Effect of saturation on performance of synchronous reluctance machines

Saturation in small range SynRM is substantially high in comparison with high range motors, which results in lower power factor and efficiency. This paper investigates the impacts of saturation particularly in small rang SynRM. It mainly focusses on rib and web sizes. The ribs and webs are very vulnerable for saturation for increasing currents as they are small in size compared to other segments of the machine. Though, saturation unnecessarily draws power and reduce efficiency, it has advantages too. The study primarily focuses on micro changes in rib sizes and observe variations in other machine parameters such as torque, saliency, and power-factor and core loss. Four designs are simulated using FEM tool including one design with neither radial rib nor tangential rib and compared with other three designs for various SynRM parameters. The results of the investigation propose methods to reduce saturation impact on SynRM rotor without affecting other performance parameters.