Synchronous reluctance motors for low-cost, medium performance drives

Synchronous reluctance motors are interesting alternatives to induction and permanent magnet motors, owing to their ruggedness, simplicity and capability of easy position control and of flux weakening at very high speed. In low power and low demanding applications low cost constructions can be obtained by simplified structures, at the expense of some limitations of performance. Significant simplifications can be introduced both in stator and in rotor structure. Appreciable benefits may derive from the adoption of large volume production techniques. Suitable solutions and design criteria for these cases are described in the paper. The corresponding impact on the machine performance is discussed. Some application examples are described and the experimental results are reported