Improved methods for stator end winding leakage inductance calculation

Abstract

Purpose Calculating the stator end-winding leakage inductance, taking into account the rotor, is difficult due to the irregular shape of the end-winding. The end-winding leakage may distribute at the end of the active part and the fringing flux of the air gap. The fringing flux belongs to the main flux but goes into the end-winding region. Then, not all the magnetic flux occurring in the end region is the end-winding leakage flux. The purpose of this paper was to find a method to accurately separate the leakage from the total flux, taking into account the rotor. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, two methods based on energy calculation are presented. Both methods require the assumption that the machine is symmetrical. The first method depends on the total leakage inductance and the machine’s active region length. The second method is based on the energy stored in the end region of the machine. In this case, removing the energy produced by the fringing flux of the air gap is necessary. The model should have a volume-closing fringing flux to remove the part of energy belonging to the end of the air gap. Findings The method presented in the paper does not require rotor removal. The values of the end-winding leakage inductance computed based on the proposed method were compared with values computed using the method with the removed rotor. The computations show that the proposed method is closest to the results from the method presented in the literature. Results obtained in the first method present that rotor influence on the value of end-winding leakage inductance exists. The model of the stator end-winding described in the paper is general. Therefore, the proposed methods are suitable for calculating the end-winding leakage inductance of other electric machines. Originality/value The method presented in the paper considers the rotor in end-winding leakage inductance calculation. It is not necessary to remove the rotor as in the similar method presented in the literature. The authors elaborated a parametric model with a volume-closing fringing flux to remove the part of energy belonging to the end of the air gap. The authors also elaborated their 3D model of the machine winding for calculations in Opera 3D.