A Novel Topology of PM-assisted Synchronous Reluctance Motor with Fluid Flux Barriers and Rectangular Magnets

Fluid flux barriers, formed as air pockets shaped according to natural flux contours in a solid rotor, play a crucial role in providing high saliency to Synchronous Reluctance Motors. However, the intricate shape of these barriers makes it challenging to use magnets with regular geometries. A common workaround involves flattening the central portion of the fluid flux barrier into a rectangular shape to embed magnets. However, this conventional topology significantly reduces the effectiveness of using fluid-shaped flux barriers since the characteristic fluid shape is compromised to a great extent. This paper proposes a novel topology that retains the fluid shape of the central portion of the flux barrier while modifying its two ends into rectangular shapes to accommodate magnets. The design and optimization of this new topology are presented, along with simulation results that demonstrate improvements in electromagnetic performance and material savings compared to the conventional design.