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High Performance Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Drives

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "E: Electric Vehicles".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 July 2022) | Viewed by 35733

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Nicola Bianchi

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Guest Editor

Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
Interests: electrical machine design; synchronous motor drives; custom design and control; electric vehicles; industrial devices; home appliances

Dr. Ludovico Ortombina

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Guest Editor

Department of Engineering and Management, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
Interests: synchronous motors; motor control; sensorless control; motor parameter estimation techniques

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Permanent magnet (PM) synchronous motor drives are widely used in industrial applications, electric vehicles, and electrical devices, thanks to their high torque density, fast dynamic response, and good overload capability. New challenges are appearing in the design of synchronous motors due to the appearance of new technical and socio-economic requirements. Moreover, recent applications require an extended sensorless capability, an outstanding flux-weaking capability, and a wide constant-power region.

This Special Issue aims to collect original research and review articles on different design methodologies or solutions for PM motors and PM-assisted synchronous reluctance motors, suited for meeting the demanding specifications of the emerging applications. Since the price of PMs is continuously increasing, special solutions and experience in reducing rare-earth materials are welcome.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

PM motor drives designed to achieve an extended sensorless capability;
Control techniques to achieve high flux-weakening capability;
Motor design solutions to expand self-sensing capability;
Motor design solutions to get wide constant-power region;
Optimized PM design, including reverse-saliency or hybrid excitation machines;
Rare-earth-magnet-free machines;
Analytical, semi-analytical, and numerical models.

Prof. Dr. Nicola Bianchi
Dr. Ludovico Ortombina
Guest Editors

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Keywords

sensorless control and self-sensing capability
flux-weakening control to reach a wide constant-power region
special motor design
analytical and numerical models
single- and multi-objective optimization
electrical machines
synchronous motor drives
rare-earth-magnet-free motors

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 8295 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Piecewise Affine Magnetic Modeling of Permanent-Magnet Synchronous Machines for Virtual-Flux Control

by Bernard Steyaert, Ethan Swint, W. Wesley Pennington and Matthias Preindl

Energies 2022, 15(19), 7259; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15197259 - 3 Oct 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2051

Abstract

Accurate flux linkage magnetic models are essential for virtual-flux controllers in PMSMs. Flux linkage exhibits saturation and cross-saturation at high currents, introducing nonlinearities into the machine model. Virtual-flux controllers regulate the flux of a machine by using field-oriented control, such as model predictive control. In this study, a methodology for creating a piecewise affine flux linkage magnetic model is proposed which locally linearizes the inductance and flux offset of the machine. This method keeps the magnetic model and thus the state-space model of the system linear while capturing the saturation effects, enabling robust controls and efficient operation. The model is created using FEA-simulated data points and verified with experimental datapoints. An algorithm to optimize the model in MTPA and derated operation is presented with an average flux error less than

1 %

and maximum error less than

3 %

using only 40 points. This represents a ≈ 1–3% and ≈5–8% reduction in the average and maximum flux errors compared with a regularly gridded model, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Drives)

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14 pages, 4829 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Control and Design of a Boost-Based Electrolytic Capacitor-Less Single-Phase-Input Drive

by Alex Musetti, Hossein Sadegh Lafmejani and Alessandro Soldati

Energies 2022, 15(16), 5929; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15165929 - 16 Aug 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1864

Abstract

Adjustable-speed drives with single-phase input require a power factor correction front-end, usually implemented by a boost converter, to reduce the current distortion from the uncontrolled rectifier; this stage is then followed by a three-phase inverter. Bulky electrolytic capacitors are used to limit the direct current voltage ripple resulting from the rectification of the single-phase input. This leads to increased system size and shorter lifetime. In this work, the usual boost front-end is exploited to actively control the DC link voltage ripple while limiting the input current distortion and, hence, the power factor, even if not reaching unity. However, Power Factor is greatly improved with respect to the uncontrolled rectifier alone. This approach permits one to reduce the required capacitance, allowing the substitution of the electrolytic capacitor with a long-life low-equivalent-series-resistance film one. A control targeting capacitor voltage level, ripple, and boost inductor peak current is presented, together with practical design models. The synergic control of the boost front-end and of the machine drive is presented as well. The resulting converter is tested with resistive load and permanent-magnet synchronous machine drive, highlighting the advantages and limits of the proposed solution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Drives)

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13 pages, 3322 KiB

Open AccessArticle

On the Use of Topology Optimization for Synchronous Reluctance Machines Design

by Oğuz Korman, Mauro Di Nardo, Michele Degano and Chris Gerada

Energies 2022, 15(10), 3719; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15103719 - 19 May 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2579

Abstract

Synchronous reluctance (SynRel) machines are considered one of the promising and cost-effective solutions to many industrial and mobility applications. Nonetheless, achieving an optimal design is challenging due to the complex correlation between geometry and magnetic characteristics. In order to expand the limits formed by template-based geometries, this work approaches the problem by using topology optimization (TO) through the density method (DM). Optimization settings and their effects on results, both in terms of performance and computation time, are studied extensively by performing optimizations on the rotor of a benchmark SynRel machine. In addition, DM-based TO is applied to an existing rotor geometry to assess its use and performance as a design refinement tool. The findings are presented, highlighting several insights into how to apply TO to SynRel machine design and its limitations, boundaries for performance improvements and related computational cost. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Drives)

