Comparative analysis of the three- and six-phase fractional slot concentrated winding permanent magnet machines

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse and compare the functional parameters of three- and six-phase permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM) with fractional-slot concentrated windings (FSCW).

Design/methodology/approach

The investigations are focused on the comparison of the distortions of back electromotive force (emf) and magnetomotive force (mmf) waveforms, as well as torque ripples, radial force spatial harmonics and motor performance studies. The finite element models of the test machine and a personally developed computer code have been used to calculate motor characteristics and analyse and synthesise multiphase winding layouts, respectively.

Findings

Compared with the traditional three-phase PMSM designs, the proposed six-phase machines are characterized by a significantly lower content of sub-harmonics in mmf waveform distribution. Moreover, the investigated six-phase machines exhibited a higher average value of electromagnetic torque, significantly lower torque ripples and a reduced value of low-order harmonics of the radial component of the electromagnetic force in the air-gap of the machine.

Originality/value

The analyses presented in this paper show that six-phase PMSM with FSCWs are advantageous to their counterpart three-phase machines. Specifically, they are more suited to working with multiple drives supplying a segmented winding system while simultaneously offering higher performance. This suitability to the use of a multi-drive supply for one motor offers flexibility and cost reduction while increasing the fault tolerance of a power train system.

Citation

Jedryczka, C. (2017), "Comparative analysis of the three- and six-phase fractional slot concentrated winding permanent magnet machines", COMPEL - The international journal for computation and mathematics in electrical and electronic engineering, Vol. 36 No. 3, pp. 811-823. https://doi.org/10.1108/COMPEL-09-2016-0431