A hybrid model to calculate air gap flux density for a V-shape Interior Permanent Magnet Machine

Abstract

Of the various classes of machines, Interior Permanent Magnet Machines (IPM) are widely used. V-shape IPMs have been reported to have higher power densities compared to other IPM topologies. Designing an IPM is challenging due to highly saturated areas in the rotor. One approach to machine design is based on multi-objective optimization. However, the high computation cost associated with modeling approaches that are commonly used for IPMs, such as Finite Element Analysis (FEA), often makes them difficult to implement in such contexts particularly if the design space is large and the number of operating points considered is significant. An alternative approach is therefore proposed wherein a Magnetic Equivalent Circuit (MEC) is combined with an analytical field analysis to calculate the air gap flux density for a V-shape IPM. The predictions of the proposed model are shown to agree with those obtained using FEA.