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18 pages, 2186 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Study of Non-Rare-Earth and Rare-Earth PM Motors for EV Applications

by Yawei Wang, Nicola Bianchi and Ronghai Qu

Energies 2022, 15(8), 2711; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15082711 - 7 Apr 2022

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3885

Abstract

Recently, non-rare-earth motors are attracting more and more attention due to the booming of the electric vehicle (EV) market and, more importantly, the increasing price of the rare-earth magnet material. This paper focuses on the performance comparison among a commercial interior permanent magnet (IPM) motor and two non-rare-earth motors, including a synchronous reluctance motor (SynRM) and a permanent-magnet-assisted synchronous reluctance motor (PMaSynRM). The design procedure to develop a high-torque-density, low-torque-ripple and high-efficiency SynRM is presented. Combined with a developed automatic modeling and simulation procedure, the finite element analysis (FEA)-based differential evolution (DE) algorithm is introduced for the SynRM rotor optimization. In order to fully inspire the potential of the SynRM, a novel method to optimize the motor split ratio is proposed under the constraint of the copper loss. In addition, different slot–pole combinations are investigated to maximize the motor torque, and the rotor structure is also dealt with towards the centrifugal stress at the maximum operating speed. Finally, the motor performance comparison is carried out, and the results show that although the SynRM achieves almost 61% cost savings, its poor torque capability, power factor and flux weakening (FW) capability are non-negligible defects. On the contrary, the PMaSynRM exhibits excellent features for the EV applications in terms of cost, torque density, efficiency and FW capability. This paper presents a novel split ratio optimization method for the optimal SynRM/PMaSynRM design and demonstrates the characteristics of the IPM motors, SynRMs and PMaSynRMs for EV applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Drives)

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15 pages, 11720 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Fast Experimental Magnetic Model Identification for Synchronous Reluctance Motor Drives

by Vasyl Varvolik, Shuo Wang, Dmytro Prystupa, Giampaolo Buticchi, Sergei Peresada, Michael Galea and Serhiy Bozhko

Energies 2022, 15(6), 2207; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15062207 - 17 Mar 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3385

Abstract

The accurate magnetic model is mandatory for high-performance control of high anisotropy synchronous machines. This paper presents a time-efficient and accurate magnetic model identification based on triangle current injection while the machine under the test is driven at a constant speed by a prime mover. The current injection pattern allows scanning the whole range of current, reducing the identification time compared to the standard constant-speed method (CSM) with the same level of accuracy. The ohmic voltage drop and inverter nonlinearities are compensated by using the average voltage of motor and generator modes. The synchronous reluctance machine is used as a case study for validation through the comparison between the experimental results obtained by the proposed method and the CSM against finite element simulation. Moreover, the temperature variation of the machine winding is measured showing no considerable changes during the identification test. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Drives)

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19 pages, 3061 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

A Permanent Magnet Assembling Approach to Mitigate the Cogging Torque for Permanent Magnet Machines Considering Manufacturing Uncertainties

by Haipeng Liu, Xin Jin, Nicola Bianchi, Gerd Bramerdorfer, Pengzhong Hu, Chengning Zhang and Yongxi Yang

Energies 2022, 15(6), 2154; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15062154 - 15 Mar 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2269

Abstract

Conventionally, the small mean and variance of peak-to-peak cogging torque of permanent magnet (PM) machines considering manufacturing uncertainties can be achieved by a robust design or by reducing the uncertainties range. However, the consequent compromise of other design objectives or the increase in the manufacturing costs are frequently inevitable. In this paper, the combination sequence of the uncertainties is highlighted and implemented to achieve a stable performance even for a non-robust design without increasing the cost too much. A PM assembling approach is proposed to mitigate the influences of PM uncertainties on cogging torque by means of combining the uncertainties in a particular sequence, where the effects of uncertainties would counteract each other. Both the singular type of PM uncertainties and the combined ones are considered in the assembling approach. Furthermore, the proposed approach is verified by comparing the cogging torque performance with PM randomly assembled models, where several hundreds of models featuring different uncertainties are calculated through the finite element method. The proposed approach is discussed, particularly for the application of mass production and a small amount of prototypes. Two prototypes with different PM assembling sequences are fabricated and further verify the effectiveness of the proposed PM assembling approach. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Drives)

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38 pages, 5327 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Artificial Neural Network Based Optimal Feedforward Torque Control of Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines: A Feasibility Study and Comparison with the State-of-the-Art

by Max A. Buettner, Niklas Monzen and Christoph M. Hackl

Energies 2022, 15(5), 1838; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15051838 - 2 Mar 2022

