Computers and Electrical Engineering 27 (2001) 133±144

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Optimal design of three phase induction motors and their

comparison with a typical industrial motor
Jawad Faiz a, Mohammad B.B. Shari®an b,*
a
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
b
Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
Received 28 June 1999; accepted 22 December 1999

Abstract

Three optimally designed three-phase squirrel-cage induction motors are compared with an industrial
(conventional) motor having the same ratings. The Hooke±Jeeves search routine is used for optimization
and three objective functions, namely eciency, eciency±cost and cost, are considered. Comparison of
the optimum designs with the initial and industrial design reveals that better than the proposed
performance can be obtained by a simple optimization method. It is interesting to note that the
industrial design satis®es some performance of the cost optimum design, and eciency optimum design,
of course with a lower eciency. The most desirable variation of motor performance with line voltage
and output power is due to the eciency optimum design. 7 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights
reserved.

Keywords: Design optimization; Squirrel-cage induction motor; Objective functions

1. Introduction

In recent years there has been an increasing interest for the optimum design of three phase
induction motors. This optimum design can be carried out from di€erent point of views. With
increasing material cost, there has been a tendency to reduce the frame size of these machines
for a given output at the expense of poorer eciency. The corresponding objective function is
generally employed for an economic manufacturing of motors [1±4]. Such a research e€ort was

* Corresponding author. Fax: +21-877-8690.

E-mail address: faiz-j@sofe.ece.ut.ac.ir (M.B.B. Shari®an).

0045-7906/01/$ - see front matter 7 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 0 4 5 - 7 9 0 6 ( 0 0 ) 0 0 0 1 0 - 0
134 J. Faiz, M.B.B. Shari®an / Computers and Electrical Engineering 27 (2001) 133±144

normally followed before energy crisis in 1973. Since then, trend of optimum design has
changed [5]; in fact, eciency and consumed electrical energy appear to be more important
than in the past. Many works have concentrated upon this type of design [6±8]. A combination
of eciency and cost objective functions is possible, and eciency±cost objective function can
partly bene®t from the advantages of the eciency and cost optimum design [9±11].
An attempt has been made to use two optimization techniques simultaneously for di€erent
aims as described in Ref. [12], but again for eciency optimization of the motor. In Ref. [13]
two optimization techniques (Powell and boundary search around active constraints methods)
have been compared. Two other techniques, simplex and Hooke±Jeeves methods have been
compared in [14]. Application of genetic algorithms for design optimization of electric
machines has been tested in [15]. Other aspects in the design of induction motors have been
introduced in Ref. [16±18].
The aim of this paper is to give a further contribution in the optimum design of a three-
phase induction motor, using three objective functions, namely eciency (E), cost (C) and a
combined objective function of eciency±cost (EC). A design package has been developed
speci®cally for a three-phase squirrel-cage type induction motor. A unique search routine of
Hooke±Jeeves [8,10,11,14,19] is then used for the three optimization processes. A 10 hp
double-cage induction motor, having speci®cations shown in Table 1, is chosen for comparison
with three optimally designed motors. The basic speci®cations of these designs are similar and
the same constraints are imposed upon the design process. Steady-state performance
characteristics of the manufactured and three optimum designs are plotted on the same plane
for comparison. Advantages and disadvantages of each design are then brie¯y discussed, and
the best one with a good overall performance is introduced. The lumped parameter model of
induction motor is employed for performance prediction of the motor. This steady-state model
is suciently detailed to include all the major components of the motor circuit without being
overly complex.

2. Hooke±Jeeves optimization technique

The Hooke±Jeeves search routine is used for optimization of the three phase, squirrel-cage
induction motor. This search routine allows us to ®nd suitable parameters for the minimization
of di€erent objective functions.

