Parameter Determination and Drive Control Analysis of Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors

Axial flux electric motors have received a lot of attention in recent years due to successful implementations in industrial or traction applications. Particularly, axial flux permanent magnet synchronous motors (AFPMSM) can be an attractive choice in case of high torque-density requirements or when the drive environment (packaging) is geometrically limited to a disc-shaped motor. However, compared to radial flux motors, axial flux machine modeling possibilities are much less documented. In the present study, different electromagnetic modeling approaches have been compared through an example AFPMSM design. The motor parameters were determined by analytical and finite element methods. A 2D equivalent model (2D Linear Motor Modeling Approach – 2D-LMMA) and a 3D model results have been compared. The calculated values were used to carry out a drive control analysis of the axial flux motor.