Analysis and Preliminary Design of Variable Flux Reluctance Machines: A Perspective from Working Field Harmonics

Variable flux reluctance machines (VFRMs) are increasingly attracting research interest due to their magnetless and robust brushless structure. Under the modulation effect of the airgap permeance, the VFRM operates with a series of field harmonics, distinguishing it from conventional AC synchronous machines. This paper deals with the analysis and preliminary design of the VFRM from the perspective of multiple working airgap field harmonics. Firstly, the spatial and temporal order of the working field harmonics are defined. The systematic winding theory, including the unified star of slots and winding factor calculation method, is established to consider all these working harmonics. Then, an average torque model is built and simplified. The key role of 1st-order rotor permeance, 1st- and 3rd-order polarized stator permeance is deduced. The relationship between key parameters and average torque is computed, providing a guideline for the preliminary design of the VFRM.