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Advanced Electromagnetic Analysis and Modeling of Conventional and Special Electrical Machines

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "F: Electrical Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 April 2022) | Viewed by 31761

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Mauro Andriollo

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Guest Editor

Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
Interests: design of electrical machines; finite element analysis; electromagnetic design optimization; linear electric machines and actuators; magnetic levitation; modelization of electrical machines and drives
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Almost two centuries have passed (1821) since Faraday conceived the first device deploying electrical power to obtain a rotary motion. However astounding the progress since then, the evolution of electrical machines looks far from coming to an end. On the contrary, their growingly pervasive spread for countless applications in an increasingly competitive global market results in more and more challenging design goals to be achieved with very tight time constraints: Higher power/torque density requirements, tighter efficiency standards, improved dynamics, new materials and configurations, wider speed range, and multiphysics analysis are some of the issues designers may have to cope with. In the meantime, though, design techniques have been experiencing a dramatic evolution as well, supported by more and more advanced and powerful HW/SW computing resources.

The present Special Issue aims to be an opportunity for researchers to contribute to this exciting development sharing cutting-edge experiences and knowledge, as well as any related technological achievements, on the electromagnetic analysis, design, and modeling of conventional and special electrical machines. You are thus warmly invited to submit original contributions on topics including, but not limited to:

Innovations on electromagnetic configuration and/or materials (e.g., innovative design related to axial flux, transverse flux, flux switching, homopolar, linear machines);
Special applications (e.g., kinetic energy storage, cogeneration, electromagnetic gears, energy harvesting for wearable devices or remote low power load supply, magnetic levitation);
Fault-tolerant design and operation (e.g., segregated/multi-phase windings, contactless power transfer, magnetic bearings, suitable converter design, advanced fault diagnostics);
Integrated electromagnetic analysis and modeling for transient simulation (e.g., link between FEM code and numerical code for transient analysis, mathematical model extraction from electromagnetic FEA output);
Integrated multiphysics design (e.g., electromagnetic analysis combined with thermal and/or mechanic stress analysis, magnetohydrodynamics application);
Advances on computational analysis (e.g., mixed numerical/analytical codes, electrical machine magnetic/thermal circuit, parallel computing, deep learning and neural network techniques);
Advances on machine design optimization (multi-objective optimization, cutting-edge applications of stochastic/design-of-experiments techniques, etc.).

Dr. Mauro Andriollo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Finite element method
Computational electromagnetics
Electrical machine design
Electrical machine modelling
Magnetic circuit
Thermal circuit
Transient simulation
Electromagnetic optimization
Nature inspired optimization
Multi-objective optimization
Fault tolerant electromagnetic design
Transient simulation
Axial flux electrical machines
Transverse flux electrical machines
Homopolar electrical machines
Linear electrical machines
Flywheel
Magnetic levitation
Energy harvesting

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 2555 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Torque Limiters for Aerospace Actuator Application

by Syed Shahjahan Ahmad, Liya Tom, Antonino La Rocca, Salvatore La Rocca, Gaurang Vakil, Chris Gerada and Maamar Benarous

Energies 2022, 15(4), 1467; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15041467 - 17 Feb 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4382

Abstract

Safety and reliability of electrical actuators are essential for success of all electric and more electric aircrafts (MEA). Torque limiters improve the reliability of electromechanical actuators (EMA) by restricting the amount of force experienced by the actuator drive train components. If transmitted torque in the shaft exceeds a limit, it gives way in a controlled manner. This protects the actuator from potential failure and jamming. In this paper, different types of existing torque limiters are investigated for their suitability in aerospace EMA application and further integration within the electric motor. They classified based on the torque transmission mechanism and each type is described in detail. Operating principle and basic characteristics are reported. Comparative evaluation of commercially available devices is presented. It is found that those based on friction based and permanent magnet are most suitable due to their good torque density, reliability and high speed capability. Further, based on the characteristics, integration of torque limiter within the actuator motor is investigated in this paper. An example actuator motor is considered for integration. Different integration options suitable for the different types of torque limiting devices are described. Reduction in overall volume is shown for the integration options. Such integration can lead to improved reliability as well as higher power density resulting in next-generation actuator electrical drives for MEA. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Electromagnetic Analysis and Modeling of Conventional and Special Electrical Machines)

