Correspondence

THEORY AND PERFORMANCE OF SOLID-ROTOR rotor length = 0-007 m

INDUCTION AND HYSTERESIS MACHINES
In paper 7664P [Proc. IEE, 1976,123, (5), pp. 4 2 1 ^ 2 8 ] , Dr.
O'Kelly has given a general theory for hysteresis machines and used an
emperical method, which, in his opinion, has taken care of the effect
of rotational hysteresis.
Theories and performances of hysteresis machines have been well
documented through the publication of articles, particularly those
referred to by the author. Perfections on these are still being attempted
to advance the technology. Dr. O'Kelly has studied only one thickness
of 35% cobalt-steel rotor, and, therefore, it would be interesting to
know in which way his analysis has proved that he has included the
interaction of hysteresis and eddy-current effects, which, he told us,
has usually been excluded in the analysis of hysteresis motors.
Dr. O'Kelly would be aware that tubular rotor construction has
been accepted as standard practice because larger output from a
hysteresis motor can be obtained, provided that a uniform airgap is
maintained. This is achieved by avoiding slottings in the rotor and
closing the stator slot openings by soft-iron slot wedges or rings, as
shown by RotersA and Wakui.
As regards the suggestion of the author to use ferrite material for
the rotor of hysteresis motor, this material has high demagnetisation
and very low remanence, although it possesses high hysteretic energy
loss per cycle per unit volume. To attain such high loss per cycle, a
large m.m.f. would be required, which makes an inefficient motor
because of the extra space needed for conductors, heating due to
winding loss and space harmonics. It is an established phenomenon
that a rotor made from hysteretic material should have high energy loss
per cycle for small coercive force coupled with high remanence for high
efficiency of the motor. Among hysteretic materials with such charac-
teristics are P6, 17% and 35% cobalt steel and Vicalloy. These materials,
or their equivalents, are predominantly used in high efficiency hysteresis
motors.
Dr. O'Kelly has used static complex permeability implying the pre-
ference of dynamic and static permeability. Like other hysteretic ma-
terials, 35% cobalt steel is very sensitive to machining, and, therefore,
to achieve optimum performance this material is heat treated after
machining. Hence, the static permeabilities will also vary owing to
heat treatment. Therefore, to calculate the performance of the hyster-
esis material from the static B/H curve, its heat treatment conditions
must be known. For a particular loss per cycle of the 35% cobalt steel
used by the author, the coercive force is dependent on tempering tem-
perature, and is highest at room temperature and decreases if tempered
at elevated temperature. The flux density, on the other hand, is lowest
at room temperature and increases at higher temperature tempering
before attaining saturation. This is shown for three different energy
loss per cycle in Table A.
rotor inside diameter = 0-01914 m
rotor radial thickness = 000133 m
(b) Heat treatment for 35% cobalt steel:
(i) 950°C ± 10°C for 15 min soaking and still-air cooled
(ii) 1 h soaking at different tempering temprature shown in Table
B and still-air cooled.
It can be seen from Table B that the tempering temperature of 600°C
helped to achieve the desired performance. The increased current at
lower tempering temperature for this motor confirms the character-
istics of the material as shown in Table A.
In view of this experience, Dr O'Kelly's comment on any effect the
heat treatment might have on his results would be welcome. In
addition, his views on whether harmonic effect is the major influence
on the error between the calculated and measured values, or whether,
for example, improved handling of rotor material, optimum airgap,
proper stator slot-bridge thickness, suitable magnetic slot wedge or
ring slot closure, optimum radial thickness of rotor, lead to further
improved results.
Dr. O'Kelly's experimental motor enabled him to study only one
airgap. Proper selection of airgap is an important factor that in-
fluences the performance of hysteresis motor. The effect of airgap on
the output torque in terms of runup time to reach to synchronous
speed for the motor described is given in Table C for 0-0014 m radial
ring thickness of rotor tempered at 600° C.
The author stated that the 'solid rotor of low hysteresis material,
such as mild steel, develop good asynchronous (induction) torque
characteristic, particularly starting torque per ampere'. Hysteresis
motors are still considered low output synchronous motors in small
sizes, and, therefore, if one compares the performance between two
physically similar motors, one with a mild-steel rotor and the other
with a hysteretic rotor, it would be interesting to know whether Dr.
O'Kelly, following his theory, would expect more output torque
(asynchronous) from an m.s. rotor if a hysteretic rotor output torque
is, for example, up to lOmNm at supply frequency of 50 Hz for 2,4
and 6 poles.
8th May 1977 S.K. PAL
70 Mary Green
London NW8 OBS
England

