Electromagnetic and Mechanical Analysis of a Modular Outer Rotor Synchronous Reluctance Machine for Light Propulsion Vehicles

This article presents the optimal design from the electromagnetic and structural point of view of a fault-tolerant modular outer rotor synchronous reluctance machine, a not previously constructed topology. Two new topologies with the rotor in modular construction, one with each pole of the rotor considered as a separate module and a segmented one where each rib of a module can be considered as independent, are compared with a classic structure. The electromagnetic analysis is carried out using FLUX 2D software. The main studied parameters are electromagnetic torque, torque ripple content, saliency ratio, and power factor. In order to optimize the power factor of the machine, a cosimulation procedure is carried out for each structure, by employing a MATLAB and FLUX 2D coupling. Based on the obtained performances, the best topology is selected. Furthermore, a mechanical analysis is performed to determine if the new proposed rotor meets the structural integrity at rated speed and to establish the maximum speed value that can be attained such that the structural failure of the rotor is prevented. A modular outer rotor synchronous reluctance machine is designed and built. Experimental results of testing the prototype are given to confirm the validity of the proposed machine.