Revolving-field polygon technique for performance prediction of single-phase induction motors

This paper presents a new analytical technique for improving the performance prediction of single-phase induction motors, especially capacitor motors. The technique uses the split-phase motor electrical equivalent circuit analysis together with electrical and magnetic parameters whose variation is computed from the equivalent balanced polyphase motor, so that the same magnetic circuit analysis can be used for both. (The term split-phase is used to cover motors operating from a single-phase supply but with the phase windings split into two orthogonal windings, one of which may have a capacitor in series with it during running or starting.) The technique accounts for the elliptical envelope of the magnetizing field vector and results in improved precision, since the three-phase electromagnetic model is considered to be more precise than the normal split-phase motor analysis. An important result is the computation of vector polygons of flux density for each section of the magnetic circuit, providing a better basis for core loss prediction. The double-frequency torque ripple is also obtained from the stator magnetomotive force and flux-density polygons. Three different electrical equivalent circuit methods for the split-phase motor (based respectively on the cross-field theory, forward- and backward-revolving fields, and symmetrical components) are evaluated to determine the method best suited for incorporating the variation of the circuit parameters from the polyphase magnetic circuit analysis, and it is discussed how the core losses can be included in these circuits to obtain the best overall performance prediction.