Abstract

Permanent magnet machines have been the pinnacle of performance in low-speed high-torque applications, although several unsuccessful attempts have been made to propose suitable induction machine solutions for direct-drive scenarios. Recently in the literature, a new axial-flux matrix-rotor induction machine has been proposed as a potential alternative in direct-drive low-speed high-torque applications, but its competitivity is truncated by the lack of tools to conduct largescale analysis of their performance. In this work, a semi-analytical tool was developed to quickly assess the performance of axial-flux matrix-rotor induction motors, simplifying the matrix-rotor structure, and devising representative 3D and linear 2D finite element models, extremely reducing computation time. The proposed method aims to leverage the identification of estimation error sources and to allow multi-objective optimization of an axial-flux matrix-rotor induction motor. From the results obtained through the proposed tool, an initial-sized axial-flux matrix-rotor induction motor was refined and optimized using a multi-objective approach. Good results in terms of torque capacity, efficiency, and power factor were obtained, underlining the suitability of the new axial-flux matrix-rotor induction motor for low-speed high-torque applications.