Magnetodynamic finite element analysis coupled with a vector hysteresis model applied to a variable flux reluctance machine

This article presents an extended magnetodynamic finite element modeling technique for 2-D time-dependent electromechanical problems with soft-magnetic laminated steels. The proposed modeling technique includes magnetic vector hysteresis, eddy-current, and excess field components in the system of equations instead of obtaining them in the post-processing. A transient finite element solver is coupled with the Jiles-Atherton vector hysteresis model, while the dynamic components, i.e. eddy current and excess field, are modeled in a weak formulation. The proposed method is experimentally verified using a laminated transformer core similar to TEAM problem 32. It is demonstrated that the proposed magnetodynamic model with vector hysteresis characteristics calculates the flux linkage and iron loss more accurately than magnetostatic and magnetodynamic models coupled with the single-valued magnetization curve. The proposed method estimates the iron loss with a discrepancy of less than 15 % up to an excitation frequency of 1500 Hz when it is compared to the transformer core measurements. Later, the experimentally verified magnetodynamic model is employed to model a 48 V, 5 kW variable flux reluctance machine with 16 Nm peak torque under various excitation levels. The machine is tested in laboratory conditions utilizing a field-oriented control algorithm in motor mode at 1000 rpm rotor speed. The average percentage error of the magnetodynamic model with vector hysteresis characteristics is found to be 14 % compared to the iron loss measurements while the magnetodynamic and magnetostatic models coupled with the single-valued curve exhibit 25 % and 45 % average percentage errors, respectively.