A Study on Design Method of Synchronous Reluctance Motor Based on Nonlinear MEC Using Newton-Raphson Method

Recently, policies for carbon reduction are being implemented worldwide to solve environmental and energy consumption problems. Minimum Energy Performance Standard (MEPS) is a carbon reduction policy for reducing energy consumption by regulating the efficiency of industrial induction motors. The induction motors have a low manufacturing cost and a simple structure, and it can be operated without control and have great advantages in maintenance so it is applied in various industrial fields. However, compared with other types of motors, there is a limit to improving the efficiency due to the additional loss generated in the cage of rotor. Synchronous reluctance motors (SynRMs) are attracting the most attention as an alternative to an induction motor since they are composed of only a copper winding and a core, manufacturing cost and durability are excellent Moreover, unlike induction motors, there is no secondary loss; therefore, it is evaluated as a high-efficiency industrial motor corresponding to MEPS. However, because of their complex rotor shape composed of multiple barriers and segments, SynRMs are typically designed using finite-element analysis, requiring a significant amount of time and trial and error. In this paper, a basic design method for a synchronous reluctance motor based on a nonlinear magnetic equivalent circuit using the Newton-Rapson method is presented. Finally, the design method of the synchronous reluctance motor is validated through performance tests using a prototype.