόγων Μηχανικών και Τεχνολογίας Υπολογιστών της Πολυτεχνικής Σχολής του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών. Σκοπός λοιπόν της παρούσας εργασίας είναι η μελέτη και προσομοίωση ενός σύγχρονου κινητήρα μόνιμου μαγνήτη μέσω της μεθόδου των πεπερασμένων στοιχείων, με τη βοήθεια του λογισμικού Opera σε δύο διαστάσεις (2d). Στο περιβάλλον σχεδίασης κυκλωμάτων του ίδιου προγράμματος, μοντελοποιήθηκε και ο τριφασικός αντιστροφέας ισχύος για την οδήγηση του κινητήρα. Στην συνέχεια, έγινε διασύνδεση του λογισμικού Opera με το πρόγραμμα Simulink του λογισμικού Matlab, με απώτερο σκοπό να επιτευχθεί έλεγχος κλειστού βρόχου της ταχύτητας περιστροφής του κινητήρα Συγκεκριμένα, έγινε μελέτη και προσομοίωση ενός συγκεκριμένου 8πολικού κινητήρα τύπου Brushless DC, ονομαστικής ισχύος 660 W, ονομαστικής τάσης 48 V, και ονομαστικής ταχύτητας 3000 rpm ο οποίος τροφοδοτήθηκε στην είσοδό του με τριφασικό αντιστροφέα. Ιδιαίτερη προσοχή δόθηκε, στην εξομοίωση του τρόπου λειτουργίας των αισθητήρων Hall, μέσω των ημιαγωγικών διακοπτικών στοιχείων του αντιστροφέα, τα οποία ρυθμίστηκαν για να λειτουργούν σε κατάλληλες, για την υπό μελέτη μηχανή, χρονικές περιόδους. Κρίσιμη ήταν επίσης, η διαδικασία εύρεσης των κατάλληλων κερδών των ελεγκτών PI, έτσι ώστε να βελτιωθεί η μεταβατική απόκριση του συστήματος κλειστού βρόχου και να μειωθεί το σφάλμα μόνιμης κατάστασης ταχύτητας. Αναλυτικά, στο κεφάλαιο 1 γίνεται αναφορά στα θεμελιώδη μεγέθη του μαγνητικού πεδίου, καθώς και στις ιδιότητες των μαγνητικών υλικών που χρησιμοποιούνται στην κατασκευή σύγχρονων μηχανών μόνιμου μαγνήτη. Στο κεφάλαιο 2 αναλύονται οι σύγχρονοι κινητήρες μόνιμου μαγνήτη και γίνεται εκτενής αναφορά στα κατασκευαστικά χαρακτηριστικά, στη βασική αρχή λειτουργίας και στις μαθηματικές εξισώσεις που τους περιγράφουν. Στο κεφάλαιο 3 περιγράφεται η διάταξη οδήγησης του κινητήρα και αναλύονται λεπτομερώς η λειτουργία και του αντιστροφέα και του κυκλώματος ελέγχου κλειστού βρόχου. Στο κεφάλαιο 4 περιγράφεται η διαδικασία διεξαγωγής μετρήσεων και σχεδιασμού του μοντέλου πεπερασμένων στοιχείων της μηχανής στο περιβάλλον του υπολογιστικού προγράμματος Opera-2d. Στο κεφάλαιο 5 περιγράφεται η διαδικασία σχεδιασμού του τριφασικού αντιστροφέα και παρουσιάζονται τα αποτελέσματα εξομοίωσης για το σύστημα ανοικτού βρόχου. Στο κεφάλαιο 6 εξηγείται η διαδικασία διασύνδεσης των δύο προγραμμάτων (Matlab-Opera) και παρουσιάζονται τα αποτελέσματα της εξομοίωσης για το σύστημα ελέγχου κλειστού βρόχου. / In this dissertation, the design and simulation of a permanent magnet synchronous motor driven by a three-phase inverter, is presented. The work was conducted at the Laboratory of Electromechanical Energy Conversion, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Patras. The objective of this dissertation is the study and simulation of a permanent magnet synchronous motor employing the finite element method, with the help of Opera-2d simulation software. In the Circuit Editor environment of the same software, a three-phase inverter for driving the motor was designed, utilizing the PWM method and achieving open loop control of the motor rotation speed under constant loads. In addition, a closed loop control system was designed on Simulink user interface of Matlab software and making use of the interconnection capability of the two programs (Matlab-Opera) closed loop control of the motor rotation speed was achieved. Specifically, chapter 1 gives reference to fundamentals of the magnetic field and the magnetic properties of materials used in the construction of modern permanent magnet machines. Chapter 2 analyzes synchronous permanent magnet motors and makes an extensive reference to the constructional features, basic operation principle and the mathematical equations that describe them. Chapter 3 describes the motor driving converter and analyzes in detail the operation of the inverter and the closed loop control circuit. Chapter 4 describes the procedure for carrying out measurements and designing the finite element model of the machine in the environment of Opera-2d software. Chapter 5 describes the three-phase inverter design process and presents the simulation results for the open loop system. Chapter 6 explains the interconnection process of the two programs (Matlab-Opera) and presents the results of the simulation for the closed loop control system.

