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Design Improvement of a Single-Phase Brushless Permanent Magnet Motor for Small Fan Appliances
Mauro Andriollo, Manuel De Bortoli, Giovanni Martinelli, Augusto Morini, and Andrea Tortella
AbstractIn this paper, an adaptation of a shaded pole motor operating as a single-phase brushless PM motor is studied. After properly designing the rotor PM ring to avoid demagnetization problems, a nonlinear mathematical model for performance assessment and design improvement is proposed. The calculation of the model parameters is carried out by 2-D FEM analyses suitably corrected to also take into account 3-D effects, mainly due to different stator and rotor lengths. The procedure implemented in a numerical code makes it possible to investigate signicant design aspects and determine the mechanical characteristic related to motor congurations adopted for small fan appliances. Index TermsBrushless (BL) machines, electromagnetic transient analysis, home appliances, permanent magnet (PM) motors, rotating machine transient analysis.

PFe , Pf , P0 Pc 2 Pj = Rs Is Ps PFe,h , PFe,ec Pf J Br , Hc

Iron, friction, and no-load losses. Mean converted power. Ohmic losses. Input active power. Hysteresis and eddy current losses at . Friction losses at . Total momentum of inertia. PM remanence and coercivity. I. I NTRODUCTION

N OMENCLATURE H 0 l0 , lPM , hPM Ri Cdc Rs , Ls um , im udc us , is , es is , is Is s s , Tem

, Tem s

k , L0 , kT Tem,0 , rT Ts T L , PL T0

Position of PM magnetization axis. Hall sensor position. Rest position of the PM rotor. Angular speed (rated value ). Lamination length, PM length, and height. Stator inner radius. Capacitive lter. Winding resistance and incremental inductance. Mains voltage and current. Rectied voltage. Stator voltage, current, and back EMF. Stator currents in the bilar windings. Stator current rms value. Phase displacement between the fundamental components of is and es . Stator ux linkage and electromagnetic torque related to 2-D FEM analysis. Stator ux linkage and electromagnetic torque including 3-D effects. Correcting coefcients of s and Tem to take into account 3-D effects. Mean electromagnetic torque and torque ripple. Starting torque. Load torque and power. Torque related to the no-load losses.

Manuscript received February 13, 2009; revised August 27, 2009. First published September 18, 2009; current version published December 11, 2009. This work was supported by Everel Group Spa. The authors are with the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy (e-mail: tortella@die.unipd.it; mauro.andriollo@ unipd.it; manuel.debortoli@unipd.it; giovanni.martinelli@unipd.it; augusto. morini@unipd.it). Digital Object Identier 10.1109/TIE.2009.2031665

INGLE-PHASE brushless (BL) permanent magnet (PM) motors are a viable solution for enhancing efciency and reliability in domestic appliances [1]. Several congurations have been proposed to replace the traditional ac line-start motors (i.e., universal and induction types) which differ according to the starting method, the load torque and inertia, and the current supply strategy (trapezoidal or sinusoidal supply). Cagetype synchronous hybrid PM/reluctance motors are indicated mainly for fractional horsepower applications with large load inertia (i.e., compressors), where high efcient operation at line frequency is needed [2], [3]. In the range of subfractional horsepower typically requested for small fan or pump appliances, more compact and costeffective solutions have been developed; such congurations consist of a ring PM rotor with axial magnetization and of a C-shaped or circular-shaped salient pole stator with single- or split-phase winding topologies. The main features are: 1) simple and robust rotor construction; 2) low copper losses and iron losses conned in the stator; 3) low electromagnetic and acoustic noise emissions; 4) high speed and controllability by cheap electronic packages. Although they normally operate as BLDC motors, the selfstarting capability must be ensured by appropriate electromagnetic design, which overcomes torque dead points, particularly when frictional loads must be driven. To this end, different solutions concerning the magnetic circuit shape have been suggested to obtain a nonzero alignment torque and limited cogging effects. The more important ones are tapered or asymmetric air gap [1], [4][9], stepped or notched teeth [1], combination of equal and unequal air gaps [10], axial conguration with PMs distributed nonuniformly on one of the two rotor discs [11] and a saturating bridge near the stator interpolar axis similar to shaded pole (SP) motors [12]. Another promising conguration is the ux-switching PM machine [13], as it has a simple salient-pole rotor, while windings together with the PMs are located on the stator: self-starting in the required direction

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Fig. 1.

