A New Brushless Half-Speed Synchronous Motor with Q-Axis Squirrel-Cage Damper Winding Driven by Voltage Source Inverter

A new brushless half-speed synchronous motor combined with a voltage source inverter is presented. The diode is inserted into one phase of the stator winding, and then the stationary magnetic field is superimposed on the revolving field. The rotor structure of the proposed motor is composed of the quadrature-axis (q-axis) squirrel-cage damper windings on the salient poles. By superimposing a stationary magnetic field on the stator, the motor is compelled to run at exactly half synchronous speed. For purposes of direct comparison the machine is tested with various configurations of damper windings. The experimental results are shown, and it is proved that the motor has excellent performance. The proposed brushless synchronous motor is very simple, robust, and maintenance-free.