Maxwell v15 ANSYS Electrical Machine Design Reference

11.1

Electrical Machine Design Reference

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Content
General Tips -3
RMxprt  Maxwell -8
Geometry Creation - 11
Material Assignment - 14
Excitation Setup - 20
Boundary Conditions - 24
Mesh Operations - 27
Solution Setup - 31
Force / Torque Calculation - 35
Inductance Calculation - 36
Loss Calculation - 39
View Results - 41
Parameter Sweep and Optimization - 44
Increasing Simulation Speed - 47

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General Tips
1. Project Interface

Project History
Graphic
Manager Tree
window
window

Properties
window

Massage
Progress
window
window

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General Tips
2. Executing Commands from Menu Bar
Edit View Draw Modeler Maxwell 2D/3D

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General Tips
3. Executing Commands from Toolbar Icons
Modeler Toolbar

Toolbar : Lines Toolbar : 2D Toolbar : 3D

and Curves Objects Objects

Geometry Manipulation Toolbar

Rotate Around Dynamic
Current Axis Zoom Fit All

Pan

Rotate Around Rotate Around Zoom In/Out Fit Selected

Model Center Screen Center

Displaying or Hiding Individual Toolbars

Right Click on Maxwell window frame
A list of all Toolbars is displayed
The toolbars with a checkmark besides them are visible while
others are invisible
Click the Toolbar name to turn its display On or Off

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General Tips
4. Executing Commands By Right Mouse Click

If Don’t Know where to find a command

Try a Right mouse click

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General Tips
5. Executing Commands using Keyboard Shortcuts
General Shortcuts Modeler Shortcuts Set model projection to
• Help: F1 • Select face/object behind current selection: standard isometric projections:
• Context help: Shift + F1 B Alt + Double Click Left Mouse
• Close program: CTRL + F4 • Face select mode: F Button at points on screen
• Copy: CTRL + C • Object select mode: O ALT + Right Mouse Button +
• New project: CTRL + N • Select all visible objects: CTRL + A Double Click Left Mouse
• Open: CTRL + O • Deselect all objects: CTRL + SHIFT + A Button at points on screen:
• Save: CTRL + S • Fit view: CTRL + D give the nine opposite
• Print: CTRL + P • Zoom in, screen center: CTRL + E projections
• Paste: CTRL + V • Zoom out, screen center: CTRL + F
• Cut: CTRL + X • Shifts the local coordinate system
• Redo: CTRL + Y temporarily: CTRL + Enter
• Undo: CTRL + Z • Drag: SHIFT + Left Mouse Button
• Cascade windows: CTRL + • Rotate model: Alt + Left Mouse Button
0 • Zoom in / out: Alt + SHIFT + Left Mouse
Button Predefined View Angles
• Tile windows horizontally:
CTRL + 1 • Switch to point entry mode (i.e. draw
• Tile windows vertically: objects by mouse): F3
CTRL + 2 • Switch to dialogue entry mode (i.e. draw
object solely by entry in command and
attributes box.): F4
• Render model wire frame: F6
• Render model smooth shaded: F7

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RMxprt  Maxwell
Full Integration of RMxprt and Maxwell
RMxprt and Maxwell are now Fully Integrated
All RMxprt data is exported to Maxwell 2D or 3D
This includes Geometry, Materials, Boundaries, Excitations, Motion Setup, Mesh Operations,
Solution Setups, Results, Plots etc.
With Maxwell V15, even Maxwell 3D Project imports RMxprt Boundaries, Excitations, Mesh
Operations, Solution Setup, Results, Plots etc

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RMxprt  Maxwell
Full Integration of RMxprt and Maxwell 2D

Materials
Motion Setup

Boundaries

Excitations
Geometry
Mesh
Operations

Solve Setup

Result Plots

Ready to Solve : Select the menu item

Maxwell 2D > Analyze All
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RMxprt  Maxwell
Full Integration of RMxprt and Maxwell 2D

Materials
Motion Setup
Boundaries

Excitations Geometry

Mesh
Operations
Solve Setup

Result Plots

Ready to Solve : Select the menu item

Maxwell 3D > Analyze All
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Geometry Creation
1. Use RMxprt
Create Model in RMxprt and export to Maxwell
2. Use User Defined Primitives
Create Model in Maxwell using UDPs

Change Length to 0 to make 2D sheet

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Geometry Creation
3. Use Maxwell Geometry Utilities
Create Model Maxwell directly using Maxwell Geometry creation utilities

Toolbar : Lines Toolbar : 2D Toolbar : 3D

and Curves Objects Objects

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Geometry Creation
4. Import Geometry
Geometry can also be imported in Maxwell from External source
Maxwell can import geometry files from various sources
With Maxwell V15, external CAD files can also be imported in Maxwell directly