Table A CHARACTERISTICS OF ROTOR MATERIAL

Energy loss per cycle Tempering temperature X590 480 370 260 150 25
kJ/m 3 Magnetising force kA/m 6-7 9-2 10-8 130 15-4 19-6
12 Flux density T 1-24 0-93 0-8 0-7 0-64 0-57
Magnetising force kA/m 8-6 10-6 120 140 16-5 20-6
18 Flux density T 1-4 112 0-97 0-87 0-78 0-68
Magnetising force kA/m 12-6 130 13-8 150 16 7 22-0
24 Flux density T 1-7 1-26 11 0-99 0-89 0-76

It is well known to the manufacturers of hysteresis motors that, if

the influences of these characteristics of the rotor material are ignored, Table B EFFECT OF VARYING TEMPERING TEMPERATURE
there will be a difference between the developed torque calculated on „Tempering
. temperature
. Input current per
the basis of static loop and the torque measured. It would not be justi- h Observation
fied if this influence was attributed to harmonics alone.
°C mA
The effect of heat treatment of rotor fabricated from 35% cobalt
steel for a hysteresis type spin motor is shown in Table B. The duty of 400 220 did not synchronise
this motor was to synchronise the inertia wheel of a rate gyroscope. 500 210
There was limitation on input current, 200 mA maximum with space 600 195 synchronised in 40 s
at premium and runup time, 45 seconds maximum, to synchronous
speed. The motor data and heat treatment are as follows:
Table C EFFECT OF AIRGAP ON OUTPUT TORQUE
(a) Motor details:
26 V 3-phase 400 Hz 24000 r/min Airgap Current per phase Runup time
stack length of stator = 00065 m m mA s
outside diameter = 0 0189 m
number of slots =12 000007 180 65
000009 185 47
turns per coil =67 000012 200 44
wire size = 0000122m

