Magnetic equivalent circuit based modeling of claw pole machines: A survey

Optimizing the design of electromagnetic devices requires tools that enable one to calculate their magnetic and electric characteristics. The magnetic equivalent circuit (MEC), also called reluctance model, is regarded as a promising tool, providing short calculation time with adequate accuracy. Within this trend, the paper is aimed at the MEC modeling of four topologies of claw pole machines which differ by their excitation modes. Following the synthesis of the MEC of each topology, its resolution using a Newton-Raphson procedure is proposed. No-load and load characteristics are predicted by the proposed MECs. Experimental or 3D-FEA based validations of the results yielded by the MECs are provided.