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Material Assignment
1. How to Assign Material

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Material Assignment
2. Objects can be Grouped by Material

3. Material Coordinate Systems

Materials can be defined in Cartesian, Cylindrical or Spherical Coordinate Systems

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Material Assignment
4. Linear, Nonlinear and Anisotropic Materials

5. Import Old Material Libraries (from Older Versions of Maxwell)

From the menu item Maxwell 2D > Translate Material Database

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Material Assignment
6. Options to calculate Permanent magnet or Core Loss Properties

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Material Assignment
7. Material Library Management
3- Tier Library Structure
System (Global) Level: Predefined with Maxwell and ships with new upgrades, users cannot modify
this
User Library: To be shared among the several users at a company (can be encrypted)
Personal Libraries: To be used by single user (can be encrypted)
Add New materials: Tools > Edit Configured Libraries > Materials
New Interface for Material setting shared with RMxprt
Click “Add Material…” . Material is only available in current project.
To Add Materials to User or Personal Library
Click on “Export Library” and save it in the desired library

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Material Assignment
8. Magnetization and Demagnetization
3rd Quadrant Demagnetization 1st Quadrant Magnetization

Load line without other B Line a

sources B Initial Br

Br after
Load line with other
sources
demag
Br p Line b
H
0

Hc after
demagnetization

0 H

Demagnetization point

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Excitation Setup
Magnetostatic Solver
To Assign Excitations in Magnetostatic Solver, select coils, right click and select Assign
Excitations

Amp Turns!

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Excitation Setup
Transient Solver
To Assign Excitations in Magnetostatic Solver
Select coils, right click and select Assign Excitations
Add Winding and choose excitation type: Current, Voltage or External

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Excitation Setup
Transient Solver
Winding Types
Current Excitation Voltage Excitation

Phase Resistance

End Inductance

External Circuit

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Excitation Setup
Transient Solver
Excitations for Electrical Machines
End Connection
For Induction Machine Squirrel Cage end-rings
Zero Current
For Permanent Magnets / Solid Rotor when calculating eddy current losses

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Boundary Conditions
1. To Assign Boundary Conditions
Select the edges to be assigned the boundary condition
Right click and select Assign Boundary

2. Symmetry Boundary: Even & Odd

Symmetry: Even (Flux Normal)

Symmetry: Odd (Flux Tangential)

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Boundary Conditions
3. Vector Potential = 0 and Balloon

Balloon on all Edges of Region Zero Vector Potential on outer Edges of Stator

Flux Can Exit and Re-enter Flux Can NOT Escape the
the Boundary Boundary

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Boundary Conditions
4. Master / Slave (Matching Boundary, Periodic Boundary)

Bs = Bm Bs = -Bm

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Mesh Operation
1. Automatic and Adaptive Meshing

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Mesh Operation
2. To Assign Mesh Operations
Select the geometry to be assigned the mesh operation
Right click and select Assign Mesh operation
On Selection
Inside Selection

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Mesh Operation
3. Skin Depth Based Mesh

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Mesh Operation
3. Surface Approximation Mesh
Maximum Surface Deviation
Maximum deviation that triangle surfaces may have from
true curved geometry surface

Maximum Surface Normal Deviation

Maximum angular difference, in degrees, that a triangle
face’s normal can have from the surface normal for the true
geometry which it is meant to represent

Maximum Aspect Ratio:

Maximum allowed Aspect Ratio of all the faces

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Solution Setup
1. Magnetostatic Solver
Solution Setup can be added from the menu item Maxwell 2D > Analysis Setup > Add
Solution Setup

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Solution Setup
2. Transient Solver
Solution Setup can be added from the menu item Maxwell 2D > Analysis Setup > Add
Solution Setup

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Solution Setup
3. Transient Solver
Motion Setup
Select the band, right click and select Assign Band

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Solution Setup
4. Transient Solver
Two Bands
For transient motion solver, two bands with two independently moving objects can be
specified
Both rotational and translational solvers can be specified with two bands

Stator

Rotor I

Rotor II

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Torque / Force Calculation

1. For Magnetostatic Solver
Select the object to be assign the calculation
Right click and select Assign Parameter
A Band object is recommended in Magnetostatic
simulations, but not required.
The band is a dummy air/vacuum object between
moving and stationary parts.
For Magnetostatic Solver, User have to manually
specify the Force / Torque Calculations

2. For Transient Solver

A Band object is required for Transient simulations with
motion.
In a Transient simulation, moving torque is assigned by
the solver automatically.
The moving torque calculated in a Transient simulation
is the torque on all objects INSIDE the band (not
including the band).

