Effect of Rotor Geometry on Peak and Average Torque of External-Rotor Synchronous Reluctance Motor in Comparison With Switched Reluctance Motor for Low-Speed Direct-Drive Domestic Application

Abstract

This paper deals with the feasibility of developing an external-rotor synchronous reluctance motor for a low-speed direct-drive domestic application. Here, an attempt is made to identify the rotor geometry which provides high peak, average torque, and the saliency ratio in comparison with those of equivalent external-rotor switched reluctance motor (Ex-R SRM) which has already been developed and tested for the same application. In this context, six different rotor geometries are considered for the feasibility study and their performance characteristics are predicted using finite-element analysis. These results are compared with the equivalent size of Ex-R SRM, and finally, a feasible rotor geometry is proposed for further investigation and for the prototype designing.