Table 1
Speci®cations of double-cage induction motor

Type 132 M48

Number of phases 3
Rated line voltage 380 V
Number of poles 4
Connection D
Power 10 hp
Frequency 50 Hz
 J. Faiz, M.B.B. Shari®an / Computers and Electrical Engineering 27 (2001) 133±144 135

The initial design parameters, which are the outputs of the design program, form the base
point at which the objective function is calculated. An exploratory search is then made to
determine how the design parameters should be modi®ed. In these exploratory searches, the
parameters are sequentially allowed to undergo small incremental changes and the objective
function is calculated at each step. The optimization algorithm is as follows:
1. Point b1 is selected and objective function F…x† is computed.
2. A local search is performed around point b1 in all directions. At each step the variable
increments are Dx i (i is the number of variables) and the function value is calculated. If the
function value decreases, the previous point replaces the present point, otherwise the
proposed variables are reduced by Dx i and the function is again calculated. If the function
value becomes less than that of the previous value, the ®rst point substitutes this point,
otherwise x i is left and the later variable …x i‡1 † is searched. This is performed for all
variables and point b2 is ®nally replaced by the initial point b1.
3. If b1 ˆ b2 , i.e. no reduction appears in the function value, search is repeated around point b1
but with the smaller increment for the variables.
4. If b1 6ˆb2 , a pattern move is performed. The pattern move is employed one-dimensional
search and by moving in the predetermined path, the function is minimized. Regarding the
success move from b1 to b2 direction; the best path or pattern for this move will be b2 ÿ b1
direction. Such a path satis®es the following general equation:
P1 ˆ b1 ‡ a…b2 ÿ b1 † …1†
where P1 de®nes the n-elements path vector, n is the number of variables and a is the
acceleration coecient that is larger than 1 and its common value is 2. A general form of
Eq. (1) for two points bi and bi‡1 can be written as follows:
Pi ˆ bi ‡ a…bi‡1 ÿ bi † …2†
5. Second to fourth steps are repeated until the increment of variables becomes less than the
proposed value.
The Hooke±Jeeves technique is basically unconstrained optimization method. However, the
design constraints are applied directly such that at certain points, the calculated values are
checked in order to satisfy the constraints.

3. Design program, objective functions and constraints

Output of the three-phase induction motor design program is the input of the optimization
routine. An appropriate starting value for each search can reduce the computation time
signi®cantly. However, the design program has been developed, based upon the
recommendations of the various references [20±25]. Therefore, the design calculations are a
combination of the equations given in various references. Fig. 1 shows the motor design
program block diagram. Each block is a subroutine, which performs some calculation (from
design stage to performance calculation stage) with respect to its name.
In the optimum design, three objective functions are used:
136 J. Faiz, M.B.B. Shari®an / Computers and Electrical Engineering 27 (2001) 133±144

1. In order to design a high eciency motor, optimization of eciency will be the object. To
obtain a desirable performance, the constraints such as power factor, starting current,
starting torque, pull-out torque etc. are imposed on the optimization process.
2. Total cost of the manufactured motor is the second objective function; of course, the
existing standards must be satis®ed. The cost variable consists of the lamination cost, copper
or aluminum cost, rotor end ring cost and the core punching cost are used as the objective
function of optimization. The performance constraints are again imposed on the
optimization constraints.
3. If improved eciency is required in addition to reduced manufacturing cost, a compromise
between the total cost of the motor and its eciency is necessary. So the third objective
function is chosen as the eciency±cost function. In such a case the sum of squared cost of
manufacturing and cost of losses is taken as the objective function.
The main constraints in the optimization process are: minimum full load power factor,
maximum starting current, minimum starting and pull-out torques. In the cost optimization the
minimum motor eciency is also considered as a constraint.
In addition to the above-mentioned constraints, some other constraints are imposed upon
the variables due to the manufacturing process. For instance, because of the insulation

Fig. 1. Design program block diagram.

 J. Faiz, M.B.B. Shari®an / Computers and Electrical Engineering 27 (2001) 133±144 137

materials, the slot ®lling factor cannot be larger than a limited value. Tooth ¯ux density, stator
and rotor ¯ux densities, and the temperature rise of the winding are other unequal constraints
used in the optimization process.
The quantities chosen as the principal motor variables for the optimization consist of the
following eight parameters:
L core length (equal for rotor and stator)
D0 stator outer diameter
Di stator inner diameter
Drs depth of rotor slot (for a circular slot, the mean width is also varied)
Dss depth of stator slot
der depth of end ring
Ff ®lling factor for stator slot
wer width of end ring

It is clear that there are a number of other variables, which are involved directly in the
optimization process. For instance, change of rotor slot dimensions can vary the dimensions of
the bars. For this reason, the design program is executed at each optimization step.
In order to convert the unconstrained optimization into the constrained optimization, a
direct application of the constraints is used. The number of outputs due to the constraints are
judged based on the constraints imposed on the optimization process. If all the constraints are
satis®ed, the existing point is accepted, otherwise it is deleted from the list of the feasible
points. The same argument is true for the explicit constraints, except that if the constraints are
not satis®ed, it is not necessary to refer to the design program and it returns to the previous
point. Fig. 2 shows the block diagram of the optimum design process. Each block consists of a
number of subroutines that execute with the outputs of the previous block, and then the
output of this block feeds to the next block, until one step of the optimization process is
completed.

