Machine parameters and performance of interior permanent magnet synchronous motors with different permanent magnet volume

Permanent magnet synchronous motors are widely used for several industrial applications. Some applications such as electric vehicles and compressor drives require a constant power operation. The operating limits and the constant power speed range deeply depend on the machine parameters. The relationships between the motor parameters and the operating performance have been theoretically examined. This paper examines the performances of the prototype synchronous motors, where the stator structure and the rotor structure of all motors are the same. The permanent magnets are inserted into the rotor slits and the volume of the permanent magnet is adjusted to control the magnet-flux linkage. The effects of adding the magnet to the rotor on the machine parameters and the operating performance are examined based on the various experimental results. The prototype motor has flexibility as to speed versus power performance by adjusting the volume of the permanent magnet. The theoretical results with respect to the operating limits and the motor parameters are also confirmed experimentally. (C) 2000 Scripta Technica.