Comparative Study of Fault-Tolerant Switched-Flux Permanent-Magnet Machines

The fault-tolerant capabilities are compared in this paper for the conventional double-layer switched-flux permanent-magnet machine and its single-layer counterparts, i.e., C-core, E-core, and modular. The comparison includes the interturn short-circuit and irreversible demagnetization faults. A combination of Simulink and finite element models is used in the study. Based on the predictions, it is found that the modular topology produces the lowest short-circuit current and also has the best demagnetization withstand capability while the conventional one produces the highest short-circuit current and has the worst demagnetization withstand capability. The frozen permeability method is employed to separate the flux produced by armature current and magnets, and the results showed that, besides the influence of short-circuit current, the available magnet volume and magnetic circuit configuration play an important role in the demagnetization process. It is also found that removing half of the magnets, such as using C-core, E-core, and modular topologies, generally improves the demagnetization withstand capability and also increases the torque per magnet volume. Measured results are also presented to validate the short-circuit current predictions and magnet demagnetization.