An optimization-oriented sizing model for brushless doubly fed reluctance machines: Development and experimental validation

•The electromagnetic modeling of brushless doubly fed reluctance machines is addressed.•An optimization-oriented semi-analytical model is proposed for sizing this machine.•The coupling and solution of model equations by a deterministic algorithm is discussed.•FEA simulations and experimental results are presented to validate the method.

This paper deals with the electromagnetic modeling and design aspects of brushless doubly fed reluctance machines (BDFRM). It presents the development and the experimental validation of a semi-analytical model (SAM) used for sizing new machine designs. The SAM is an optimization-oriented model implemented using analytical approaches and a deterministic optimization algorithm to find an optimal machine by solving iteratively an objective function, whereas satisfying several output constraints simultaneously. It is fast and accurate for pre-design stages, premises that are confirmed by both simulation and experimental results.