PROC. IEE, Vol. 124, No. 9, SEPTEMBER 1977 791

 During runup, a hysteresis motor with a ferromagnetic rotor de-
velops both induction and hysteresis torques. The effect of eddy-
current action in the rotor material is to reduce flux penetration pro-
ducing the well known 'skin effect' phenomenon, although only to a
small degree with the materials and sizes of machine commonly em-
ployed. The analysis presented in the paper uses an elemental-layer
technique in which the eddy current in each layer is calculated and its
influence on the net magnetising force acting in a layer included
(within, of course, the limitations of the stated assumption, i.e. the
neglect of harmonic components). Many authors consider the two
effects (hysteresis and eddy-current action) independently. Fig. A
shows theoretical computed results for two hysteresis machines with
different pole pairs, assuming a constant rotor surface magnetising
force for all speeds. With a 2-pole machine the hysteresis component
of torque is considerably less at starting than at synchronous speed
compared with results for a 4-pole machine. With no eddy-current
action the theoretical hysteresis torque is constant and independent of
speed.
2-pole 4-pole
cos 0 field problem, but, before this is worth while, considerably more data
speed speed
Fig. A
Theoretical computed results for two hysteresis machines with dif-
ferent pole pairs
I am aware that rotor slotting is considered to be disadvan-
tageous, but, since tests were not carried out on slotted rotors, no
definite conclusions were given on this apsect.
I agree with the observations on hysteresis materials, although the
emphasis should be on high remanence and maximum energy storage
in the second quadrant per unit of coercive force as the important
properties.
Mr. Pal appears to have misunderstood the terms static and dynamic
referred to B/H characteristics. These results are for the same material
excited in two different modes, namely by d.c. and a.c. With a.c.
OPTIMAL AND SUBOPTIMAL CONTROL OF
DUAL-EXCITED SYNCHRONOUS GENERATORS
In the introduction to Paper 7764 P [Proc IEE, 1976,123, (10),
pp. 989-992], Daniels and Lee claim that most previous attempts to
improve the transient performance of the dual-excited synchronous
machines have been based on an intuitive approach. They have then
used linear optimal-excitation control to supposedly overcome this
drawback, as optimal control theory provides a more systematic
approach. They have, however, chosen to ignore the previous
workA>B relating to the application of optimal control to dual-excited
synchronous generators. In fact, Reference A and B employ nonlinear
optimal-control techniques for the improvement of the transient
performance of the dual-excited machines, and have thus gone further
than the work reported in this paper.
In their paper, the authors further claim that the system performance
with linear control is inferior to that obtained from the suboptimal
control described by eqns. 10 and 11 of the paper. The authors do not
give any systematic basis on which the suboptimal feedback controls
and the performance index of eqns. 10 to 12 are derived. It would
seem to me that the structure of their suboptimal control is based on
an intuitive approach that is no different from that employed in
determining the additional signals for the 'conventional control'.
Maybe the authors would like to either comment on this or give a
more systematic basis for the suboptimal control structure employed
by them.
It should be pointed out further that as there are no guidelines
available in choosing the matrices Qy and Q2 in the performance
792
energisation the sample thickness was such that negligible eddy-current
action was present, and hence the influence of hysteresis is different
for the two modes.
Table A, provided by Mr. Pal. is useful in showing the profound im-
portance of heat treatment on rotor characteristics. Commercial
reasons prevented publication of the heat treatment used on the rotor
of the test machine mentioned in the paper. Several attempts were
necessary before the characteristic shown in Fig. 1 was achieved.
However, the purpose of the paper was not to optimise material per-
formance, but to establish an analytical technique on the basis of a
known material characteristic. It is suggested that factors such as
airgap etc. may be optimised using this approach, but significant
errors will probably be present, due to harmonic effects, until an im-
proved method of accurately predicting their influence is established.
It is impossible to generalise on the relative performance of small
induction and hysteresis machines, since stator impedance, number of
pole pairs, surface magnetising force Hox, resistivity p etc. can produce
widely different relative values. However, using the material parameters
and the generalised curves, Fig. 8 and 9 given in the paper, the follow-
ing example shows the locked rotor torque of a mild steel rotor to be
superior to the hysteresis machine. For a 4 pole, 50 Hz machine with
rotor dimensions £> = 0-02m and L — 0025m, a hysteresis rotor
develops lOmNm with Hox = 12kA/m. A similar mild steel rotor
energised with the same value of Hox has a locked torque of over 4
times this value, but the corresponding rotor voltage is 150% larger.
With identical rotor voltages the mild steel rotor produces 4 mNm at a
value of only 2-5 kA/m for Hox.
Invariably, the power factor of the mild-steel rotor is higher than
that of the cobalt steel rotor, and is typically 0-87 compared with 0-5
or less, respectively.
In my opinion, the analysis described in the paper provides
a solution that takes into account the major aspects of hysteresis ma-
terial behaviour and machine performance. However, further work in
the field will require a more accurate solution of the electromagnetic
on material characteristics are necessary.
D. O'KELLY
School of Electrical Engineering
University of Bradford
Bradford BD7 1 DP
England
References
A ROTERS, H.C.; 'The hysteresis motor-advances which permit economical
fractional horse-power ratings', AIEE Trans., 1947,16, pp. 1419-1430
B WAKUI, G.: 'Optimum conditions in design of hysteresis motor', Electr.
Eng. Jap., 1966, 86, pp. 95-105
DTC55 P
index / of eqn. 3 of the paper; the general practice is to determine
suitable values of <2, and Q2 by trial and error, where intuition again
plays a very important role. Because of the uncertainty in choosing
these matrices, the optimal controllers designed are not necessarily the
best. Also, in certain situations the linear optimal controller results in
decreased stability limits.0
18th April 1977 O.P. MALIK
Department of Electrical Engineering
University of Calgary
Calgary, Canada T2N IN4
The list of References given in the paper was never intended to be a
complete bibliography on the subject of either the dual-excited
machine or control methods for such a machine. The main object of
the paper was to compare the performance of such a machine under
the action of two closed-loop excitation control systems: the optimal
controller based on a linearised model and the so-called suboptimal
controller based on a nonlinear model and obtained by function
minimisation using dynamic-sensitivity analysis. In this context,
References A and B of Prof. Malik's correspondence item do not
appear to be relevant, since both papers referred to seem to derive
open-loop controllers. Analytical studies of such open-loop controllers
may well go further academically than the work reported in our
paper, but are, we suggest, very difficult to implement on real physical
systems, a point confirmed by comments in Reference C of the corres-
pondence. Incidentally, none of the three References quoted appears
PROC. IEE, Vol. 124, No. 9, SEPTEMBER 1977