Proceedings of the 2008 International Conference on Electrical Machines

Paper ID 1455

A New PM Machine Topology for Low-Speed, HighTorque Drives

Kais Atallah!, Stuart Calverley!, Richard ClartC, Jan Rens2 , David Howe!
I

Dept of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Mappin St, Sheffield SI 3JD, UK
2Magnomatics Ltd, The Sheffield Bioincubator, 40 Leavygreave Road, Sheffield S3 7RD
Tel: (44) 1142225195, Fax: (44) 1142225196
e-mail: k.atallah@sheffield.ac.uk

Abstract - The paper describes a completely new

topology for a low-speed, high-torque permanent
brushless magnet machine. Despite being naturally aircooled, it has a significantly higher torque density than a
liquid-cooled transverse-flux machine, whilst its power
factor is similar to that of a conventional permanent
magnet brushless machine. The high torque capability
and low loss density are achieved by combining the
actions of a speed reducing magnetic gear and a high
speed PM brush less machine within a highly integrated
magnetic circuit. In this way, the magnetic limit of the
machine is reached before its thermal limit. The
principle of operation of such a 'pseudo' direct-drive
machine is described, and measured results from a
prototype machine are presented.
I. INTRODUCTION

Applications for low-speed, high-torque electrical

machines range from wind-turbine powered generators to
ship propulsion systems. To date, however, it has usually
been weight/size and cost-effective to employ a high-speed
machine together with a mechanical gearbox. Nevertheless,
because of the disadvantages associated with mechanical
gearboxes, such as the need for lubrication, wear between
contacting surfaces, noise and vibration, etc, as well as
concerns regarding their reliability, direct-drive solutions
would generally be more functionally attractive. Of the
various competing electrical machine technologies,
transverse-flux machines, although having the highest
torque density, exhibit a very low power factor so that the
required converter VA rating is considerably higher than
that required for a conventional PM brushless machine,
which results in a significant cost penalty. However, by
integrating the speed reducing action of a high performance
magnetic gear [1] with the torque producing action of a
conventional PM brushless machine, both the torque density
and the power factor can be very much higher than for a
transverse-flux machine. The operating principle of this
patented technology [2] will be described, and the measured
performance of a prototype 'pseudo' direct-drive machine
will be compared with predictions.

978-1-4244-1736-0/08/$25.00 2008 IEEE

II. MAGNETIC GEAR

Fig. 1 shows a schematic of a magnetic gear, which
comprises 3 components, viz. an inner high-speed
permanent magnet rotor, an array of soft magnetic polepieces and an outer permanent magnet cylinder. Either the
array of pole-pieces or the outer cylinder may be
mechanically earthed, the other then forming the low-speed
rotor. The soft magnetic pole-pieces serve to modulate the
field produced by the inner and outer arrays of the magnets,
such that each array results in a dominant asynchronous
space harmonic field in the airgap adjacent to the other
array. In this way, the field produced by the low pole
number inner high-speed rotor is modulated into an
asynchronously rotating field having the same number of
poles as the outer cylinder, and vice-versa to facilitate
torque transmission.

Fig. I. Schematic of magnetic gear

The principle of operation is illustrated in Fig. 2 for a

magnetic gear in which the inner high-speed rotor has 4
pole-pairs, 27 mechanically earthed soft magnetic polepieces and 23 pole pairs on the outer low-speed rotor. The
resulting gear ratio is 5.75:1, and the achievable torque
transmission capability when rare-earth permanent magnets
are employed is -70kNmlm3.

. . . . illTI1ill
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._'. . ._- ':D

Proceedings of the 2008 International Conference on Electrical Machines

"

i.

II

:::,..f'

"

. . . . . . . . . . . "' . . . . . . 01 . . .

(a)

Fig. 3. Mechanically couple magnetic gear and electrical machine

Field due to 4 pole-pair high-speed rotor alone

III. 'PSEUDO' DIRECT-DRIVE MACHINE

Fig 4 shows a schematic of a 'pseudo' direct-drive machine
which is comprised of 3 main components, viz. an inner
high-speed permanent magnet rotor, a low-speed rotor
equipped with soft magnetic pole-pieces, and a stator in
which each tooth carries a coil and on which magnets are
mounted at the inner bore.

(b) field of high-speed rotor modulated by 27 pole-pieces

...

"
..
'"
... , ..
..

4:

Fig. 4. Schematic of 'pseudo' direct-drive machine

4 pole-palr high-speed rotor

Fig 5 shows cross-sections of a 'pseudo' direct drive

machine having a magnetic gear and a radial-field PM
brushless machine that are mechanically and magnetically
coupled. It comprises a 2 pole-pair high-speed permanent
magnet rotor, a low-speed rotor with 23 soft magnetic polepieces, and 21 pole-pair outer permanent magnets at the
stator, the stator coils being interconnected to form a
balanced 3-phase winding.

