Design of a Bi-Harmonic 7-Phase PM Machine With Tooth-Concentrated Winding

If multi-phase machines equipped with tooth-concentrated winding with half a slot per pole and per phase offer interesting characteristics (simplified manufacturing, no space subharmonic, fault-tolerant ability), their low fundamental winding factors make their designs and controls challenging. The paper addresses the case of a seven-phase Surface-mounted Permanent Magnet (SPM) machine which has a fundamental winding factor lower than the third. This so-called bi-harmonic specificity is considered in order to achieve good torque quality (average value and ripples). Regarding the design, the magnet layer is segmented into two identical radially magnetized tiles that cover about three-quarters the pole arc. Regarding the control, the rated Maximum Torque Per Ampere (MTPA) supply strategy (h1h3 control) aims at generating a third harmonic current component greater than the fundamental. A prototype has been manufactured: the ability of the machine to provide smooth torque is experimentally confirmed through the implementation of a simple MTPA control which copes with high distortion in no-load voltage.