Fast and accurate methodologies for the eddy current losses analysis in axially laminated rotor of synchronous reluctance machines under different loads

The authors present two fast and accurate methodologies for the computation of eddy current losses in the axially laminated rotor of a synchronous reluctance machine. The methodologies are based on different combinations of the finite element method in time and frequency domains with 2D and 3D formulations. First, a comparative study of the 2D and 3D formulations for loss calculation is presented, considering various load angles of the machine to illustrate the problem of eddy-current losses in this type of machines and its dependence on the load angle. The influence of the iron saturation on the loss calculation is also evaluated in these computations. A novel correction factor based on the computations at two load angles is proposed to convert the losses computed from a 2D model to match those computed from a 3D model. For the sake of generality, investigations are also conducted for various thicknesses of the lamination layers and different machine lengths, and an analytical method to describe the dependency of eddy-current losses on the load angle of the machine is introduced. Moreover, a simplified method is proposed for modelling eddy currents in the frequency domain and calculating losses in an axially laminated structure based solely on the results of a magnetostatic solution. The results obtained by the simplified model demonstrate excellent agreement with the full 3D magneto-dynamic simulation. Overall, the findings contribute to understanding and accurately characterising the eddy current losses in axially laminated rotors, offering potential insights for designing and optimising axially laminated synchronous reluctance electric machines.