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Synchronous Reluctance Motor

Breakthrough

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Combining the advantages of permanent magnet and induction motors, new

synchronous reluctance motors (SynRM) offer potentially breakthrough technology
for variable speed drive (VSD) and motor packages.

The new motors use an innovative rotor design that eliminates the slip losses
associated with induction motors while offering the benefits of permanent magnet operation.
"The key trends in industry related to electric motors, and what customers and the marketplace
value, are energy efficiency, size/footprint reduction, and reliability," says Panu Virolainen, head of
research and development for ABBs Discrete Automation and Motion division. "New synchronous
reluctance motor-drive technology offers benefits in precisely these three areas. It provides
improved efficiency compared to standard induction motors, the ability to go to higher power
density, and higher reliability that includes longer service intervals. The fundamental technology
makes it possible to reach these benefits."

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ABBs first super-premium efficiency synchronous reluctance motor (SynRM) drive packages will be available in
output power of 11-200kW and in IEC frame sizes of 160-315. A high-output range will offer packages up to
355kW.

To create a smaller, more efficient motor with a long lifetime and lower maintenance needs, as
well as a new motor type that could be adapted to VSD operation, ABB says it considered all its
technology options.
Starting a VSD motor is very different from a direct-line connection start, but this highlighted the
opportunities to simplify the motor design and improve efficiency. Synchronous motors with a fourpole rotor operating at 50Hz rotate in synchronism with the supply at exactly 1,500rpm. A
corresponding induction motor has slip losses and rotates at only 1,475rpm (30kW). In modern
induction motors with a short circuit rotor cage, the losses associated with the rotor amount to 2035 percent of the total motor losses.
As a high-efficiency solution, synchronous reluctance motor technology is based on the concept of
magnetic resistance or reluctance. The rotor is designed to produce the smallest possible
reluctance in one direction and the highest reluctance in the perpendicular direction.
The motor produces torque as the rotor attempts to align the magnetically conducting direction to
the stator field. What this means in practice is a new synchronous motor technology where the
rotor is rotating at the same frequency as the stator field.

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"On the rotor side of the motor, we are able to eliminate so-called slippage losses that exist in
induction motors," Virolainen says. "These rotor-side losses are an essential part of the total
losses of the motor, so eliminating them creates higher efficiency. We can reduce the losses by up
to 40 percent, depending on the power rating of the motor, and increase the efficiency of the

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Design News - News - Synchronous Reluctance Motor Breakthrough

motor up to 5 percent in smaller power motors and 0.5 percent in the biggest frame motors, which
puts us in compliance with the upcoming IE4 efficiency class in Europe."
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lcelectro 1/15/2012 5:54:12 PM
You can find all the answers at the ABB Review at
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greatest challenge?
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Finally, rare earth materials

for permanent magnets are relatively expensive
and may be in limited supply for
some markets, due to geographic concentration
of the common raw materials
suppliers.

Driving down energy costs

Deploying more robotics
Improving throughput

This means: China is the only producer of rare earth magnets, (all other rare earth minig sites
closed down) and now we can kiss them goodbye.
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N. Christopher Perry 9/9/2011 10:31:32 AM
You do need a motor dive to operate a SynRM, but that type of drive is significantly less complex
than a VVVF drive used for varying induction motor speed. They're not much more complex than
'soft-start' controllers. Given the dramatic reduction in the costs for all types of motor controls
over the past 20 years, the cost of the drive electronics for a SynRM are going to be modest in all
but the most cost sensitive applications. Additionally, the operating cost savings are likely to
largely offset the cost of any drive electronics.

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Torque Ripple
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N. Christopher Perry 9/9/2011 10:25:00 AM
My experience with SynRM are that, by their nature, they generate significantly more torque ripple
than an induction motor. Has this been remedied or did the author simply fail to mention it as a
factor to be considered in selecting a SynRM for an application?

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Synchronous induction motors?
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William K. 8/17/2011 12:31:05 PM
An induction motor can only run below synchronous speed because the rotor field is generated by
the slip speed between the stator and the rotor. The power used to create the rotor magnetic field
is the loss mentioned by others. The strength of the induction motor is that as the load increases
the slip also increases, which increases the current and magnetic field in the rotor. IT works well,
but it uses more power than the synchronous motor. ON the other side, the synchronous motor is
driven by the rotating magnetic field dragging the rotor magnets around. The problem with an
ordinary synchronous motor is that when the load increases a point is reached where it falls out of
synchronization and then stalls. This is great if you seek to have a very reliable means to limit
torque, otherwise it is a problem. A hybrid motor that will continue to deliver torque as the load
increases would be very handy, and it could probably be easier to control the speed with a VF
drive. Also, it might wind up having a greater efficiency, which is a definite goal.

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Is it possible to provide a more detailed description about how it provides this new function?
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rosek 8/17/2011 9:37:57 AM
Is the breakthrough the gains in efficiency when compared to squirrel cage designs? SRM's have
been around for quite a while and the main problem associated with this technology has always
been in the drive electronics - it is difficult to manage this type of motor without sophisicated
controls.
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How can this be said to be anything to do with PM motors?
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ChrisP 8/17/2011 12:51:54 AM
It does not have any magnets in it at all and no brush gear. Maybe they meant stepper motor.

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What we need are smaller motors in this technology that are quiet and efficient.
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Synchronous Reluctance Motor Breakthrough
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Greg Stirling 8/15/2011 2:31:37 PM
Congratulations, this is a great idea. You guys did a great job. We can always use a little more
efficiency, and this will pay off big time in large scale, continuosly running operations...

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When!?
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TJ McDermott 8/15/2011 12:16:24 PM
This is exciting! When can we expect to see these new motors (espeically in the smaller
frames)?
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Efficieny rules
Alexander Wolfe 8/15/2011 11:21:10 AM
This story is very timely given the increased interest, and deployment of, energy efficient motors.
I'll be writing about that, and about the results of a reader survey we did on energy efficient
motors and drives, in the September issue of Design News.

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