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19 pages, 4056 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimisation of the FE Model Based on the No-Load Test Measurement for Estimating Electromagnetic Parameters of an Induction Motor Equivalent Circuit Including the Rotor Deep-Bar Effect

by Jaroslaw Rolek and Grzegorz Utrata

Energies 2021, 14(22), 7562; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14227562 - 12 Nov 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1449

Abstract

The various measurement procedures for determination of electromagnetic parameters for the induction motor (IM) equivalent circuits including the rotor deep-bar effect were proposed in the literature. One of them is the procedure based on the load curve test (LCT). Since the execution of the LCT can pose some difficulties, especially in industrial conditions, as an alternative, the finite element method (FEM) can be employed to simulate the IM operation under the LCT. In this work we developed the optimisation technique for the finite element (FE) model. This technique is performed with the use of the stator current space-vector components which determine the IM input active and reactive power consumption during no-load operation. Relying on the LCT simulation carried out with the optimised FE model the inductance frequency characteristic can be determined and then used as the reference characteristic in the electromagnetic parameter estimation for the IM equivalent circuit including the rotor deep-bar effect. The presented research results demonstrate proper conformity between the inductance frequency characteristics obtained from the LCT performed experimentally and determined by means of the optimised FE model. Satisfactory conformity is also achieved in the case of the torque-versus-slip frequency curves acquired from the measurement and calculated by the IM space-vector model with estimated electromagnetic parameters. All of this validates the effectiveness of the proposed technique for the FE-model optimisation and the usefulness of the presented approach using the FEM in the electromagnetic parameter estimation for the IM equivalent circuit including the rotor deep-bar effect. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Electromagnetic Analysis and Modeling of Conventional and Special Electrical Machines)

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18 pages, 3227 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Significance of Anisotropic Thermal Expansion in High Speed Electric Machines Employing NdFeB Permanent Magnets

by Ram Kumar, Antonino La Rocca, Gaurang Vakil, David Gerada, Chris Gerada and Baylon G. Fernandes

Energies 2021, 14(22), 7558; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14227558 - 12 Nov 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1889

Abstract

Many high speed applications employ a surface permanent magnet (PM) machine topology with a retaining sleeve due to its robustness and ability to achieve high overall peripheral speeds as well as efficiencies. One often overlooked feature in the mechanical design of such machines, which has not achieved sufficient attention to date is the anisotropic thermal expansion of rare earth magnets, the degree of which varies for different magnet technologies. This paper investigates the effects of the aforementioned on the mechanical design of a high speed PM spindle machine with NdFeB magnets. The maximum allowable interference is found to be limited by the working temperature of the magnets while the minimum required interference is increased due to their anisotropic thermal expansion. Based on this, appropriate conditions are formulated to integrate a Neodymium Iron Boron (NdFeB) PM in high speed rotors. These modifications considering the shaft together with the magnet anisotropic thermal expansion are included in a proposed rotor design and validated using simulations in ANSYS mechanical environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Electromagnetic Analysis and Modeling of Conventional and Special Electrical Machines)

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19 pages, 7464 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Integrated Motor Drive: Mass and Volume Optimization of the Motor with an Integrated Filter Inductor

by Muhammad Raza Khowja, Gaurang Vakil, Chris Gerada, Chintan Patel, Shafiq Odhano and Patrick Wheeler

Energies 2021, 14(15), 4564; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14154564 - 28 Jul 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2126 | Correction

Abstract

The present trend of aerospace industries is being shifted towards a “More Electric Aircraft” system which needs to be high power dense. For this purpose, the integration technologies have gained massive interest, providing the benefits of reduced losses, weight, volume and cost. In this article, the integration concept of a passive filter inductor is presented for a permanent magnet synchronous motor. The integrated motor eliminates the need of an external inductor, thus, eliminates the added inductor losses, mass, volume and cost associated with it. The motor utilizes its’s inherent inductance to use it as a filter inductor instead of implementing a discrete inductor that is commonly placed between inverter and the motor terminals. Optimization study is carried out, where the filter branch windings are tapped, in terms of improving mass and volume and performance parameters such as power losses and torque ripple. From the optimization study, the motor with minimum weight and volume is experimentally validated at the rated conditions, in order to prove the concept feasibility. Total system weight and volume of integrated and traditional motor drives are compared, which gives the minimum weight of 2.26 kg and 3.14 kg respectively, and the minimum volume of 0.54 L and 1.1 L respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Electromagnetic Analysis and Modeling of Conventional and Special Electrical Machines)

