High Performance Fan Drive for a Suction Excavator

As part of a research project a new diesel-electric drive was developed for a high-performance fan of a suction excavator. The existing hydraulic and mechanical drive solutions will be replaced to improve system properties such as efficiency and controllability. Due to the limited installation space and weight restrictions in the vehicle, a permanent magnet excited water-cooled synchronous machine (PMSM) is suitable for this application. In addition, special requirements to robustness result from the mobile use on construction sites. This paper deals with the application-specific design of the electrical machine with a continuous output power of 160 kW. Different magnetic circuit designs are discussed. Furthermore, detailed magnetic and thermal calculations are performed for the design. Due to the relative high speed up to 5100 rpm, investigations on structural-mechanics are also necessary for the rotor design. Based on the calculations, the control system is considered and the system behavior is simulated. The drive properties are verified by measurements on a prototype.