High-Temperature Operational Characteristics of an Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor with Samarium Cobalt Magnets

Abstract

This study describes characteristics of an interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (IPMSM) using samarium cobalt (SmCo) magnets, operated at high ambient temperature up to 200℃. Although the SmCo magnet is not as strong as neodymium iron boron (NdFeB) magnets, it has less thermal demagnetization, and hence can operate at a wider temperature range and have better thermal stability than the NdFeB magnet. Two IPMSM prototypes using SmCo (LM-34SH) and NdFeB (N40-UH) magnets were built and tested at ambient temperatures up to 200℃. The test results demonstrated that the prototype IPMSM with SmCo magnets produced higher torque at more than 100℃ and had a wider high-efficiency range at 200℃ than that with NdFeB magnets, and hence it was experimentally verified that the IPMSM with SmCo has thermal motor performance superiority.