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13 pages, 3141 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enhanced Model Reference Adaptive Control Scheme for Tracking Control of Magnetic Levitation System

by Rahul Sanmugam Gopi, Soundarya Srinivasan, Kavitha Panneerselvam, Yuvaraja Teekaraman, Ramya Kuppusamy and Shabana Urooj

Energies 2021, 14(5), 1455; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14051455 - 7 Mar 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2753

Abstract

Magnetic Levitation is a process in which an object is suspended with the support of the magnetic field. Despite being an unstable system, Magnetic Levitation Systems (MAGLEV) have profound applications in various fields of engineering. MAGLEV systems are sensitive, unstable, and nonlinear and uncertainties always pose a challenge in Controller Design. As a solution, adaptive controllers came into existence with adaptation mechanisms to cover the system uncertainties. In this study, a simple, novel, and an effective approach to the Enhanced Adaptive Control scheme is proposed for the ball position control and tracking of an unstable Magnetic Levitation System. The proposed Enhanced Model Reference Adaptive Scheme (EMRAC) follows the same phenomenon of the Model Reference Adaptive Scheme (MRAC) with a slight difference in its control strategy. The proposed scheme consists of Proportional-Integral-Velocity plus Feed Forward as the control structure and a modified version of the standard tuning rule is used as the adaptation mechanism. The control scheme is applied to a standard benchmark Magnetic Levitation System and the tracking performance of the scheme is tested by applying square and multi-sine pattern trajectories to the Magnetic Levitation System. The performance of the developed Enhanced MRAC performance is compared with that of the Proportional Integral Velocity with Feedforward Control (PIV+FF) scheme and the proposed control scheme is proven to be more suitable. The performance of the proposed scheme is also analyzed with Power Spectral Density and Root Mean Square Error to evaluate the ball position tracking control. It is inferred from the experimental results that Enhanced MRAC accommodates the changes and makes the system more reliable with good tracking ability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Electromagnetic Analysis and Modeling of Conventional and Special Electrical Machines)

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12 pages, 4197 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mechanical Cutting Effect of Electrical Steel on the Performance of Induction Motors

by Un-Jae Seo, Dong-Jun Kim, Yon-Do Chun and Pil-Wan Han

Energies 2020, 13(23), 6314; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en13236314 - 30 Nov 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1665

Abstract

This paper investigates the mechanical cutting effect on the performance of induction motors. Numerical modeling of cutting effect is described in this paper. The approach inverts the degradation of the permeability model for inclusion of it into magnetic vector potential formula by Newton method. The effect of cutting on iron losses is implemented in finite element simulation. The simulation results are compared with experimental results of prototype IE4 efficiency induction motors rated at 2.2 kW. One of them was manufactured with annealed electrical steel lamination to highlight the cutting effect on the performance of the motor. The notable effect of cutting was measured in increased stator current; however, negligible differences were found in measured iron losses. The presented model in this paper follows the measurements. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Electromagnetic Analysis and Modeling of Conventional and Special Electrical Machines)

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20 pages, 20317 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Multi-Objective Optimization of the Halbach Array Permanent Magnet Spherical Motor Based on Support Vector Machine

by Hongfeng Li, Lifeng Cui, Zigang Ma and Bin Li

Energies 2020, 13(21), 5704; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en13215704 - 31 Oct 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2725

Abstract

The fundamental harmonic amplitude and waveform distortion rate of the air-gap flux density directly affect the performance of a permanent magnet spherical motor (PMSM). Therefore, in the paper, the axial air-gap magnetic field including the end leakage of the Halbach array PMSM is analyzed and optimized. In order to reduce the calculation time of the objective function, the air gap magnetic field model adopts a non-linear regression model based on support vector machine (SVM). At the same time, the improved grid search (GS) algorithm is used to optimize the parameters of SVM model, which improves the efficiency and accuracy of parameter optimization. Considering the influence of moment of inertia on the dynamic response of the motor, the moment of inertia of the PMSM is calculated. This paper takes the air gap magnetic density fundamental wave amplitude, waveform distortion rate and rotor moment of inertia as the optimization objectives. The particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is used to optimize the motor structure with multiple objectives. The optimal structure design of the PMSM is selected from all of non-dominated solutions by the technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS). The performance of the motor before and after the optimization is analyzed by the method of finite element (FEM) and experimental verification. The results verify the effectiveness and efficiency of the optimization method for the optimal structure designing of the complex PMSM. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Electromagnetic Analysis and Modeling of Conventional and Special Electrical Machines)

