Researchers at TU Graz improve small electric motors

Efficiency in brushless drives Researchers at Technical University Graz improve small electric motors

2024-11-28 Source: TU Graz | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

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Through innovations in design, control, and production technology, brushless drives of pumps and ventilation systems operate more efficiently and quietly. Users of electrical appliances and the automotive industry can benefit.

Small electric motors are found in a variety of household appliances, tools, and computers, as well as in modern cars, where they drive auxiliary units such as pumps and fans. Individually, each of these motors does not consume much energy, but collectively they offer significant potential for savings.

The research team of the recently successfully concluded "CD Laboratory for Brushless Drives for Pump and Fan Applications" led by Annette Mütze from the Institute of Electrical Drives and Power Electronics at Technical University (TU) Graz in Austria has now further explored this potential: Through innovative design, modified control technology, and the use of new manufacturing techniques, the further developed brushless integrated drives consume less electricity, operate more quietly, and become lighter.

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Annette Mütze from the Institute of Electrical Drives and Power Electronics at TU Graz.(Image: Helmut Lunghammer)

Angled claws reduce vibrations

Larger claw pole motors are used, for example, in vehicle lighting systems. Their use as small drives is less well known. Annette Mütze's team has reduced the so-called "cogging torques" of these small drives by angling and grooving the claws, which does not incur additional costs.

The temporary locking of the claws when the motor rotates and thus unwanted vibrations are reduced in this way. "This allowed us to reduce an important noise source by 70 percent. As a result, the drives run much more smoothly and much quieter," says Annette Mütze.

Simplified control reduces switching losses

Efficiency gains were achieved through simplified control of the current flow. Typically, pulse width modulation controls the current that powers the motor of a fan or pump. To ensure the current flows in the desired rectangular pattern, numerous switching operations are required, which causes additional energy consumption. "We switch our drives on and off only once per desired rectangle," says Annette Mütze. "This allowed us to enormously reduce the additional energy consumption caused by switching losses."

Particularly at low currents, these drives therefore have a much better overall efficiency than those controlled by conventional pulse-width modulation.

Due to the drastically reduced number of switches, the circuit boards of the motors also require half as many capacitors, which reduces costs.

3D printing of ferrite-based material

The third innovation has been the successful realization of PCB motors with ferrite cores. "PCB" stands for "Printed Circuit Board" and in the case of the motors means that the windings, which generate the magnetic field needed for the drive, are implemented in the form of printed circuit boards. This allows for a high degree of automation in manufacturing.

Annette Mütze's team equipped the circuit boards with 3D-printed ferrite cores, thereby improving the magnetic flux guidance in the motors. This was a prerequisite for the use of more cost-effective magnets, which are also based on ferrite.

As a corporate partner, MSG Mechatronic Systems GmbH was involved in the "CD Laboratory for Brushless Drives for Pump and Fan Applications".

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