A unified approach to compare the electromagnetic characteristics for different types of synchronous motors

Purpose This paper aims to compare the magnetic flux saturation characteristics of interior permanent magnet synchronous motors (IPMSM), synchronous reluctance motors (SynRM) and permanent-magnet-assisted synchronous reluctance motors (PmaSynRM) within a single analytical framework. Design/methodology/approach The analysis is based on magnetic equivalent circuits with nonlinear reluctances. A generic circuit is first formulated in the abc frame, then transformed into the dq0 frame and finally simplified to obtain explicit current-flux saturation relationships for the three motor topologies. Findings The resulting model preserves the main electromagnetic features of the machines while highlighting the similarities and differences in their saturation curves. In particular, the approach clarifies how rotor topology affects flux symmetry, saturation behavior and the position of the symmetric point in the current-flux characteristics. Originality/value The paper proposes a unified analytical description, with physical parameters, for comparing the saturation behavior of interior IPMSM, SynRM and PMaSynRM. The model is meant to support comparison and interpretation, rather than to replace high-fidelity models tailored to a specific machine geometry.