Voltage sources in 2D fourier-based analytical models of electric machines

The importance of extensive optimizations during the design of electric machines entails a need for fast and accurate simulation tools. For that reason, Fourier-based analytical models have gained a lot of popularity. The problem, however, is that these models typically require a current density as input. This is in contrast with the fact that the great majority of modern drive trains are powered with the help of a pulse-width modulated voltage-source inverter. To overcome that mismatch, this paper presents a coupling of classical Fourier-based models with the equation for the terminal voltage of an electric machine, a technique that is well known in finite-element modeling but has not yet been translated to Fourier-based analytical models. Both a very general discussion of the technique and a specific example are discussed. The presented work is validated with the help of a finite-element model. A very good accuracy is obtained