Two-pole single-phase BLPM motor (courtesy of Everel Group).

Fig. 2. Drive circuits of the motor of Fig. 1. (a) One coil per pole (A, B: pole coils). (b) Bilar winding (A A and B B : mutually coupled pole coils). T1 , . . . , T4 : power switches. P, N: dc link terminals.

is enabled by adopting an asymmetric shape of the rotor pole surface. The single-phase motor operation is generally controlled by a drive circuit which supplies the winding according to the signals provided by a Hall sensor, which is carefully positioned to allow starting in the right direction, to maximize torque and to synchronize the mechanical load. Sensorless approaches have been also proposed [12], [14], [15]; however, the presence of parametric uncertainties, the more complicated control algorithm, and the circuit logic layout generally counterbalance the benet of sensor elimination. In this paper, a watt-rated single-phase PM motor (Fig. 1) is considered, where the self-starting capability is obtained by using the same lamination of an existing stator SP induction motor. In this case, shifting of the PM alignment with respect to the winding magnetic axis is enabled by the slot of the shortcircuited coil. A starting torque is therefore obtained by supplying a suitable polarity current. Two possible drive circuits can be applied: an H-bridge bipolar converter which supplies the two-stator series-connected coils A and B [Fig. 2(a)] and a halfbridge converter which supplies a bilar winding [Fig. 2(b)]. The latter drive adopts a cheaper converter but it makes the winding arrangement more complicated as two strictly coupled semicoils (A A and B B ) with opposite polarity must be wound around each pole [16], [17]. Furthermore, this solution leads to other problems: 1) twice the stator voltage is applied on the semicoils of the same pole, requiring additional wire insulation; 2) each semicoil carries the whole current for half the period, requiring twice as many turns per pole with respect to a correspondent H-bridge converter;

3) voltage spikes over the switch and torque discontinuities can arise during the switching intervals. In the literature, different approaches for the design and analysis of this kind of motor have been suggested, including analytical [9], numerical [16], and FEM-based methods, the latter using numerical code to calculate the model parameters [6], [17], [18] or to perform full transient analyses [7]. In this case, the complexity of the electromagnetic conguration (particularly the presence of the SP slots and of the stator bridges) makes the application of analytical formulas very troublesome, even because of the high local magnetic saturation. At the same time, full transient solutions would be remarkably time consuming for the purpose of extensive parametric analyses. A nonlinear mathematical model has been developed to enable dynamic simulation under different operating conditions and to investigate the motor performances for different supply strategies and load conditions. The electromagnetic parameters included in the dynamic equations are evaluated by a sequence of 2-D FEM magnetostatic analyses corresponding to different rotor positions and armature current values. In contrast to other approaches, the proposed model takes into account the 3-D effects (i.e., PM rotor longer than stator lamination stack) by suitable correcting functions of the 2-D model parameters [19]. After the description of the procedure adopted for the dynamic simulation, some verications of the proposed model are carried out by means of both transient FEM simulations and experimental data obtained by testing a prototype for fan appliances provided by Everel Group. Lastly, the results of a parametric analysis to evaluate the motor performances as functions of speed are presented and discussed. II. P ERFORMANCE E VALUATION The motor performances are evaluated by the numerical solution of the electromechanical equations, where the electromagnetic parameters are predetermined functions of the PM position and of the stator current is . The electrical and mechanical equations can be written as follows: us = Rs is + ds (, is )/dt = Rs is + es (, is ) + Ls (, is ) dis /dt Tem (, is ) = J d/dt + T0 () + TL () (1)

with es = s / , Ls = s /is , and T0 = P0 /. Tem includes both the cogging effect and the interaction between the armature MMF and the PM ux. P0 is given by the sum of the iron, PM, and friction losses; neglecting the contribution of PM eddy currents adopting ferrite PMs, the iron and friction losses as functions of speed are expressed as
PFe () = PFe,h / + PFe,ec (/ )2 Pf () = Pf (/ )2 .