Fig. 2. Block diagram of optimization process.

138 J. Faiz, M.B.B. Shari®an / Computers and Electrical Engineering 27 (2001) 133±144

The intent is to indicate that it is possible to design a single-cage induction motor optimally
in such a manner that its performance characteristics become almost equivalent to the
manufactured double-cage induction motor. However eciency, power factor, starting current
and torque and pull-out torque ratios, rated slip and temperature rise of the designed motor
must be acceptable and around the standard values. Each design also has its advantage
corresponding with the objective function. For a better and more extensive comparison of
di€erent designs, their performance characteristics are plotted on the same plane.

4. Design optimization

The motor with the nominal ratings, shown in Table 1, is chosen for optimization. The
optimization constraints are as follows:
Minimum power factor 0.79
Maximum starting current (pu) 7.50
Minimum starting torque (pu) 2.00
Minimum pull-out torque (pu) 2.20

Table 2 summarizes the output of the optimized designs (E, C, EC), initial design (I) and

Table 2
Comparison of di€erent designs

Quantity I Ind. E C EC

Stator outer diameter (mm) 316.2 200.0 332.0 285.8 281.4

Stator inner diameter (mm) 209.3 125.0 195.7 186.7 188.4
Stack length (mm) 94.87 170.0 128.07 90.12 87.28
Stator slot ®lling factor (%) ± 50 50 50 50
Starting torque (pu) 2.47 2.00 2.00 3.22 2.99
Pull-out torque (pu) 2.71 2.20 3.32 3.49 3.51
Starting current (pu) 5.29 7.50 6.76 6.24 6.34
Power factor 0.94 0.79 0.92 0.88 0.82
Slip (%) 8.12 4.33 3.94 6.71 5.21
Line current (A) 14.53 16.80 13.73 15.12 16.25
Mechanical loss (W) 97.8 100.0 133.6 111.9 112.0
Stray loss (W) 137.6 ± 150.4 141.9 146.5
Stator ohmic loss (W) 738.0 ± 298.5 546.8 684.0
Rotor ohmic loss (W) 665.3 ± 312.2 544.0 415.2
Core loss (W) 51.7 ± 62.1 73.6 80.2
Eciency (%) 81.5 84.0 88.6 84.0 83.8
Temperature rise (8C) 108.4 80.0 40.5 102.2 130.7
Cost ($) 148 157 192 136 132
Number of iteration ± ± 116 231 111
 J. Faiz, M.B.B. Shari®an / Computers and Electrical Engineering 27 (2001) 133±144 139

industrial design (Ind.). The data due to the industrial motor have been taken from the
manufacturer's catalogue.
Fig. 3 represents torque-speed and current-speed characteristics of an industrial design,
initial design and three optimum designs. Some discrepancies appear between the results shown
in Table 2 and Fig. 3, for instance, the starting currents are not the same, because in this ®gure
the equivalent circuit of the motor is taken to be linear and saturation e€ect upon the
performance is ignored (numerical values for the industrial motor are taken from the
catalogue, and they are not experimentally veri®ed by the authors). Also, the increase of the
stator resistance due to the temperature rise has been neglected. Note that, in the design stage,
the saturation and temperature rise e€ects are considered, using the magnetization
characteristic of the material and thermal model of the motor. Starting torque of the initial
design and three optimum designs are always larger than that of the industrial motor,
therefore, it exhibits a better performance for larger loads. Among optimum designs, the
eciency-based design has the sharpest slope around synchronous speed, resulting in a good
performance. A larger slope around the synchronous speed limits the speed variation around
the rated load, which improves the performance of the motor. By increasing the load, the
eciency-designed motor becomes more stable than the industrial motor.
Table 3 summarizes the maximum and minimum of the di€erent performance factors.

Fig. 3. Torque-speed and current-speed characteristics.

