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A Course on

Optimized Design of Electrical Machines


Manuel Vaz Guedes
DEEC - Faculdade de Engenharia Universidade do Porto P-4099 P O R T 0 Codex: PORTUGAL

Abstract - After many years out of the curricula, it


is now possible to offer a course on the electrical machines design. This new course must content the new computational techniques: field analysis, optimization and expert systems. The topics of the course, the tutorial classcs. the inspection trips and the homework projects are dcscrihed. Also, the student reaction is prescnted.

Introduction

The design of electrical machines always has been considered a n art. But, today, with the growing f the fundamental phenomenons and knowledge o the development of new technologies, essentially the computational ones, the electrical machines design becomes a technique and, a s other techniques, it can be the domain of an university course. In the past, the electrical machines design, due to its complexity, was made with the help of the accumulated manufacturer experience, 111. Due to the ignorance, or the impossibility of quantifying, some phenomenon it was necessary to search empirical relations between the test data. As this data was not available in the university community, the electrical machines design, progressively, was drop out of the curricula. Today that the good old designers are retiring, that new and more precise design technologies are available, and that more and more specialized optional courses are offered, it is necessary to define a new course for an electrical rngineer graduation.

An electrical machine, as an energy conversion system, has a set of electrical, magnetic, and mechanical problems that brings its design very complex. With the help of modern computational techniques, of field analysis and optimization, it is possible to define the better design, and the more adequate dimensions to obtain more powerful electrical machines with a great efficiency and a more economical exploration. The precise knowledge of the magnetic field distribution was one lack in the electrical machines design. With that knowledge it is possible to determine a set of parameters important to the machine performance. Also, the precise knowledge of the electrical or the thermal field distribution is important to some electrical machines design. An analysis method, general, precise, and of easy application, was developed with the use of the Finite Element Method, L21. Now, there are already available computational packages that permit to make a complete analysis of the magnetic field of one electrical machine, in the design phase, with a microcomputer. One of the contemporary social constrains to the electrical machines design it is the energy efficiency. This important subject implies that all the dimensions of the different parts, or some parameters, must be optimized. This optimization is made with the help of thc mathematical optimization methods, 131. Due to the relations betwren the different physical quantities it is necessary to use non-linear methods, with

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constraints. The application of this optimization methods is easy and quick, and, also, can be made with a modem microcomputer. In the electrical machines design, today, is possible to use some Artificial Intelligence technologies, like Expert Systems, (41. In the future, maybe, all the design of a n electrical machine will be assisted by a knowledge-based computational system.
All this new technologies, that are used in the modern design of electrical machines must be presented and taught in this new course. The philosophy of a course on optimized design of electrical machines, the contents, the projects and the students reaction are described in the remaining paper.

This kind of course needs a strong relation with the Industry; essentially, with electrical machines factories. It is supposed that the students have access to a microcomputer laboratory or that they have a personal computer.
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Course Content

Previous courses in electrical machines design were obsolete and it was necessary to develop a new set of topics, that are shown in figure 1

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Course Development

I.

When it was necessary to define the major goals of this course, an analysis of the ancients methods of design was made. It is clear that it is necessary to teach some aspects of the electromagnetic project before the teaching o f the new computational methods.
2.1

1.

P h i l o s o p h y of t h e Course

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The goals of the Optimized Design of Electrical Machines (ODEM) course, are: - The course should be at the final year level with three hours of lecture and a n hour of tutorial (3L + 1T).It should be an optative semestral course. - The course should have as precedent courses: Programming (1 Sem.), Numerical Methods (1 Sem.), Electromagnetism (3 Sem.), and Electrical Machines (3 Sem.). - The course should apply the new design technologies, field analysis, optimization and expert systems, with a hands-on use of programs, but also it must give a n insight on the development of those computer programs. - The course should prepare the students to be receptive to the forecasting development of the materials, the design techniques, the new models, and the new applications of electrical machines.
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Introduction Course Objectives and Methodology Case Study Design Methods Creative and Rational Methods The Design Process; Objectives Electrical Machines Design Elements Materials Electric Circuit Magnetic Circuit Mechanical Parts; Electromechanical Problem Design Optimization MathematicalOptimization Methods Applications Auxiliary Computational Techniques Numerical Methods; Curve Fitting Graphical Methods Artificial Intelligence; Expert Systems Future Developments Fig. 1 - Course Topics

One particularity of this course is that aftcr presenting the objectives and methodology of the course an integral design project is presented by the lecturer, as a case study. The design of a DC electrical machine can be a very good revision of some previous knowledge about electrical machines and electromagnetism, and can be a preliminary presentation of the electrical machines design typical problems. Now, that the methodology of industrial design is already established, it is possible to teach the different approaches to designing and how to define the best procedure. With this course topic it is intended to stimulate creative design thinking, and to introduce the rational design methods.

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A great part of the course is dedicated to the study of the specific aspects of electrical machines design. A knowledge of the materials used in electrical machines is necessary to understand, very well, some design problems. But, the presentation of the design problems and techniques used in every part of the machine must, also, be made; because the students had not yet been presented to this kind of subjects in the three semestral courses of Electrical Machines.