(2)

In general, PFe is also dependent on armature MMF; however, in this case, the magnetic working point does not appreciably modify from no-load to load condition, as small current values

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are sufcient to saturate the stator lamination. As regards the load torque, the typical formulation related to fan appliances TL = kL is assumed, where kL depends on the fan type. A. Mathematical Model The functions which describe the dependence of es , Ls , and Tem on and is are derived from the results of 2-D FEM magnetostatic analyzes, where the PM magnetization direction and the armature MMF are varied without changing the mesh. In particular, s and Tem are expressed by truncated Fourier expansions as functions of (n1 , n2 : harmonic orders):
n1

demagnetization and winding thermal stresses. At steady state, some indexes are evaluated from the instantaneous values of the electromagnetic quantities, provided that during the transient starting phase the maximum value IsM is not exceeded. By means of harmonic interpolation of the steady-state waveforms, the following quantities are determined: 2 1) the ratios rs1 = Tem,0 /Is , rs2 = Tem,0 /Is and the phase displacement s : such indexes are related to the conversion efciency of the input power, which is useful to identify the optimal positioning of the Hall sensor; 2) the torque ripple given by rT =
2 Tem,k k=2h,h=1,n

Tem,0

(5)

s (, is ) =
k=0 n2

s,k (is ) cos(k) + s,k (is ) sin(k) s,k (is ) cos(k) + s,k (is ) sin(k)
k=1

Tem (, is ) =

(3)

with the Tem,k kth harmonic amplitude obtained from the Fourier analysis of Tem instantaneous values; 3) the motor efciency s dened as s = = PL Ps PL es is T0 . = 2 Pc + Pj + P0 es is + Rs Is + T0 III. E LECTROMAGNETIC D ESIGN This paper is focused on the adaptation of a commercial SP conguration to operate as a BLPM motor, according to the conguration shown in Fig. 1. The design quantities involved in the analysis are the stator winding and the PM characteristics (Br , Hc , hPM ), the same lamination being maintained to limit investment. The main design targets are avoidance of PM demagnetization, good self-starting behavior and torque performances comparable to standard stator congurations for single-phase BLPM motors. The winding characteristics are kept unchanged with respect to the SP motor (Rs = 750 , Ns = 2310 turns/pole) for the preliminary electromagnetic design, but they will be optimized successively by means of a dynamic analysis. A. Choice of PM Material and Height In Fig. 3, the ux lines and the ux density map obtained from a 2-D FEM solution are drawn. A ferrite PM is selected with Br = 0.22 T and Hc = 151 kA/m. The winding is supplied by the maximum current IsM = 0.1 A with PM axis positioned at = 90 , in order to simulate the worst demagnetization condition. In this case, the vertical ux density component By lowers to critical values near stator bridge punchings (dotted regions highlighted in Fig. 3), because of the ux leakage generated by the high magnetic saturation. The problem is solved by using a higher grade ferrite (Br = 0.35 T, Hc = 230 kA/m); this choice allows higher minimum By (> 60 mT), even with a reduced PM height (hPM = 6 mm instead of 8 mm). Afterward, the torque performances are evaluated as functions of hPM , by considering an active length lPM = l0 = 12 mm (Table I). The starting torque Ts is calculated by (6)

where the coefcients s,k , s,k , s,k , s,k are represented by cubic spline interpolating functions [18]. It is worth pointing out that the heavy magnetic saturation produced by fairly small currents requires the calculation of a higher number of samples to reproduce the dependence of s on current: some preliminary results have indeed evidenced numerical instabilities and inaccuracies due to a poor representation of Ls . The 3-D effects are mainly related to the excess of the PM axial length lPM with respect to the stator iron stack length l0 (necessary to activate the Hall sensor during the polarity transitions) and to the end-winding leakage uxes and axial fringing near to highly saturated regions of the stator cores. Their inuence on s and Tem is corrected by suitable coefcients k , L0 , kT , according to the following equations: = k s + L0 is s
Tem = kT Tem