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4355

Abstract

A novel Artificial Neural Network (ANN) Based Optimal Feedforward Torque Control (OFTC) strategy is proposed which, after proper ANN design, training and validation, allows to analytically compute the optimal reference currents (minimizing copper and iron losses) for Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machines (IPMSMs) with highly operating point dependent nonlinear electric and magnetic characteristics. In contrast to conventional OFTC, which either utilizes large look-up tables (LUTs; with more than three input parameters) or computes the optimal reference currents numerically or analytically but iteratively (due to the necessary online linearization), the proposed ANN-based OFTC strategy does not require iterations nor a decision tree to find the optimal operation strategy such as e.g., Maximum Torque per Losses (MTPL), Maximum Current (MC) or Field Weakening (FW). Therefore, it is (much) faster and easier to implement while (i) still machine nonlinearities and nonidealities such as e.g., magnetic cross-coupling and saturation and speed-dependent iron losses can be considered and (ii) very accurate optimal reference currents are obtained. Comprehensive simulation results for a real and highly nonlinear IPMSM clearly show these benefits of the proposed ANN-based OFTC approach compared to conventional OFTC strategies using LUT-based, numerical or analytical computation of the reference currents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Drives)

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17 pages, 11231 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Improved Finite Control Set Model Predictive Current Control for a Two-Phase Hybrid Stepper Motor Fed by a Three-Phase VSI

by Chunlei Wang, Dongxing Cao, Xiangxu Qu and Chen Fan

Energies 2022, 15(3), 1222; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15031222 - 8 Feb 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2338

Abstract

In this paper, an improved finite control set model predictive current control (FCS-MPCC) is proposed for a two-phase hybrid stepper motor fed by a three-phase voltage source inverter (VSI). The conventional FCS-MPCC selects an optimal voltage vector (VV) from six active and one null VVs by evaluating a simple cost function and then applies the optimal VV directly to the VSI. Though the implementation is simple, it features a large current ripple and total harmonic distortion (THD). The proposed improved FCS-MPCC builds an extended control set consisting of 37 VVs to replace the original control set with only seven VVs. The increase in the amount of VVs helps to regulate the current more accurately. In each control period, the improved FCS-MPCC takes advantage of deadbeat control to calculate a reference VV, and only the three VVs adjacent to the reference VV are predicted and evaluated, which decrease the computational workload significantly. Build waveform patterns for all VVs in the unbalanced circuit structure to modulate the optimal VV using discrete space vector modulation, which improves the current quality in reducing current ripple and THD. The comparative simulations and experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Drives)

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14 pages, 4527 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Direct Drive Applications: Possible Replacement of Rare-Earth Permanent Magnet Motors

by Chaelim Jeong, Luca Cinti and Nicola Bianchi

Energies 2021, 14(23), 8058; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14238058 - 2 Dec 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2328

Abstract

This paper deals with the possibility to replace rare-earth permanent magnet (PM) motors in direct drive applications. According to previous researches, there are alternatives such as surface-mounted PM motors and spoke-type motors adopting Ferrite PMs, synchronous reluctance motors, with or without the assistance of low-energy PMs. Few studies have been carried out to compare all models at once, thus it is hard to choose which type motor is to be preferred as a valid alternative of rare-earth PM motors in direct drive applications. In this paper, the representative candidates listed above are analyzed and the results are compared with that of a rare-earth PM motor, which is considered as a reference motor. Additionally, the demagnetization phenomenon of the motors with Ferrite PMs is deeply analyzed because this kind of PM may be easily demagnetized by the stator flux. Finally, both strengths and weaknesses of each alternative motors are highlighted. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Drives)

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11 pages, 5401 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Shaft Voltage Reduction Method Using Carrier Wave Phase Shift in IPMSM

by Jun-Hyuk Im, Yeol-Kyeong Lee, Jun-Kyu Park and Jin Hur

Energies 2021, 14(21), 6924; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14216924 - 21 Oct 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2259

Abstract

Common-Mode Voltage (CMV) induces shaft voltage and bearing current due to the electrical interaction with the parasitic capacitance of the motor. CMV, shaft voltage, and bearing current are considered the major causes of bearing fault. Motor fault in a traction system poses a risk of accidents. Therefore, it is necessary to reduce the CMV and the shaft voltage to ensure the reliability of the bearing. However, some existing CMV reduction methods are based on asynchronized space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM), which will cause unacceptable harmonic distortion at a low switching frequency. Alternatively, some CMV reduction methods based on synchronized SVPWM burden the processor because they require a lot of calculation. In this paper, the method to reduce CMV and shaft voltage is proposed using carrier wave phase shift in SVPWM. CMV is explained in traditional SVPWM, and CMV is reduced by shifting the carrier wave phase of one phase. The simulation model is constructed through MATLAB/SIMULINK and Maxwell 2D/Twin Builder. Considering the proposed method, CMV, shaft voltage, and bearing current are analyzed by an equivalent circuit model. Moreover, the output torque behaviors with different input currents are analyzed through the simulation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue High Performance Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor Drives)

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