Magneto-thermal PMSM Performance Simulation with Validation

In this article, appearing in the Fall 2020 issue of Engine + Powertrain Technology International, Altair outlines how a holistic approach to propulsion system design is enabling manufacturers to meet performance requirements while maximizing vehicle range.

Transformers’ windings experience mechanical loads from electromagnetic forces due to the currents they carry. Power transformers can suffer from high sudden short-circuit currents. These short-circuit currents are a significant threat, not only from an electrical but also from the structural integrity point of view. In this paper, coupled electromagnetic and structural mechanics simulations are carried out to evaluate short-circuit fault risks in a comprehensive and accurate way.

Simulation helps you validate at the end of a product design cycle, but deployed early and throughout a development process, it can actually allow you to explore more potential solutions, collaborate more effectively and optimize the design for cost, performance, weight, and other important criteria. This infographic provides a framework for developing and implementing your own simulation-driven process to help you produce more efficient e-motors and shorten development times. 

High accuracy sensors and encoders are integral components of an e-motor drive, greatly impacting the quality and efficiency on the system. A purpose-driven simulation approach is needed to account for all the physical interdependencies within these complex multi-domain systems.

Induction Motors (IM) are widely used in various industries. To ensure their speed control, IM will be supplied with pulse width modulation (PWM). This kind of supply, can impact efficiency of the motor and degrade its vibro-acoustic behavior, generating noise nuisance. To tackle these technical challenges and ensure best-in class acoustic comfort for users, it is necessary to design a quiet e-motors at the early stage of design. The first aim of this paper is to show a new method to reduce noise and vibration due to PWM supply of induction machine. The proposed approach allows the passive reduction of air-gap flux density harmonics in an induction machine. The second interest, is to show a new method to analyze the vibro-acoustic behavior of a PWM-fed IM. The method is fully finite element (FE) computation. Finally, the third interest of this article, is to compare noise and vibration results between the proposed FE method, magneto-vibro-acoustic coupling and measurements. Good agreement between measurements and computation will be shown.

Today, most products are complex mechatronic combinations of advanced technologies, mixing electrical parts with controllers and embedded software. To efficiently manage innovative products, organizations are turning to a Model-Based Development approach for concept studies, control design, multi-domain system simulation and optimization. To meet this demand, Altair’s simulation and optimization suite aims to transform design and decision-making throughout product lifecycles with their multi-disciplinary software tools and consultancy services.

This paper describes the process of using Altair tools such as Flux for synchronous permanent magnet motor EM FEA analysis and HyperStudy to minimize the weight of the NdFeB magnets of a typical IPM motor for electric traction application such as the IPM motor of the Toyota Prius 2010.

In an electric machine, the torque is generated by electromagnetic forces which also create some parasitic vibrations of the stator. These vibrations excite the mechanical structure on which the motor is fixed and generate sound. When designing the electric machine, this aspect has to be taken into account from the start since it depends on the harmonic content of the currents that feed the machine, on the shapes of the rotor and stator, and on the interaction of the electric frequencies with the natural mechanical modes of the structure. To simulate this phenomenon, a coupling between electromagnetic calculations and vibration analysis has to be set-up. Some optimization procedure can also be added in order to reduce the noise. In what follows, it is shown how Altair HyperWorks suite; specifically FluxTM, OptiStruct®, HyperMesh® and HyperStudy® products have been successfully used to perform a multi-physics optimization for noise reduction in a fuel pump permanent magnet motor.

Since approximately 40% of grid losses are dissipated from power transformers, there is now a great need to analyse these important components of the electrical network. Altair Flux 2D / 3D plays a key role in those investigations.