<p dir="ltr">Recent regulatory changes have been proposed to phase down the use of hydrofluorocarbon</p><p dir="ltr">(HFC)-based refrigerants in air conditioning and refrigeration systems. The proposed</p><p dir="ltr">low global warming potential alternatives (low-GWP) are characterized by lower volumetric</p><p dir="ltr">capacities, which require either higher displacements or higher speeds to meet compressor</p><p dir="ltr">loads. In order to address this, the coupled optimization of a compressor system and its electric</p><p dir="ltr">drive has been proposed. The primary goal of this thesis is to establish tools that can be</p><p dir="ltr">used to assess the impact that alternative low-GWP refrigerants have on the sizing and performance</p><p dir="ltr">of electrically driven compressors. Toward this goal, a method-of-moments-based</p><p dir="ltr">model has been established and structured to enable rapid evaluation of the electromagnetic</p><p dir="ltr">performance of V-shaped interior magnet machines. Contributions to the model formulation</p><p dir="ltr">include the use of a judicious combination of point and pulse basis functions to evaluate</p><p dir="ltr">machine behavior under saturation of stator and rotor steels. Also included is a straightforward</p><p dir="ltr">means to include multiple operating points with minimal additional computational</p><p dir="ltr">expense. Coupled to the electromagnetic model is a thermal equivalent circuit model that</p><p dir="ltr">includes conductive heat transfer between slot winding bundles and stator steel. It also includes</p><p dir="ltr">convective heat transfer from the stator to the rotor through the airgap. The proposed</p><p dir="ltr">models have been validated using commercial finite-element based software. Subsequently,</p><p dir="ltr">they have been applied in design optimization studies used to compare the efficiency and size</p><p dir="ltr">(mass) between machines designed for a common HFC refrigerant (R410A) and a proposed</p><p dir="ltr">alternative (R454B).</p>