Performance and cost comparison of PM BLDC motors for ceiling fan

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative study of performance and cost of three phase permanent magnet brushless DC (PM BLDC) motor for ceiling fan using bonded NdFeB and ferrite magnets. PM BLDC motors are designed for an output power of 22W. The output power is calculated by measuring the blade characteristic of the fan. Weight & cost of active materials in both designs are compared. It is shown that even though weight of ferrite motor is approximately 1.47 times that of bonded NdFeB motor, but overall cost of the motor is only 77.8% that of bonded NdFeB motor. Also, it is possible to achieve comparable efficiency using ferrite magnets.