Intelligence Artificial techniques are presented. An expert system shell is used to demonstrate the usefulness in machines design of this kind of computer applications.
A course topic is left to the presentation of some future and previewed developments. In the field of materials, design techniques, new types of machines or computational applications, it is possible to preview some progress. This preview must be presented to the students because, certainly they must be receptive to, and they will have to work with those future aspects.

The study of the electrical circuit can be a n opportunity to study the electrical machines winding techniques with a special emphasis on its computer-aided design. Also, the study of the insulation problems and techniques must be made. f the magnetic circuit, can be a revision The study o of some electromagnetic concepts, but also a presentation of the modern technologies of field analysis, based on the Finite Element Method, [21. The electrical engineering student has not preparation for the mechanical design of an electrical machine; some Mechanics of Machines concepts must be presented. Also, the mechanical aspects of the different electrical machines parts must be presented. Some problems due to electromechanical phenomenons, like noise and vibrations, are studied and its implication in the machine design are enhanced. An important topic of this course is that dedicated to the study of the design optimization methods. This mathematical methods must be introduced to the student, [5], and some very elementary, but very well structured, applications made. The emphasis must be put on the non-linear methods with constrains. A synthesis of the methods, usually, used in the optimal design of electrical machines, as well as the details of the computer programs, must be presented to the students. The results of the optimization must be discussed, and the different criteria applicable analyzed. A s the electrical engineering student have only a small information on the computational techniques, it is necessary to present some subjects like the numerical methods of approximation used in design, including curve fitting, the computer graphics methods, and the problems of software development. Here is the point where some

2.3

Tutorial

The tutorial class has only one hour of duration. During this time can be presented some complementary aspects of some subjects discussed in the lectures.

. -. --. -..
1.

~ . " ~ I I y y y I . I

2.

3. 4.
5.
6.

Curve Fitting The magnetization curve B(H) A Computer Language Fortran or Basic Field Mapping Curvilinear Squares Method Spreadsheets Commercial and Scientific Harmonics Fractional Windings Induction motors and generators
Fig. 2 - Tutorial Topics

In the tutorial class the subject is presented with the help of some simple examples. Some subjects need to be presented in two or three time periods.
2.4

Texts

There was not available a book that covered all the aspects of the course. Some notebooks had to be written, in Portuguese, to cover the different course subjects. A list of references, papers and books, available at the school's library was presented during the first lecture. Some early books about electrical machines design were, also, in that reference list. This paper references, a s well as

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r l

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other books, were used in the writing of those notebooks.


2.5

had some difficulties due to a bad preparation on computational methods. In summary: - The subjects presented in the course were interesting and the students liked them !...
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Projects

During the semester the students had to make, individually, a project, in an homework basis. Usually a electrical machines design subject, involving a software application. The list of the projects offered in the first year is in the figure 3.
__________l_______",-

The tutorial classes had a very little duration, and the topics studied, fig. 2, had to be extended in two and three classes; - The inspection trips were very appreciated and the students commentcd that they were very useful;

...-...

1 . 1 . "

Curve Fitting by the Least Squares Method Harmonic Analysis of a Waveshape


A Data Base for Induction Motor Tests

The projects, whose topics, fig. 3, intended to develop future class material, offered a great difficulty and the deadline had to be postponed;
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Finite Element Mcthtwl; Pre-processing Finite Element Method Progiammiiig Finite Element Method; Post-processing Finite Difference Method Programming

For the teacher, and also project supervisor, the overall expcrience was very stimulating and rewarding.

Conclusion

Fig. 3 -Homework kojtxts

The project had a deadline, the end of the semester, and must included a small final report. This report consisted on a short description, and a copy of all the documentation used.
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Inspection T r i p s

A n electrical machines laboratory, and a university library can not have all the information needed for the electrical machines design. A great part of that information is available only in the electrical machines factories. As, near the Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto are two factories that produce induction and synchronous machines, as well as power and distribution transformers, in two afternoons the students have made a visit, seeing the factory process and talking with the senior designers.

A course in Optimized Design of Electrical Machines was developed and offered as an optional semestral course. A set of new topics, regarding computational field analysis and optimization methods was presented as well as elements o f electrical machines design. The experience and the results of the course indicated that this kind of subject, due to its great formative value, can return to the electrical engineering graduation curricula.

References
[I] P. L. Cochran: Pohyphase Itirlircfiori Motors Analysis, Design, a n d Application, Marcel Dekker, 1989

121 D. A. Lowther, P. P. Silvester: Corrrpirter-Aided Desigti irr Magnetics, Springer-Verlag, 1986

[3] 0. W. Andersen: Optirnirrrr Design of Electrical Machirres, IEEE Trans. PAS-86,(6), pp. 707-711,1967

Experiences from the First Year

[4] E. M. Freeman, J. R. Mukolera: Knowledge Based S y s t e m for the Design of DC Machines, 3'h Electrical Machines Conference,PP. 132-134~1987

The Optimized Design of Electrical Machines course has been offeredduring the first semester of 1989/90. There were eight students in class, what is an ideal number for this type of course. The overall studc~ntreaction was positive. But, they

and

Drives

I51 R. L. Fox: Optilnizatiorr M e t h o d s for Engineering Design, Addison-Wesley, 1971

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