Enhanced Rotary Transformer-Based Field Excitation System for Wound Rotor Synchronous Motor

Wound rotor synchronous motors are being increasingly considered for electric vehicle traction applications. In this regard, the rotary transformer-based field excitation system is considered one of the most viable option for the rotor winding excitation. For such applications, key performance indicators for the rotary transformer-based field excitation system include: maximum speed, power transfer capability, size and weight, manufacturing cost and ease of control. These indicators on the other hand are affected by design choices such as mechanical and magnetic air-gap lengths, use of ferrites in the rotor of the rotary transformer and reactive power compensation. This paper evaluates the performance of the field excitation system based on two different designs of the rotary transformer: a conventional design and a proposed design. Particularly, the effect of various compensation types on the power transfer capability of the two design types is evaluated. It is shown that unlike the conventional design, the proposed design can take advantage of resonant compensation circuits both to enhance its power transfer capability and to ease the control. Taking the same space constraints, winding window areas, and number of turns for the two types of design, the condition necessary for compensation to enhance the performance of the field excitation system is established.