Effects of carrier frequency of PWM inverter on electrical loss of interior permanent magnet motor

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to clarify the electrical loss of an interior permanent magnet (IPM) motor driven by the pulse‐width modulation (PWM) inverter with various carrier frequencies quantitatively. Design/methodology/approach An IPM motor driven by the PWM inverter was simulated using the three‐dimensional finite‐element method while changing various carrier frequencies of the PWM inverter. The calculated results are compared with the calculated results differing the number of permanent magnet division. Findings The eddy current loss in the permanent magnets decreases as the carrier frequency increases. In the case of low‐carrier frequency, the eddy current loss greatly decreases as the number of permanent magnet division increases. However, the effect of the eddy current loss decreases by the number of permanent magnet division as the carrier frequency increases. Originality/value The paper describes the electrical loss of an IPM motor driven by the PWM inverter with various carrier frequencies.