Overview of magnetless brushless machines

Owing to the definite merits of high-efficiency and high-power density, the permanent-magnet (PM) brushless machines have been dominating the high-performance industrial applications. However, the problems of high PM material cost, fluctuating supply of rare-Earth materials and ineffective PM flux control have hindered the widespread applications of the PM brushless machines. In recent years, many attentions have been shifted to the magnetless candidates, while the focuses are mainly placed on the classical candidates. In this study, an overview of magnetless brushless machines including both the classical and advanced types is presented, with emphasis on their machine topologies, features and performances. In addition, the upcoming trend of these machines is reviewed and discussed.