Design and Optimization of a Novel Outer-Rotor Single-Phase Line-Start Synchronous Reluctance Motor with Different Winding Configurations

Abstract

In this study, a novel single-phase outer-rotor line-start synchronous reluctance motor topology is proposed as a solution to the traditional efficiency and torque quality problems of single-phase motors. During the design process, two different winding configurations (Winding A and Winding B) were considered to optimize motor performance, and the rotor barrier geometry was optimized using the multi-objective genetic algorithm. In comparative analyses conducted with the finite element analysis method, it was observed that both designs successfully reached synchronous speed and transitioned to a stable operating regime within approximately 1 s. For the Winding A structure, the analysis results revealed that noise and vibration problems were minimized by offering a torque ripple as low as 52%, which is a notably low value for single-phase motors. Additionally, the low power factor, a typical disadvantage of synchronous reluctance motors, was increased to 0.89 with capacitor support. The efficiency values exceeding 87% (87.20% for Winding A and 87.85% for Winding B), obtained in both structures, prove that the proposed topology is a high-efficiency and high-performance alternative compared to induction motors. This study offers a new solution to the literature with high efficiency and low torque ripple, especially for outer-rotor applications requiring synchronous speed stability, such as fans and pumps.