Indirect Efficiency Measurement Method for Line-Start Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors

Abstract

Despite the great potential and the high performance of energy-efficient line-start permanent magnet synchronous motors (LSPMSMs), their developers face a great deal of difficulties, one of which is the lack of reliable and accurate testing methods for such electrical machines. In this paper, we propose a new method for indirectly determining the efficiency of LSPMSM through the summation of individual loss components. The standard input-output method usually used for these machines is based on torque measurement, requires expensive measuring equipment, and, as a rule, has great uncertainty. Contrarily, the proposed method does not require direct measurement of torque and mechanical power on the shaft and is less sensitive to measurement uncertainties. The theoretical substantiation of the proposed method and its experimental verification using a commercially available four-pole LSPMSM with a rated power of 0.55 kW are presented. Satisfactory convergence of the experimental results obtained using the standard input-output method and using the proposed indirect method is shown.