In recent years, due to growing environmental awareness regarding global warming, green cars, such as hybrid electric vehicles, have gained a lot of importance. With the decreasing cost of rare earth magnets, brushless permanent magnet motors, such as the Interior Permanent Magnet Motor, have found usage as part of the traction drive system in these types of vehicles. As a design issue, building a motor with a performance curve that suits both city and highway driving has been treated in this thesis as a multi-objective problem; matching specific points of the torque-speed curve to the desired performance output. Conventionally, this has been treated as separate problems or as a combination of several individual problems, but doing so gives little information about the trade-offs involved. As a means of identifying the compromising solutions, we have developed a stochastic optimizer for tackling electromagnetic device optimization and have also demonstrated a new innovative way of studying how different design parameters affect performance.

The most widely used variable reluctance and permanent magnet stepper motors of different design types are discussed in the theoretical part of this work. It also overviews a constructional diversity of these motors, the fundamentals of operating modes and characteristics. This part discuses features of stepper motors as a part of automation control system, presents the main counting equations and applications with stepper motors. The practical part includes the mathematical model of stepper motor and the Simulink model that was developed for software package “Matlab”. Those models formed the basis for analysis of stepper motor dynamic characteristics in various operating modes (wave drive, full step drive, half step drive, microstepping, reversing, braking).

This thesis deals withmodeling and control of an electric drive equipped with a permanentmagnet assisted synchronous reluctance (PMSynRel) machine for a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle application. In the first part of the thesis, a special use of the PMSynRel machine in consideration, known as an integrated charger concept, is investigated. The integrated charger feature allows using the PMSynRel machine as a part of the vehicle’s on-board charging system when charging the battery from the grid. A finite-element based analysis is performed providing important insights into the machine operation during the charging process. Dynamic models are developed that facilitate the controller development and the estimation of the efficiency during charging. In the second part of the thesis, position sensorless control of the PMSynRel drive when applied in an automotive application is considered and analyzed thoroughly. First, a fundamental-excitation based rotor-position estimation technique is investigated. The study shows that the impact of current dynamics on the resulting torque dynamics has to be considered in some very demanding applications. Second, focus is put on signalinjection based sensorless control methods. Impacts of nonlinearities, such as magnetic saturation, cross-saturation and inductance spatial harmonics, on sensorless control performance are investigated and methods to improve the sensorless control quality are summarized and presented. An approach to determine the feasible region for operating sensorless at low-speeds without directly measuring the differential inductances is proposed. For the PMSynRel drive in consideration, the achievable maximum torque is limited when operating sensorless following the maximum-torque-per-ampere (MTPA) current reference trajectory at low-speeds. An optimization approach is therefore proposed which extends the output torque when operating sensorless while still maintaining a relatively high efficiency. To initialize the sensorless control correctly from standstill, the impact of the saturated magnetic bridges in the rotor is also investigated. Finally, torsional drive-train oscillations and active damping schemes are considered. An off-vehicle setup for implementing and evaluating different active damping schemes is proposed. Of particular interest for sensorless operation in automotive applications, the impact of slow speed estimation on the possibility to achieve good active damping control is investigated and a design approach that allows the implementation of an active damping scheme using estimated speed is suggested. / <p>QC 20140114</p>

