The multi‐layer switched reluctance motor (SRM) is a special type of the SRM which can be utilised appropriately in high‐power applications such as electric vehicle (EV). Thermal modelling of the multi‐layer SRM is considered for the first time in the present study and a lumped parameter thermal model is introduced for quick prediction of temperature rise in this motor. In the introduced lumped thermal model, independent thermal networks are considered for different parts of the machine including frame, stator yoke, stator pole, winding, air‐gap, end‐winding, end‐cap air, rotor pole, rotor core and shaft. All details of the modelling and the required equations are given and therefore someone can use the model easily. The developed thermal model is applied to a typical two‐layer 8/6 SRM and a prototyped three‐layer 8/8 SRM and the simulation results are then compared with those derived from three‐dimensional finite element (FE) method using ANSYS FE package and experimental results. These comparisons show well high computation speed and accuracy of the lumped thermal model developed for the multi‐layer SRM.

Summary In comparison to one‐layer switched reluctance motor (SRM), a multi‐layer SRM is able to produce much larger output power and it can be considered as a good candidate for high‐power electric machine. For a multi‐layer SRM, different layers have the same performances and they are completely independent from electromagnetic point of view. Therefore, analysis of one layer can be only carried out to determine the electromagnetic characteristics of the multi‐layer SRM. In the present paper, a fast and simple magnetic equivalent circuit (MEC) model is introduced for one‐layer SRM and it is then used for performance prediction of the multi‐layer SRM. Due to high torque ripple of the SRM, a simple solution is suggested for different types of the multi‐layer SRM by which torque ripple of this motor can be reduced significantly. To evaluate the done modeling and the suggested torque ripple method, simulation results are presented for a typical multi‐layer 8/6 SRM.

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