Effect of stator and rotor saturation on sensorless rotor position detection

This paper shows how the saturation either of the stator or the rotor of a permanent magnet (PM) machine affects the machine performance, in terms of sensorless rotor position detection capability. An interior permanent magnet (IPM) motor with three rotor flux barriers is considered. The motor geometry is modified so as to achieve a higher iron saturation in the stator and in the rotor. Finite element (FE) simulations are carried out to highlight the effect of such saturation.