Rotor end effects on FEM-based flux mapping of synchronous reluctance motors

The paper deals with the accurate flux map modeling of synchronous reluctance motors through finite element analyses. By comparing 2D-FEM simulations results with measured flux maps on real machines, non-negligible discrepancies were initially observed, in particular under heavy saturation and cross-saturation conditions. Conversely, the 3D FEM-based flux mapping offers more accurate estimations of the aforementioned linked flux characteristics, and gives evidence of 3D end effects being also a function of the relative positioning between the rotor and the stator magneto-motive force waveforms. The paper investigates such three-dimensional end effects for different rotor geometries and winding structures, utilizing 2D and 3D FEM analysis in comparison to experimental data.