Experimental validation of an enhanced permeance network model for embedded magnet synchronous machines

- A simple and fast permeance network model has been developed.
- The magnetic saturation of materials and rotor motion are accounted.
- The precision is controlled through the number of the magnet and slot elements.
- It has been fully validated by experiments with a 75-kW PMSM with excellent results.
- Highly accurate PMSM performance prediction is obtained without time consuming FEM.

This paper presents an enhanced permeance network model (PNM) for embedded permanent magnet synchronous machines. PNMs are characterized by very fast and accurate results. This approach overcomes some weaknesses associated to analytical models, such as the difficulty of accurately predicting the embedded magnet machines behavior or taking into account the nonlinear behavior of the magnetic materials. The proposed model is a parameterized, rotor motion accounting, nonlinear PNM capable of computing the radial and the tangential airgap fluxes, the back electromotive force and the electromagnetic torque. A fully sensorized, 75 kW PMSM has been designed and manufactured in order to perform an experimental validation. The validation has also been supported by finite-element analysis (FEA) in FLUX2D®. The experimental results confirmed the accuracy of the proposed model and the possibility of avoiding the time-consuming FEA in PMSM designs.