A simple method to account for PWM eddy current iron losses in finite element analysis

The prediction of iron losses during time-stepped finite element analysis of electrical machines supplied by pulse width modulation is addressed. A simple approach to modify a typical FEA formulation to incorporate the eddy currents induced due to rapid changes in flux density is presented. Comparison of simulation results against test measurements indicates that the inclusion of the eddy current effect during the simulation significantly increases the accuracy of the iron loss calculation while reducing simulation time.