Analytical modeling of open-circuit air-gap field distributions in multisegment and multilayer interior permanent-magnet machines

We present a simple lumped magnetic circuit model for interior permanent-magnet (IPM) machines with multisegment and multilayer permanent magnets. We derived analytically the open-circuit air-gap field distribution, average air-gap flux density, and leakage fluxes. To verify the developed models and analytical method, we adopted finite-element analysis (FEA). We show that for prototype machines, the errors between the FEA and analytically predicted results are <1% for multisegment IPM machines and <2% for multilayer IPM machines. By utilizing the developed lumped magnetic circuit models, the IPM machines can be optimized for maximum fundamental and minimum total harmonic distortion of the air-gap flux density distribution.