140 J. Faiz, M.B.B. Shari®an / Computers and Electrical Engineering 27 (2001) 133±144

Table 3
Comparison of the maximum and minimum quantities for di€erent designs

I Ind. E C EC

Starting torque ± Min Min Max ±

Rated speed Min ± Max ± ±
Starting current Min Max ± ± ±
No-load current Min ± Min ± Max
Pull-out torque ± Min ± ± Max

Fig. 4. Variations of performance characteristics with terminal voltage at nominal load.

 J. Faiz, M.B.B. Shari®an / Computers and Electrical Engineering 27 (2001) 133±144 141

Fig. 5. Variations of performance characteristics with output power at nominal voltage.

5. Performance variation with line voltage

Variation of steady-state performance characteristics of the ®ve designs at nominal load is

shown in Fig. 4, in terms of the eciency, current, slip, power factor and torque as a function
of the line voltage, in the range of 220% rated voltage. It can be seen that the increase of the
line voltage causes the eciency to rise, current, slip and power factor drop. Eciency based
design exhibits a variation similar to that of the industrial design, of course with a higher
eciency. The percentage of eciency variation of the eciency±cost based design is similar to
that of the industrial design, but the former design has lower eciency. The initial design
exhibits the largest variation of eciency, current and slip. The optimum eciency design and
industrial design have the smallest performance variation with voltage.
By increasing the voltage, the leakage ¯ux rises and the developed torque becomes less
(electromagnetic coupling of the rotor and the stator is reduced) for a constant rated load,
power and consequently rotor speed increases (smaller slip). Consider that Pm ˆ r2 i22 =s,
142 J. Faiz, M.B.B. Shari®an / Computers and Electrical Engineering 27 (2001) 133±144

reduction of s corresponds to the reduction of the rotor current (Pm constant) and input
current. This reduces the major ohmic loss of the motor, and eciency will be higher.

6. Performance variation with output power

Fig. 5 shows variation of performance characteristics at terminal voltage vs. output power
for the ®ve designs. The industrial, eciency based and eciency±cost based designs have
maximum eciency about 5 kW (67% of the rated load). For the other two designs, the
maximum eciency occurs at about 4 kW (54% of the rated load) for the cost based design
and 3 kW (40% of the rated load) for the initial design. The largest current is due to
eciency±cost based design and the lowest current is obtained for the eciency-based design.
Variation of current for the cost based and the industrial designs almost coincides. The largest
variation of current is obtained for the initial design and the lowest variation is due to the
eciency±cost based design. It is interesting to note that the no-load power factors of all
designs are equal. With increase in the output power of the motor, di€erence between power
factors of the ®ve designs becomes larger and they then drop again. Industrial design slip has
the lowest slope and initial design has the highest slope and with the increase of slip, the slope
of all designs rises. Comparison of ®ve designs indicates that in general, eciency optimization,
which is the most expensive design, improves all performance characteristics of the motor.

7. Conclusions

This paper has compared three optimally designed three phase squirrel-cage induction
motors with an industrial motor of the same rating. A 10 hp motor has been designed as an
illustrative example. On the basis of the results obtained, one may draw the following
conclusions:
. Comparison of the ®nal optimum design with the initial and industrial designs indicates the
gaining of the proposed performance even better than expected. In this instance, a lower
starting current, a higher starting and pull-out torques and ®nally a larger power factor
(with respect to the corresponding constraints) for three 10 hp designs can be pointed out.
. Some performance characteristics of the industrial design are very close to the optimum cost
design. Performance variations of the industrial design are similar to the optimum eciency
design, although the industrial design has a lower eciency.
. Variations of performance characteristics (in %) of the optimum designs with terminal
voltage and output power are rather low compared to the initial design. The optimum
eciency design is the best in this respect.
 J. Faiz, M.B.B. Shari®an / Computers and Electrical Engineering 27 (2001) 133±144 143

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Jawad Faiz received the Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Newcastle
upon Tyne, England, in 1988. In the same year, he joined the Department of Electrical Engineering,
University of Tabriz, Iran, as an assistant professor. He was promoted to associate professor in 1993
and professor in 1998. Currently Dr. Faiz is a professor of electrical and computer engineering at
Tehran University, Tehran, Iran. His teaching and research interests are switched reluctance and VR
motor design, electrical machines designing, modeling, control and applications.

Mohammad Bagher Banna Shari®an received his M.Sc. degree from University of Tabriz, Iran, in
1992. In 1993, he joined the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Tabriz, Iran, as a
lecturer. He is currently studying for a Ph.D. degree. His research interests are in electrical machines
designing, modeling, control and applications.