Design and analysis of a PM-assisted brushless WRSM for improving torque characteristics

Abstract

This paper proposes a permanent magnet assisted brushless wound rotor synchronous machine (PMa–BL–WRSM) design. The proposed machine has the advantage of a high starting torque compared to existing BL–WRSM topologies. Additionally, the average torque increases and the torque ripple is reduced when the permanent magnet assisted machine structure is used. PMa–BL–WRSM operates on the principle of brushless excitation using zero-sequence, third-harmonic current generation in the stator windings. The third harmonic component is harnessed to induce a voltage in the harmonic winding which is mounted on the rotor. As there is no flux generated from filed winding in the starting, the starting torque of the machine is also zero. To overcome the problem, permanent magnets (PMs) are inserted in each field tooth to provide the initial source of flux on the rotor. Finite element analysis is performed with the PM–BL–WRSM, and the elicited results are compared with the basic machine structure. The proposed machine operation is verified using 2-D finite element analyses using the ANSYS Maxwell analysis tool.