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13 pages, 4218 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of Brushless Claw Pole Electrical Excitation and Combined Permanent Magnet Hybrid Excitation Generator for Vehicles

by Huihui Geng, Xueyi Zhang, Yufeng Zhang, Wenjing Hu, Yulong Lei, Xiaoming Xu, Aichuan Wang, Shanjian Wang and Liwei Shi

Energies 2020, 13(18), 4723; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en13184723 - 10 Sep 2020

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3094

Abstract

Aiming at the problems of large excitation loss and low power generation efficiency of silicon rectifier generators and the unstable output voltage of permanent magnet (PM) generators, a hybrid excitation generator (HEG) with suspended brushless claw pole electrical excitation rotor (EER) and combined magnetic pole PM rotor is proposed in the present work. With only one fractional slot winding stator, the generator adopts PM field as the main magnetic field and electrical excitation field as the auxiliary magnetic field, which not only retains the advantages of high efficiency of PM generators but also effectively reduces excitation consumption. The main structure parameters and the design method were analyzed, and a simulation analysis of no-load magnetic field distribution and flux regulation ability was carried out using finite element software to verify the rationality of the hybrid excitation parallel magnetic circuit design. Moreover, the no-load, load, regulation, and voltage regulation characteristics of the designed generator were tested, and the results show that the designed generator has a wide range of voltage regulation, which can ensure stable output voltage under variable speed and load conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Electromagnetic Analysis and Modeling of Conventional and Special Electrical Machines)

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Review

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25 pages, 6661 KiB

Open AccessReview

Review on the Traditional and Integrated Passives: State-of-the-Art Design and Technologies

by Muhammad Raza Khowja, Robert Abebe, Gaurang Vakil, Adam Walker, Chintan Patel, Chris Gerada, Phaneendra Babu Bobba and Giuseppe Leonardo Cascella

Energies 2022, 15(1), 88; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en15010088 - 23 Dec 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2923

Abstract

With the increased necessity of a high power density and efficient system in aerospace and marine industries, integrated motor drives provide an excellent solution in the modern era. Therefore, a close structural and functional integration of passive components has become a prerequisite task to make a compact overall system. This article reviews the existing motor drives system with integrated passive technologies. To start, the design aspect of the traditional and integrated filter inductors, using the area product approach, is discussed. Subsequently, layouts of traditional and integrated inductors are presented. The available capacitor technologies, suitable for integration, are also discussed with pros and cons of each capacitor type. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Electromagnetic Analysis and Modeling of Conventional and Special Electrical Machines)

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29 pages, 2724 KiB

Open AccessReview

Commercial Aircraft Electrification—Current State and Future Scope

by Liya Tom, Muhammad Khowja, Gaurang Vakil and Chris Gerada

Energies 2021, 14(24), 8381; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/en14248381 - 13 Dec 2021

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 6702

Abstract

Electric and hybrid-electric aircraft propulsion are rapidly revolutionising mobility technologies. Air travel has become a major focus point with respect to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The electrification of aircraft components can bring several benefits such as reduced mass, environmental impact, fuel consumption, increased reliability and quicker failure resolution. Propulsion, actuation and power generation are the three key areas of focus in more electric aircraft technologies, due to the increasing demand for power-dense, efficient and fault-tolerant flight components. The necessity of having environmentally friendly aircraft systems has promoted the aerospace industry to use electrically powered drive systems, rather than the conventional mechanical, pneumatic or hydraulic systems. In this context, this paper reviews the current state of art and future advances in more electric technologies, in conjunction with a number of industrially relevant discussions. In this study, a permanent magnet motor was identified as the most efficient machine for aircraft subsystems. It is found to be 78% and 60% more power dense than switch-reluctant and induction machines. Several development methods to close the gap between existing and future design were also analysed, including the embedded cooling system, high-thermal-conductivity insulation materials, thin-gauge and high-strength electrical steel and integrated motor drive topology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Electromagnetic Analysis and Modeling of Conventional and Special Electrical Machines)

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