(4)

with k and kT (both >1) accounting for the increase of ux and torque due to lPM > l0 and L0 for the additional leakage uxes. To take into account the dependence on the current and the rotor position, nI current values in the [Imax , Imax ] range and n rotor positions are considered, executing a reduced set of 3-D FEM magnetostatic simulations. The values s and Tem related to the set of n 3-D solutions with the same current value Ij(j = 1, . . . , nI ) are interpolated according to (3) as functions of . Then, the corresponding parameter values kT,j , k,j , and L0,j are averaged to obtain the nal constant values to be used in (4). B. Performance Indexes Performance indexes are dened rst to compare different congurations and control issues (i.e., Hall sensor positioning) and then to achieve an optimized motor design. As regards the starting capability, the torque Ts is calculated when the rotor is at the rest position 0 (angle for which Tem 0 with is = 0) and the winding is supplied by the maximum allowable current is = IsM , related to the switch rating, PM

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TABLE II C ONFIGURATIONS A NALYZED BY VARYING N OTCH P OSITION

Fig. 3. Flux lines and ux density map inside the PM (IsM = 0.1 A, = 90 ). Dotted circle D: demagnetization zones (brighter shading) inside the PM. TABLE I T ORQUE P ERFORMANCES AS F UNCTIONS OF PM H EIGHT

Fig. 5. Performance comparison for different notch parameters as reported in Table II. Subscripts 1, 2, 3 correspond to hn = 0.5, 1, 1.5 mm, respectively.

Fig. 4. One-pole section of a notched conguration. , , hn : geometric notch variables. 1, . . .,7: notch sectors.

imposing the current IsM = 0.1 A when the rotor is at the rest position 0 , the value of which is almost constant ( 160 ) regardless of the PM height and length. The quantities Tem,0 and rT are calculated assuming sinusoidal current source (maximum current IsM = 0.1 A) and quadrature load condition. Although such supply conditions do not accurately represent the practical motor operation, they can be useful for comparing different motors for a prompt preliminary design. The results reported in Table I prove the suitability of the proposed conguration for typical small fan appliances (Ts value is adequate for typical bearing friction resistance); in particular, the choice hPM = 6 mm is a good compromise between cost and performance issues. B. Comparison With Notched-Type Conguration The torque performances are compared with the ones related to a standard topology. A conguration frequently proposed in the literature adopts a notch in the stator pole (Fig. 4) to allow self-starting capabilities [1]. For this analysis, no air-gap shape restrictions have been set; then, with respect to Fig. 1, both the

SP coil slot and one of the outer punchings have been removed, maintaining the same PM and rotor sizes. The parameters dening the notch shape are the position with respect to the pole axis, the notch angular width , and the notch height hn : their values are found by means of a parametric analysis, calculating the torque quantities Ts , Tem,0 , and rT in a similar fashion to the preceding analysis. The analyzed congurations are reported in Table II; the notch is divided into seven sectors (X: sector included). In particular, 12 combinations {, } are selected: for each set, three values of notch height are also considered (hn = 0.5, 1, 1.5 mm), resulting in 36 examined congurations. For the performance comparison, a normalized objective function Fob is evaluated for each conguration, expressed as Fob= 1 Ts Tem,0 rT , +2 +3 Ts Tem,0 rT 1= 2= 3= 1 3 (7)

where Ts , Tem,0 , and rT are the reference values given by the average of all the calculated ones. Fig. 5 shows the per unit values of the torque quantities and the Fob progress; it can be noticed that the lower Fob values are obtained with 0 , thanks to the remarkable improvement of the starting torque. In particular, the conguration I1 minimizes Fob because Ts is three times higher than the reference value, while Tem,0 and rT are practically unchanged (Table III). The

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TABLE III R EFERENCE AND I MPROVED T ORQUE VALUES FOR N OTCHED T YPE M OTOR

TABLE IV M AIN M ODEL PARAMETERS

Fig. 7. Comparison of simulated and measured standstill torque (is = 11.6 mA).

