Combined finite element-domain elimination method for minimizing torque ripples in inverter-fed AC motor drive systems

This paper presents a new method for minimizing the torque ripple of inverter-fed induction motor drives. The method is based on the combination of the time-stepping (complex) finite element method coupled to the external circuit model and the domain elimination method. The emphasis of this paper is on the development of a fast and accurate finite element method for the computation of the steady state performance of inverter-fed motor drives with periodic nonsinusoidal time-varying voltages. Improvements on the domain elimination optimization algorithm will also be considered. The proposed method is validated by a numerical example.