Analysis of Aluminum Eddy Current Effect for Planar Switched Reluctance Motors

In this article, influence of aluminum eddy current in the PSRM stator array on the electromagnetic properties and control performance is investigated. The eddy current density distribution model is established based on Maxwell’s equations, and the inductance model is derived considering the eddy current effect. The effect of aluminum eddy current on the PSRM position control performance is qualitatively analyzed. The aluminum eddy current distribution and ohmic loss distribution characteristics with the mover at different positions are verified by finite element analysis. The validity of the developed inductance model is experimentally verified. A material replacement method is proposed to eliminate the aluminum eddy current. The experimental results show that the position control accuracy of the PSRM prototype is improved by 6.94% on average after the elimination of eddy currents, while the motor efficiency is improved by 6.51%.