Design and technology solutions for high-efficiency high-speed motors

A high-performance 640-kW 10.000-rpm Halbach-array PM slotless motor with active magnetic bearings. Part I: Preliminary and detailed design

“…In the development of high-speed electric machines conceived for highly demanding requirements, design optimization clearly plays a key role [10], [12], [19]. In order for the optimization to be feasible in terms of time and computation resources, however, it is imperative to limit the range of design variables and options to be explored in it.…”

“…The project originates from the challenging need to identify a cutting-edge state-of-the-art technology to meet some of the most demanding high-speed motor requirements that come from the gas sector [6]- [10], in view of not a laboratory but an industrial series production. Starting from market surveys [1]- [5], a target motor application has been identified requiring 640 kW at a rated speed of 10.000 rpm (nameplate data); the operating speed range is defined between 6.000 and 14.000 rpm and the operating profiles are fixed as shown in Fig.…”

“…Once the basic motor configuration and materials have been selected in the preliminary development stage, the detailed design optimization process is started [10], [13]. This stage is very delicate because most of motor components are expected to work close to their acceptable operating limits, which requires careful and accurate dimensioning of each detail in order to achieve good material exploitation without exceeding industrial safety margins.…”

“…In this context, the paper reports on the development and results of an industrial R&D project aimed at identifying the best compromise between performance and production cost in high-speed electric machine technology for high-end turbomachinery applications [10], [11].…”

“…The main emerging needs can be summarized in: reliable uninterrupted operability, direct-drive arrangement, high dynamic performance, high efficiency values [10]. Since today's low gas prices do not help investments in this direction, beside all technological issues a crucial challenge for high speed motor manufacturers is to make specifications compatible with the low production cost necessary to maintain a competitive position on the global market.…”