DIGITAL INDUSTRIES SOFTWARE

Effects of incorporating permanent

magnet demagnetization in the
simulations of modern electric
machines for electric vehicles
Executive summary
Modern electrical machines may face extreme operating conditions including high currents and
temperatures which can lead to partial or complete demagnetization of the permanent magnets. For
this purpose, a computationally efficient Demag model has been introduced in Simcenter MAGNET™
v7.9 software which includes temperature-dependence and maintains a history based on the magnetic
field values. The model can be enabled with the 2D Transient solver (with or without motion).

The application of the Demag model in the simulation of the IPM machine demonstrates that the
change in the PM’s strength due to partial demagnetization can have drastic effects on the performance
of the machine.

Sajid Hussain and Kang Chang

siemens.com/simcenter
White Paper – Effects of incorporating permanent magnet demagnetization in the simulations of modern electric machines for electric vehicles

Contents

Introduction 3

Incorporating demagnetization 4

Application examples 4
1. A cube magnet surrounded by a currentdriven coil 4
2. An interior permanent magnet machine
(similar to the Prius 2010) 5

– Test case 1: Demagnetization due to current loading

at constant temperature 6
– Test case 2: Demagnetization due to the increase in
temperature9
– Test case 3: Demagnetization and its effects on
back EMF due to short circuit 10

References 11

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White Paper – Effects of incorporating permanent magnet demagnetization in the simulations of modern electric machines for electric vehicles

Introduction
Commercial software packages generally treat most 1.5

permanent magnets as linear materials for various 1.0

Magnetic flux density, B (T)

reasons including the ease of numerical implemen-
0.5
tation and the lack of measured data. There is a
strong argument for such treatment. The BH curves 0

of permanent magnets (PMs) such as NeFeB exhibit

-0.5
two almost linear sections joined by a sharp curve
known as a knee point in the second quadrant of -1.0

the BH plane1. One such curve for a NdFeB magnet -1.5

(N42) material is shown in figure 1. Once the oper-
-2
ating point moves past the knee point, the magnet -1500 -1000 -500 0

is no longer considered good because it has lost its Figure 2. Measured recoil curves of a high coercivity NeFeB
magnetization, and there is no point of using such a magnet at 120 °C2.

material in the design of an electrical machine if this

behavior is not desired. regain its strength once it goes past the knee point
and returns. In reality, the strength of the magnet
Alnico magnets, on the other hand, exhibit a
degrades at a drastic rate beyond the knee point,
smoothly varying behavior in the second quadrant
and if it is to return, a new branch on the BH plane,
and Simcenter MAGNET treats them as nonlinear
known as the recoil line, is followed which has a
permanent magnets and models the whole BH
lower remanence, as shown in figure 2.
curve. Simcenter MAGNET can do so for other PM
materials as well if the whole BH curve is available. Hysteresis models, such as that of Preisach, can
Nevertheless, the magnetization in all cases is represent the BH behavior of the PMs accurately by
considered to be reversible, i.e., the magnet will modelling the complete BH loop. However, these
models require measured data in the first and third
quadrant of the BH plane which is often not avail-
1.5
Remanence able in the case of PMs. For example, a decreasing
branch of the major BH loop is required (at least) for
Magnetic flux density, B (T)

1 Knee point the identification of the Preisach model, and such

measurement will require specialized equipment
0.5 which can apply very high magnetic fields, espe-
cially in the case of rare earth PMs (greater than
Coercivity
2000 kA/m). Moreover, the representation of a PM
0
with a hysteresis model is redundant considering
the user is mostly interested in the operation of the
-0.5 PM in the second quadrant only. Also, the hysteresis
-450 -400 -350 -300 -250 -200 -150 -100 -50 0
implementation will model minor loops with a
Magnetic field intensity, H (kA/m) significant loop area which is not generally

Figure 1. Measured Demagnetization BH curve of a high

observed in the measurements of PMs2.
coercivity NeFeB magnet (N42) at 120 °C.

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White Paper – Effects of incorporating permanent magnet demagnetization in the simulations of modern electric machines for electric vehicles

Incorporating demagnetization
The incorporation of the demagnetization of PMs Simcenter MAGNET by Siemens Digital Industries
in CAD simulations is important for the accurate Software is a general-purpose 2D/3D electromag-
prediction of device performance under fault or netic field simulation software used for virtual
high-temperature conditions. Therefore, a tempera- prototyping of simple to complex electromagnetic
ture-dependent Demag model has been introduced and electromechanical devices. Using Simcenter
in Simcenter MAGNET v7.9 which can predict the BH MAGNET, engineers and scientists can design
behavior of a PM in the second quadrant with motors, sensors, transformers, actuators, solenoids
reasonable accuracy and does not require additional or any component with permanent magnets or coils
material information. In fact, this model can be thus saving both time and money.
identified with three points only with a computa-
This paper focuses on the application of a new
tional cost similar to the linear material model. The
advanced feature of Simcenter MAGNET v7.9 which
important characteristics of the PM, such as the
allows users to incorporate the demagnetization of
linearized permeability and the knee point are
the permanent magnets during a transient simula-
derived from a nonlinear BH curve (as shown in
tion using the temperature dependent Demag
figure 1) according to the MMPA standard3 which
model3. The feature can be enabled when the
means that the user doesn’t need to provide demag-
simulation is solved using the Transient solver in 2D
netization information.
(with and without motion).

Application examples
In this section, two examples demonstrating the 1. A cube magnet surrounded by a current-
linear and the Demag models are presented. The driven coil
first example of a simple cube PM demonstrates the The first example demonstrates the irreversible
working behavior of the Demag model whereas the behavior of the Demag model by demagnetizing a
second example is an interior permanent (IPM) cube magnet (magnetized in the y-direction)
magnet motor for electric vehicle applications. The surrounded by a current-driven coil. The Simcenter
results of the IPM motor will include a discussion on MAGNET model of this geometry is shown in figure
demagnetization fields, and its effects on global 3 (a). The coil is excited by four cycles of sinusoidal
results, e.g. torque, etc., under a different scenario. current, as shown in figure 3 (b).
Linear and Demag material models will also be
compared.

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