Permanent Magnet Eddy-Current Losses in 2-D FEM Simulations of Electrical Machines

The prediction and calculation of eddy current losses occurring in permanent magnets (PMs) of electrical machines is of great interest. Most accurate results are achieved using 3-D finite-element (FE) simulations, which require long computation times and elaborate models. Due to this, 3-D methods are only applied in the final stage of the machine design process. This paper presents different methods to calculate eddy-current losses in PMs by 2-D FE simulations. A radial 2-D FE solver in combination with an axial 2-D FE solver is developed enabling the prediction of the eddy current paths in three dimensions with the associated losses. This approach is applicable to both surface mounted and interior PMs.