A Novel Method for Finite-Element Modeling of a Commercial Synchronous Reluctance Machine

This article describes a methodology to create a finite element model of a synchronous reluctance machine where the manufacture parameters are unknown. The model is necessary to design and test a control strategy that maximizes the power conversion efficiency for the machine in a variable-speed renewable energy generation application. Since the machine under analysis is not a laboratory prototype, rather than a commercial one, none of the design and construction data are available, and the machine performance becomes impossible to estimate. The model is first accomplished by using the geometrical data obtained by disassembling the machine and then it is adjusted to match the inductances profile predicted by the Finite Element model and those measured by experimental test. This paper includes the information about materials, geometry, and windings arrangement necessary to build the model in the open source software FEMM 4.2. The results obtained from the model are validated with experimental test showing good agreement, becoming the model an excellent tool to get a deeper insight of the machine performance.