Extended Modelling Approach of Hairpin Winding Eddy Current Losses in High Power Density Traction Machines

Abstract

This paper addresses a novel modelling approach to calculate the eddy currents in hairpin conductors. More precisely the extension of a hybrid finite element analysis (FEA)partial element equivalent circuit (PEEC) approach is proposed to cover the influence of moving ferromagnetic bodies when calculating the eddy currents in such conductors. A 200kW permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) is taken as a study case and the proposed approach is exemplified and then validated via quasi-stationary FEA results. Thus, a significant influence of the additional rotor magnetic field on the eddy currents calculation accuracy is outlined. The proposed method can substitute quasi-stationary FEA simulations in optimization processes and therefore reduce considerably the computational effort.