Design optimization of a switched reluctance motor.pdfVIP

3334 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MAGNETICS, VOL. 39, NO. 5, SEPTEMBER 2003 Design Optimization of a Switched Reluctance Motor by Electromagnetic and Thermal Finite-Element Analysis Wei Wu, John B. Dunlop, Stephen J. Collocott, and Bruce A. Kalan Abstract— This paper presents the design optimization of a switched reluctance motor (SRM) by using a combination of two-dimensional electromagnetic and thermal finite-element analysis, three-dimensional correction factors, and computer search techniques. To achieve the required performance within a specified space envelope, the physical dimensions of the SRM were optimized, subject to a minimal total material cost including motor and power electronics. A prototype SRM was built and its test results validated the design methodology. Index Terms—Design optimization, electromagnetic finite-ele- ment analysis, switched reluctance motors, thermal finite-element analysis. Fig. 1. 3-D EM finite-element model. I. INTRODUCTION WITCHED reluctance motors (SRMs) have found many Sapplications due to their simple and rugged construction, low cost, hazard-free operation, and ability to operate over a wide speed range at constant power [1]. In contrast to tradi- tional motors (such as induction motors), the SRM is intended to operate in deep magnetic saturation to increase the output power density. Therefore, because of saturation effects and the variation of magnetic reluctance, all the relevant characteris- tics (i.e., flux-linkage, inductance, torque) of the machines are highly nonlinear functions of both rotor position and p