Winding Losses of Inverter-Fed Synchronous Reluctance Machine Using Different Magnet Wire Topologies

Among different AC motors, the synchronous reluctance machines (SynRM) have been an attractive choice for automotive applications. In a typical inverter-fed AC drive system, the stator windings carry a current with a large harmonic content, resulting in an increased AC loss. This paper investigates the additional copper losses caused by non-sinusoidal currents. Aiming at loss minimization, different winding topologies are investigated for a 5-kW SynRM including rectangular hairpins and stranded wire. Additionally, unlike other studies, transient AC finite element modeling under highly distorted current is conducted at strand level for a better selection of the best magnet wire topology.