Performance Evaluation of Aluminum and Copper Windings in Electrically Excited Synchronous Machines Considering Drive Cycle Efficiency and Maximum Continuous Power

This paper investigates the performance of electrically excited synchronous machines (EESMs) with various copper and aluminum winding configurations for electric vehicle applications. A coupled, electro-magnetic thermal simulation model is used to investigate drive cycle performance and continuous power of all designs. Utilizing an existing 130 kW prototype EESM, the four winding combinations are compared across multiple drive cycles. Especially in drive cycles with higher speed portions, the aluminum containing designs were still close to the efficiency of the baseline full copper design. Aluminum designs face significant challenges in thermal management due to higher resistive losses. The findings emphasize the need for enhanced cooling strategies to fully leverage the cost and sustainability benefits of aluminum windings.