Fractional Horsepower Synchronous Reluctance Motor for Use in Home Appliances

Synchronous reluctance motors (SynRM) have remarkable advantages to traditional motors. Also, SynRMs have lower cost than permanent magnet motors and acceptable efficiency level. Therefore, in addition to industrial applications, it can be a good choice for all fractional horse power applications, include home appliances. In this article, design process of a three phase, 0.5 hp, 1500 RPM SynRM have been described. Then, the influence of the different design parameters on average torque and torque ripple of the motor were studied using finite element simulations. Final design of motor is prototyped and drive results are given at the end of the article. Keywords-synchronous reluctance motor; rotor barrier; torque ripple; average flux density; electrical loading.