article · IEEE Access
Synchronous reluctance machines commonly rely on three-phase stators, but their performance can be boosted by upgrading to a five-phase system while retaining the original rotor. By optimising the dimensions of the stator slots and teeth and using a combined star-pentagon winding, notable operational gains can be achieved. Transient computer simulations show that replacing the three-phase stator with the proposed five-phase design increases average torque by 17.41 per cent and raises efficiency by roughly 0.8 per cent under rated conditions. The performance benefits are even more pronounced at higher speeds, where torque rises by around 33 per cent and efficiency increases by 3.5 per cent at three times the rated speed. The upgraded configuration also provides substantial fault tolerance: when one phase is disconnected, the machine maintains nearly 99 per cent of the healthy three-phase rated torque.
Electric motors account for a substantial portion of industrial energy use, making improvements in efficiency and output torque highly valuable. Upgrading existing synchronous reluctance motors by replacing only the stator offers an effective way to improve machine power and reliability. Furthermore, the enhanced fault tolerance reduces operational risks in critical systems where sudden motor failure could cause costly disruptions.
This design approach could enable electric motor manufacturers and industrial operators to upgrade synchronous reluctance drives for improved power and reliability. Potential users include industrial applications requiring continuous operation under fault conditions. Because the work combines transient computer simulations with experimental testing of the reference three-phase machine, it is an applied research study that would require physical prototyping and validation of the five-phase stator before reaching commercial deployment.
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This paper investigates the performance of 3-phase synchronous reluctance machines (SynRMs) when upgrading their stator to 5-phase, keeping the same rotor. The design of the 5-phase stator has been optimized to select the optimal dimensions of the slots and teeth. Moreover, a combined star-pentagon winding is employed to further improve the machine performance. Different winding configurations have been studied and compared using 2D Ansys Maxwell transient simulations. It is observed that at optimal current angle and rated current, the average torque is increased by 17.41% when changing the 3-phase stator with the proposed 5-phase one. In addition, the efficiency of the 5-phase SynRM is increased by about 0.8% compared to 3-phase SynRM. At 3 times the rated speed, the torque and efficiency are significantly increased by around 33% and 3.5% respectively. Moreover, the 5-phase SynRM shows a superior performance in the faulty case with one phase opened. It works at 98.84% of the rated torque of the healthy 3-phase machine, whereas the 3-phase machine works at only 43.35% with huge torque ripple (228%). Finally, an experimental validation using the reference 3-phase machine has been done.
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DOI: 10.1109/access.2020.3014498
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