50% is obtained, making the proposed procedure convenient for parametric and optimization purposes. B. Experimental Verication of Electromagnetic Torque In order to determine the correcting coefcients in (4), rst, some FEM 3-D results are veried by static measurements performed on a preliminary prototype without the drive circuit, having a ratio lPM /l0 = 16/12 mm. In particular, Tem is measured as a function of the rotor position with constant current supply, in order to verify the model and material parameters. The simulated data shown in Fig. 7 are to some extent in good agreement with the measurements, even if slight uncertainties are present near the position of maximum torque. Some factors affecting such uncertainties are the approximated measurements of the setup balancing loads, the difculty of improving the 3-D mesh inside the air gap, the presence of mechanical tolerances which can heavily affect the electromagnetic working point and nally uncertainties of the PM and lamination characteristics. C. Calculation of 3-D Correcting Coefcients By means of a limited set of 3-D analyzes (nI = 5, n = 7), the coefcients kT , k , and L0 are calculated: the resulting values (kT = 1.082, k = 1.04, L0 = 0.67 H) denote that the average increase of Tem is remarkably lower than the ratio lPM /l0 and that the contribution of the 3-D leakage ux is not, in general, negligible ( +9% of the total 3-D inductance). The effect of the correction parameters can be shown in Figs. 8 and 9, where a test condition related to a sinusoidal current source supply is simulated (Is = 0.1 A, quadrature condition between armature MMF and PM ux). The 2-D corrections on the torque and ux linkage are in very good agreement with the 3-D results. Fig. 8 shows the ux linkage discontinuity near the interpolar axis ( 90 ), where the current becomes zero; for this position, Tem is small but not null because of cogging effects. V. H ALL S ENSOR P OSITIONING The Hall sensor position is determined to obtain adequate starting torque, predened direction of rotation and maximum

Fig. 6. Comparison of instantaneous current and torque calculated by the proposed model and by a commercial 2-D FEM transient code.

nal results are at any rate comparable to the result obtained for the SP stator (Ts is even 7% higher), proving the effectiveness of the initial motor conguration. IV. DYNAMIC M ODEL S ETUP AND V ERIFICATION The numerical integration of the dynamic equations (1) allows us to investigate some design aspects, such as: 1) check of the load synchronization capability; 2) optimal sensor positioning (H in Fig. 1); 3) determination of the steady-state motor characteristics; 4) comparison of different winding characteristics. The main model parameters are given in Table IV: PFe,h and PFe,ec are derived from the lamination datasheet, while Pf is estimated from similar rated SP motors using the same bearings. The coefcients J and kL are set with reference to a typical commercial fan. The electromagnetic parameters (3) are determined by interpolating 2-D FEM data with n1 = n2 = 5. A. Check by FEM Transient Code First, the results obtained by implementing the model in a Simulink code are compared with those of a commercial transient FEM code, without introducing any 3-D correction. This analysis aims only to test the model, assuming an ideal square wave with constant udc = 100 V requested to reach the steady-state speed . Fig. 6 shows that the proposed mathematical model correctly reproduces both the current harmonic content and the torque ripple. Furthermore, a reduction in the calculation time of about

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Fig. 8. Comparison of the instantaneous ux linkage calculated by the FEM code (sinusoidal current supply).