5.75:1 gear ratio

(C) 5.75:1 magnetic gear with 23 pole-pair low-speed rotor

Fig. 2. Principle of operation of magnetic gear

The simplest way in which a magnetic gear may be

combined with a high speed electrical machine is simply to
couple the output shaft of the machine to the high-speed
rotor of the magnetic gear, as illustrated in Fig. 3(a). Fig.
3(b) shows how the resultant system torque density varies
as a function of the ratio of the magnetic gear, when the
torque density of the electrical machine is 10kNmlm3,
20kNmlm3 and 30kNmlm3, these being typical values for
naturally air-cooled, forced air-cooled and liquid cooled
permanent magnet brushless machines, respectively. As
will be seen, system torque densities ranging from
-32kNmlm3 to 51kNmlm3 can be achieved for a gear ratio
of 5.75:1. However, a significantly higher torque density
can be achieved by combining the magnetic gear and the
electrical machine, both mechanically and magnetically,
into a single 'pseudo' direct-drive machine.

.. .-,...
-.,

z ....., ... .,....

.....

...........

a.. ................

Radial

Proceedings of the 2008 International Conference on Electrical Machines

Similarly, Fig 7 shows the radial flux density waveform,
together with the associated harmonic spectra due to the
stationary permanent magnets in the airgap adjacent to the
high-speed rotor permanent magnets, both with and without
the soft pole-pieces. The introduction of the soft magnetic
pole-pieces now result in a 2 pole-pair asynchronous field
harmonic which interacts with the 2 pole-pair high-speed
rotor.

Axial
Fig. 5. Cross-sections of 'pseudo' direct drive machine

Fig 6 shows the radial flux density distribution due to the

high-speed rotor permanent magnets, together with the
associated harmonic spectra, in the airgap adjacent to the
magnets on the stator bore, both with and without the soft
magnetic pole-pieces. As will be seen, the pole-pieces on
the low-speed rotor result in a dominant 21 pole-pair
asynchronous space harmonic field which interacts with the
21 pole-pair stationary permanent magnets to achieve
gearing, the gear ratio for the machine being 11.5: I. At the
same time, however, a 2 pole-pair fundamental field
component exists which enables torque and power to be
transmitted from the stator to the high-speed rotor.

Angle (mech...........

0.04
0.04
0.03

0.02

0.02 .

0.01

0 ...

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

211

28

30

PoIe.....I,.

0.40 .

0.01

0 ..

0.03

Fig. 7. Flux density waveforms, and harmonic spectra, due to magnets on

stator.

0.20
0 ..
:leO

I ......

.....

In the brushless ac mode of operation, the torque which

results from the interaction of the high-speed rotor and the
stator winding is similar to that of a conventional surfacemounted permanent magnet brushless machine, and is given
by:

_.......-

-0.10 '

......

(1)
nfi;la
B
Th = k W ------;;:Qrms 1
2,,2
where Ds is the stator bore diameter, BJ is the peak
fundamental airgap flux density, la is the active length of the
machine, Qrms is the rms electrical loading, and lew is the
winding factor. Since the output torque, To of the low-speed
rotor is given by:

0.70 -

0.00
0.50 -

':"

r"

gU.30 -

It
020 -

(2)

0.10 -

0.00

10

12

..........
M

16

18

Where Gr is the gear ratio, then, from equations (1) and (2);

Fig. 6. Flux density waveforms, and harmonic spectra, due to magnets on

high-speed rotor.

Proceedings of the 2008 International Conference on Electrical Machines

(3)

From equation (3), it can be seen that the effective peak

fundamental airgap flux density is now (BjxGr ), and for the
'pseudo' direct-drive machine shown in Fig. 5, this is
equivalent to 6.4T, which is more than 5 times the
remanence of the NdFeB permanent magnets which are
used, for which the Br = 1.25T and 11 = 1.05.
IV. PROTOTYPE 'PSEUDO' DIRECT-DRIVE
MACHINE
o

Fig 8 shows a prototype of the 'pseudo' direct-drive

machine of Fig 5 on the test-bed, whilst Fig 9 compares the
variation of the predicted geared electromagnetic torque and
the measured output torque with the rms current density. It
can be seen that, although the maximum current density is
less than 2Arms/mm2 a torque density in excess of
60kNmlm3 is achieved with natural cooling at a power
factor in excess of 0.9. In other words, whilst the stator
winding is responsible for torque being developed by the
high-speed rotor, since this is amplified by the magnetic
gear action, the magnetic limit of the machine is reached
before the thermal limit.

Q.2II

0.5

0.75

1.25

1.5

1.75

Fig. 9. Variation of output torque and PF with stator winding current

density

V. CONCLUSIONS
A unique patented topology for a low-speed, high-torque
electrical machine has been developed, and its performance
capabilities have been validated experimentally. It exhibits
the highest torque density of any known electrical machine
technology, whilst at the same time having a high power
factor, and has enormous application potential. There is
also potential to further enhance the performance
capabilities of pseudo direct-drive machines.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the
UK Engineering and Physical Science Research Council,

EPSRC, for the award of a research grant, Reference No.

GRlS70685.
REFERENCES
1.

2.
Fig. 8. Prototype 'pseudo' direct-drive

K. Atallah, S. Calverley, and D. Howe, 'Design

analysis and realisation of a high-performance
magnetic gear', lEE Proc. - Elec. Power Appl.,
151, 2004, pp. 135-143
'Pseudo direct drive electrical machines' ,
Application No. PCT/GB2007/001456.