The McTronX research group, at the Potchefstroom campus of the North–West University, has been researching Active Magnetic Bearings (AMBs). A fully suspended, flywheel energy storage system (FESS) has been developed. Due to excessive unbalance on the rotor, the motor drive could not be tested up to its rated speed. In the interim, until the rotor can be balanced and other rotor dynamic effects have been investigated, the group decided that the existing drive control should be improved and tested on a high–speed permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM), using normal roller element bearings. In order to test the motor control a second (identical) PMSM, mechanically coupled to the former, operates in generator mode which serves as the torque load. Two different control algorithms, namely V/f and vector control, are designed and implemented on a rapid control prototyping system, i.e. dSPACE®. The V/f control is an open–loop, position sensorless technique, whilst the vector controller makes use of a position sensor. From the design and implementation it became clear that the vector control is more robust, in the sense that it is less sensitive on parameter variations and disturbances. It can start up reliably even under full load conditions. The V/f control is an attractive alternative to the vector control, especially in AMB systems, where it may be difficult to mount the position sensor, has to operate in a hazardous environment not suited to the sensor or could degrade the reliability of the AMB system. The cost of the position sensor is not really a concern compared to the cost of an AMB system. The V/f control is more suited to fan and pump applications, which has a low dynamic requirement. The V/f control has high startup currents and is not recommended for applications requiring a high starting torque or fast acceleration during operation. The inverter, which drives the PMSM, also had to be developed. With regard to the motor control, the effects of inverter non–idealities had to be accounted, especially for the V/f control. The implemented control algorithms were tested up to 20 krpm. Discrepancies between the expected and actual results are discussed. Overall, the controllers performed as desired. Generally, the project goals have been reached satisfactorily. / Thesis (M.Ing. (Computer and Electronic Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

The McTronX research group, at the Potchefstroom campus of the North–West University, has been researching Active Magnetic Bearings (AMBs). A fully suspended, flywheel energy storage system (FESS) has been developed. Due to excessive unbalance on the rotor, the motor drive could not be tested up to its rated speed. In the interim, until the rotor can be balanced and other rotor dynamic effects have been investigated, the group decided that the existing drive control should be improved and tested on a high–speed permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM), using normal roller element bearings. In order to test the motor control a second (identical) PMSM, mechanically coupled to the former, operates in generator mode which serves as the torque load. Two different control algorithms, namely V/f and vector control, are designed and implemented on a rapid control prototyping system, i.e. dSPACE®. The V/f control is an open–loop, position sensorless technique, whilst the vector controller makes use of a position sensor. From the design and implementation it became clear that the vector control is more robust, in the sense that it is less sensitive on parameter variations and disturbances. It can start up reliably even under full load conditions. The V/f control is an attractive alternative to the vector control, especially in AMB systems, where it may be difficult to mount the position sensor, has to operate in a hazardous environment not suited to the sensor or could degrade the reliability of the AMB system. The cost of the position sensor is not really a concern compared to the cost of an AMB system. The V/f control is more suited to fan and pump applications, which has a low dynamic requirement. The V/f control has high startup currents and is not recommended for applications requiring a high starting torque or fast acceleration during operation. The inverter, which drives the PMSM, also had to be developed. With regard to the motor control, the effects of inverter non–idealities had to be accounted, especially for the V/f control. The implemented control algorithms were tested up to 20 krpm. Discrepancies between the expected and actual results are discussed. Overall, the controllers performed as desired. Generally, the project goals have been reached satisfactorily. / Thesis (M.Ing. (Computer and Electronic Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Since most of the electrical energy is consumed by the electrical motors, it is necessary to use the electrical energy as efficient as possible. Throughout this study four different types of motors (induction motor, permanent magnet radial flux DC motor, permanent magnet axial flux DC motor, switched reluctance motor) are considered and compared based on their torque per unit volume and speed performance comparison. Torque per unit volume equations are obtained for each of the motor, related to quantities such as magnetic flux density and electric loading and the speed performances are compared by using a washing machine application, which has a wide speed range. As a result of this study torque per unit volume and speed performance of each of these four types of motors are obtained and motors of different types are evaluated due to their torque per motor volume, torque per ampere, efficiency and etc. over a wide speed range to have an idea about the applications of these motors.