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Inductance Calculation
1. Inductance Calculations with Transient Solver

XY Plot 3 3ph_ind_tr6 ANSOFT

3.80
Curve Info
L(PhaseA,PhaseA)
Setup1 : Transient

3.60

3.40
L(PhaseA,PhaseA) [mH]

3.20

3.00

2.80

2.60

2.40
100.00 200.00 300.00 400.00 500.00 600.00 700.00 800.00 900.00 1000.00
Time [us]

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Inductance Calculation
2. Incremental Inductance Computation

Only with Magnetostatic

Solver

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Inductance Calculation
3. Apparent Inductance and Incremental Inductance
Apparent Inductance
Incremental Inductance
j  j
L a
jk L 
d

i k
jk
ik

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Loss Calculations
1. To Enable Loss Calculations
Right click on Excitations tab from Project Manager window

2. Eddy Loss Calculation

If Eddy Loss is to be calculated, it is recommended to calculate the skin depth first, then have
at least two layers of the elements fro the first skin depth

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Loss Calculations
3. Core Loss Calculations
Core Loss properties needs to be set to the material for which losses are to be calculated

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Loss Calculations
4. Loss Mapping to Thermal Solvers
Losses calculated in Maxwell can be mapped to ANSYS FLEUNT or ANSYS Mechanical for
thermal solution

Thermal Feedback to Maxwell

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Magnetization and Demagnetization

Magnetization
Mesh must be linked between Source and Target design
Source and Target designs can be Magnetostatic or Transient or combination of both

Source Design

Target Design

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Magnetization and Demagnetization

Demagnetization

Source Design

Target Design

Magnetostatic Solver Transient Solver

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Magnetization and Demagnetization

Temperature Dependent Demagnetization
Works with intrinsic BH Curve

From Supplier Data Derived from Maxwell

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View Results
1. Create 2D Plots
Right mouse click on the tab Results in Project Manager window
2. Create Quick Reports
Available with Transient Solver
Most key plots are included: Torque, Phase Currents, Back EMF, Losses etc.

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View Results
3. To View Mesh / Field Plots
Right mouse click on the tab Field Overlays in Project Manager window

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View Results
4. To View Mesh / Field Plots for Transient Solver
To View Mesh or Field plots at various time intervals of Transient solver
Select the menu item View > Set Solution Context or double click on Time indication at
the bottom of Graphic window

5. To View Mesh / Field Plots in Magnetostatic Solver

To View Mesh or Field plots at different variations in Magnetostatic Solver, fields of those
variations must be saved

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Parametric Sweep and Optimization

1. Optimetrics Module
Parametrics:
Define one or more variable sweep definitions, each specifying a series of variable
values within a range. Easily view and compare the results using plot or table to
determine how each design variation affects the performance of the design.
Optimization:
Identify the cost function and the optimization goal. Optimetrics automatically changes
the design parameter(s) to meet the goal. The cost function can be based on any
solution quantity that can be computed, such as field values, R,L,C force, torque,
volume or weight.
Sensitivity:
Determine the sensitivity of the design to small changes in variables in the vicinity of a
design point. Outputs include: Regression value at the current variable value, first
derivative of the regression, second derivative of the regression.
Tuning:
Variable values are changed interactively and the performance of the design is
monitored. Useful after performing an optimization in Optimetrics to fine tune the
optimal variable value and see how the design results are affected.
Statistical:
Shows the distribution (Histogram) of a design output like force, torque or loss caused
by a statistical variation (Monte Carlo) of input variables.

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Parametric Sweep and Optimization Geometry

Excitation
2. Parameters for Optimetrics
Every item that has a value can be set as a variable and can be Materials
swept or optimized Frequency
Speed
3. Setup Parametric Sweep Torque/Force
Inductance

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Parametric Sweep and Optimization

4. Setup Optimization

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Increasing Simulation Speed

1. To Enable Multi-processor option
Select the menu item Tools > Options > Maxwell 2D Options
Maxwell will split a large matrix into smaller ones and solve simultaneously on different
processors
Each additional processor will contribute to solution speed improvements
Speed increase will vary based on design and size of the model
The benefit of multiprocessor option can be best seen in large 3D designs

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Increasing Simulation Speed

2. To Enable Distributed Analysis to all Parametric Designs
Select the menu item Tools > Options > General Options

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Increasing Simulation Speed

3. Substantial Speed Increase

Parametric variations: 1296

Solve time, one processor: 13 hr, 15 min
Solve time, distributed, 8 CPUs: 2 hr, 30 min
Speed improvement: 5.3X

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