Fig. 10. (a) Starting and (b) steady-state instantaneous values of the speed and the electromagnetic torque for different H values. TABLE V PARAMETRIC A NALYSIS TO I DENTIFY S ENSOR P OSITION

Fig. 9. Comparison of the instantaneous torque calculated by the FEM code (sinusoidal current supply).

steady-state torque/current ratio, implying the phase coincidence of is and es fundamentals (s 0). The achievement of such conditions can be troublesome because of the frequency variation during the transient phase, the high winding inductance which is also dependent on current, the high harmonic content of es , and the lack of a current regulation. Some strategies are proposed (i.e., phase commutation advancement, modulation of the conduction interval) [5], [16], [20], which however are to be tuned according to the application type. In this case, the proposed model can execute an exhaustive analysis of the motor operation as a function of the position H by means of a parametric procedure. For the dynamic simulation, an H-bridge supply converter [Fig. 2(a)] is considered which imposes an ideal square wave (udc = 320 V, Rs = 3114 , Ns = 4700 turns/pole). The commutation between positive and negative terminals is controlled according to the Hall sensor signal, reversed when the position of the PM interpolar axis matches H , neglecting hysteresis effects: T1 T4 or T2 T3 are then switched, according the PM polarity, no additional delay angle being introduced throughout the acceleration process. The rotor initial position is assumed equal to 0 . Fig. 10 shows the instantaneous proles of and Tem related to starting and steady-state operation for different H values and assuming counterclockwise rotation. In particular, H = 30 not only allows higher steady-state Tem,0 than H = 10 as conrmed by the higher speed value but also a slightly lower starting torque. This condition is due to the phase advancement

which penalizes the initial operation, but improves the steadystate agreement between is and es . The value H = 10 which is near the theoretical optimal position (null ux linkage with no motor supply) causes a general worsening in the motor performance, mainly because of the high phase lag s . Such considerations may be useful for a tuning of the supply strategy, for instance to produce a real-time correction of the commutation instants according to the speed value. Table V reports the steady-state results, where the remarkable improvement of Tem,0 (up to +30%) and the reduction of Is are obtained by shifting the sensor clockwise until H = 30 , since s reduces from to 45 to 0 . Afterward, Tem,0 increases further, but also Is and then the ohmic losses do so: the optimal position is found in order to maximizes simultaneously the indexes rs1 and rs2 (H = 30 from Table V). It is worth noting that the reduction in s determines a lower torque ripple rT as well, making the motor less noisy. The performance improvement by adopting H = 30 is also shown in Fig. 11 which denotes higher es values because of the higher steadystate speed and smoother current waveform. VI. I NFLUENCE OF W INDING C HARACTERISTICS The inuence of winding characteristics on the motor steadystate performances is analyzed by a parametric procedure. The examined congurations are chosen to cover different design and commercial issues such as consistency with multiple fan types and sizes, reduction in energy consumption and savings in the drive cost. To this end, both the unilar [Fig. 2(a)] and bilar [Fig. 2(b)] drive schemes are considered; in the second case, perfect coupling between A A and B B and conduction of one phase at a time are assumed. Two windings

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TABLE VII P ERFORMANCE C OMPARISON AT = 2300 RPM

Fig. 11. Instantaneous back EMF es and current is for two positions H and the electromagnetic torque for different H values. TABLE VI W INDING PARAMETERS FOR A NALYSIS AS F UNCTION OF S PEED

higher input current. However, this difference tends to lessen at high speeds, as W3 generates almost the same power as W2. At any rate, Table VII shows that W1 and W2 are much more efcient because of the lower ratio Pj /Ps . Even if the current density for W3 and W4 are slightly less than double than W1 and W2, the ohmic losses are reasonable for the application type. In addition, the torque ripple is slightly lower and consistent with the minimum attainable from this kind of motor. For the sake of comparison, the performances at the given speed of a commercial SP motor using the same laminations and stack length are also reported, related to a 220 V50 Hz ac line supply. The efciency gap by adopting a PM rotor is evident, even with reference to the congurations W3 and W4, which can produce up to three times the mechanical power with almost the same input power. The aforementioned analysis shows the possibility of producing multiple motor classes (i.e., W1 and W2) by simply modifying the winding characteristics with the same PM rotor, provided that the PM height is adequately sized to sustain the maximum demagnetization MMF. VII. C ONCLUSION The nonlinear mathematical model proposed in this paper enables the dynamic analysis of a small single-phase BLPM motor, which can be effectively applied for electromagnetic design purposes. In particular, the calculation procedure of the electromagnetic parameters makes it possible to deal with complex lamination geometries, high local magnetic saturation, and 3-D effects. In spite of the computational effort for the model denition, its implementation in a numerical code enables the simulation of both the transient starting phase and steady-state operation, with remarkable time savings with respect to full FEM transient solutions. Thus, parametric analyzes, e.g., variation of drive circuit and winding characteristics, can performed straightforwardly to optimize the motor operation. The code has been applied to study an adaptation of an existing SP conguration to operate as single-phase BLPM motor. After verifying the motor model on an experimental prototype, the Hall sensor position is optimized to fulll the starting and the steady-state performances. Lastly, the electromechanical characteristics are determined to adapt the winding parameters to different commercial fans without changing the magnetic conguration. R EFERENCES
[1] S. Bentouati, Z. Q. Zhu, and D. Howe, Permanent magnet brushless DC motors for consumer products, in Proc. 9th Int. Conf. Elect. Mach. Drives, Canterbury, U.K., Sep. 13, 1999, pp. 118122. [2] T. J. E. Miller, M. Popescu, C. Cossar, M. McGilp, G. Strappazzon, N. Trivillin, and R. Santarossa, Line-start permanent-magnet motor

