Magnet minimization in IPM-PMASR motor design for wide speed range application

The paper presents the design issues to implement a permanent magnet (PM) amount reduction at given motor performance for a wide speed range IPM-PMASR (Permanent Magnet Assisted Synchronous Reluctance) electric machine. The paper firstly describes the design procedure followed to obtain a first limited minimum PM amount adopting magnets whose dimensions are linked to the flux barrier shape of the basic synchronous reluctance motor. Then a further PM reduction is introduced still maintaining the previously obtained machine performance. The procedure will first be defined following an analytical approach, then validated by finite element analysis and experimental results.