Optimal Design of Wound Field Synchronous Reluctance Machines to Improve Torque by Increasing the Saliency Ratio

This paper proposes an optimal design for a salient pole wound field synchronous machine (WFSM) with a single flux barrier to improve torque performance and obtain a wide operating range, simultaneously. The proposed WFSM motor can effectively decrease q-axis inductance to improve the saliency ratio (X
_d
/X
_q
) and increase the reluctance torque. To maximize the saliency ratio and improve the torque characteristics, the single flux barrier is optimized, considering the magnetic saturation that uses Kriging method based on Latin hypercube sampling and a genetic algorithm. The 2-D finite element analysis results by the aid of JMAG-Designer shows that the saliency ratio X
_d
/X
_q
, the reluctance torque, and the total torque of the optimal model are increased by 9.27%, 20.45%, and 6.17%, respectively, compared with those of the basic model. Finally, the performance of the optimal motor is verified through an experimental test, which indicates good agreement with the simulation results.