Fig. 12. (a) Load torque and (b) power as functions of speed for different winding congurations.

are experimented with for each the drive congurations, having the characteristics shown in Table VI (Sc : coil section, c : wire diameter). The same available room for the coils is assumed ( 40 mm2 ). The simulations are carried out by imposing H = 30 and ideal square-wave supply with constant udc = 285 V, to take into account the voltage drop inside the drive circuit. In Fig. 12, the load torque and power are shown. All the torque characteristics decrease almost linearly with speed, allowing stable operation in the full speed range. Congurations W1 and W2 provide higher torque and power, mainly thanks to the

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[3] [4]

[5] [6]

[7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

[13] [14] [15] [16] [17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

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Manuel De Bortoli received the M.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Padova, Padova, Italy, in 2006, where he has been working toward the Ph.D. degree in the Department of Electrical Engineering since 2007. He is the coauthor of six publications (mainly in foreign reviews and congress proceedings) in the eld of computational magnetics, innovative electrical machines for transport applications, and for electrical energy generation.

Giovanni Martinelli received the M.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Padova, Padova, Italy, in 1974. Since 1975, he has been with the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Padova, where he has been a Full Professor since 2001. He is the author or coauthor of more than 100 publications (half of which appear in foreign reviews and foreign congress proceedings), mainly in the eld of electrical machines, both conventional and innovative, in the transportation eld, and in renewable energy.

Augusto Morini received the M.S. degree in industrial engineering from the University of Padova, Padova, Italy, in 1962. Since 1962, he has been with the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Padova, where he has been a Full Professor since 1980. In 1976, he was a Research Afliate with the Cryogenic Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. He was in charge of the Unit of Electrical Machines, University of Padova, for many national research projects. He has authored or coauthored more than 130 papers, mainly in foreign reviews and congress proceedings. His elds of interest are electrical machines, both conventional and innovative, transport systems, and renewable energies. Prof. Morini is a member of the Steering Committees of several international conferences.

Mauro Andriollo received the M.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Padova, Padova, Italy, in 1985. From 1991 to 1998, he was a Researcher with the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Padova. From 1998 to 2005, he was an Associate Professor with the Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy. Since 2005, he has been an Associate Professor with the University of Padova. He is the author or coauthor of more than 80 publications, mainly in foreign reviews and congress proceedings. His elds of interest are the development of computational methods for electromagnetic analysis and the design and modeling of electrical machines and drives.

Andrea Tortella received the M.S. degree in electrical engineering and the Ph.D. degree from the University of Padova, Padova, Italy, in 1993 and 1998, respectively. Since 1999, he has been a Research Assistant with the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Padova. He is the author or coauthor of 44 publications (mainly in foreign reviews and congress proceedings) in the eld of computational magnetics and innovative electrical machines (linear synchronous motors for industry and transport applications, permanent-magnet motors for electric vehicle propulsion, and permanent-magnet generators for renewable energy applications).