Fast Design Methodology for Synchronous Reluctance Machine Rotor with Circular Flux Barriers

Parametrization of rotor topology in synchronous reluctance machines (SynRM), particularly those with circular flux barriers, has been explored through two distinct approaches. The one with a classic model offers limited parameters, constraining design flexibility, while the other with a complete model of non-concentric barriers provides extensive design freedom at the cost of increased parameters to be optimized and potential superfluous geometries. It is essential to find a fast and effective way for rotor parametrization besides these two approaches. In this paper, a new rotor parametrization method is proposed, based on partly-concentric circular flux barriers and an equation revealed between key parameters. It exhibits a design freedom between the classic model with concentric flux barriers and the complete model with non-concentric ones. A simple but efficient equation is introduced to enlarge the parameter scan range while avoiding useless and unfeasible rotor geometries, making the method more time-efficient. The three methods are adopted to parameterize and optimize a same SynRM. Predesigned end angles of the flux barriers are introduced in the integer-slot machines to help reduce the number of parameters while maintaining a high optimization performance. At last, the performances of the optimized machines obtained from the three models are compared, validating the fastness and effectiveness of the proposed design methodology.