Impact of Rotor Step Skew on the Performance of Synchronous Reluctance Machines

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the impact of harmonic-oriented step-skewing on the performance indices of a SynRM. A 36-slot, 6-pole, 3-barrier SynRM that has been previously optimized was chosen as the study case. The results verify that skewing can significantly decrease torque ripple at the cost of having a negative impact on the mean torque. More importantly, the saliency ratio and the current angle for MTPA are reduced, which penalizes power factor and efficiency. The findings of this research provide a deeper insight into the effect of various skewing steps on the performance indices of the machine.