Conventional and HTS disc motor with pole variation control

In this paper, a poly-phase disc motor innovative feeding and control strategy, based on a variable poles approach, and its application to a High Temperature Superconductor (HTS) disc motor, are presented. The stator windings may be electronically commutated to implement a 2, 4, 6 or 8 poles winding, thus changing the motor's torque/speed characteristics. The motor may be a conventional induction motor with a conductive disc rotor, or a new HTS disc motor, with conventional copper windings at its two iron semi-stators and a HTS disc as a rotor. The conventional induction motor's operation principle is related with the induced electromotive forces in the conductive rotor. Its behaviour, characteristics and modelling through Steinmetz and others theories are well known. The operation principle of the motor with HTS rotor, however, is rather different and is related with vortices' dynamics and pinning characteristics; this is a much more complex process than induction, and its modelling is quite complicated. In this paper, the operation was simulated through finite-elements commercial software (FLUX2D), whereas superconductivity was simulated by the E-J power law. The Electromechanical performance of both motor's computed are compared. Considerations about the systems overall efficiency, including cryogenics, are also discussed.