Next Generation Axially Integrated Electric Motor Drives with Alternative Materials for Electrified Vehicle Propulsion

拟议的Discovery Grant研究计划旨在创新电动汽车(EV)的颠覆性技术，宏观目标是降低总拥有成本(TCO)。具体地说，它的目标是专注于用于电动汽车推进的电机和电力电子产品。*由于各种因素，有必要重新思考推动电动汽车的电动总成的架构和设计，原因包括：未来汽车使用模式的变化，包括消费者拥有的汽车、拼车、车队运营、800伏特系统的出现、对超快充电的需求、纳入更多自动驾驶技术、永久磁铁的成本和可用性、新半导体技术的可用性等。这些因素单独或结合起来可能会导致受TCO影响的电动汽车的一套不同的设计要求。因此，拟议的研究计划旨在研究在不使用永磁体的情况下使用替代材料的新型电机技术。将分别考虑400伏特和800伏特的直流母线电压水平来研究缠绕磁场和充满液体的静电同步电机。通过绕组、冷却、优化、控制和转子励磁技术的研究和开发活动，将开发新的电机设计。利用碳化硅(SIC)和氮化镓(GaN)开关，研究电流和电压源供电的新型逆变器结构。这些电力电子设备还将被量身定做，以操作拟议的研究计划中开发的电机。这些调查将涉及使用定制设计和市场上可用的软件包和硬件组件进行建模、设计、联合模拟、制造和测试活动。所有的开发都将集中于将电机和电力电子产品轴向整合到同一套设备中。将特别强调制造的可行性和汽车的可靠性。申请者的工业研发背景将是这一研究计划的福音，以使学术研究与行业需求、标准和实践保持一致。此外，拟议的研究计划将努力将学术界和产业界聚集在一起，为加拿大未来的电动汽车推进技术创造创新和有前途的解决方案。在我的共同监督下计划的活动将与温莎大学、其他加拿大大学和外国大学的教职员工建立和促进富有成效的、增值的合作伙伴关系。该项目将培养在电气、机械和汽车工程领域具有独特能力的高素质人才(HQP)。此外，该计划将为减少化石燃料使用和温室气体(GHG)排放提供积极的解决方案。这些因素将促进加拿大的经济、环境和公共政策发展--为加拿大人创造一个更美好的加拿大。

The proposed Discovery Grant research program aims to innovate disruptive technologies for electrified vehicles (EV) with a macro objective of reducing total cost of ownership (TCO). Specifically, it aims to focus on electric machines and power electronics used for EV propulsion.    There is a need to rethink the architecture and design of electric powertrains which propel EVs due to various factors such as: change in future automotive usage models including consumer owned vehicles, ride sharing, fleet operations, emergence of 800 Volt systems, need for ultra-fast charging, inclusion of more autonomous driving technologies, cost and availability of permanent magnets, availability of novel semiconductor technologies, etc. Such factors when seen independently or in combination could lead to a set of different design requirements for the EV influenced by TCO. Hence, the proposed research program aims at investigating novel electric motor technologies with alternate materials without the use of permanent magnets. Wound-field and fluid-filled electrostatic synchronous machines will be investigated keeping in mind 400 Volt and 800 Volt DC bus voltage levels respectively. Novel motor designs will be developed through research and development activities on winding, cooling, optimization, control and rotor excitation techniques. Novel inverter architectures fed by current and voltage sources will be investigated using Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitirde (GaN) switches. These power electronics will also be tailored to operate the motors developed in the proposed research program. These investigations will involve modeling, design, co-simulation, fabrication and testing activities using custom designed and market available software packages and hardware components. All the developments will be focused towards integrating the electric motor and power electronics axially within the same package. Special emphasis will be laid on manufacturing feasibility and automotive reliability. The applicants industrial R&D background will be a boon to this research program to align academic research with industry needs, standards and practices.    The proposed research program will strive to bring academia and industry together to create innovative and promising solutions for future electric vehicle propulsion technology in Canada. The planned activities under my co-supervision will forge and foster a productive, value-added partnership with faculty at University of Windsor, other Canadian universities and foreign universities. This project will develop highly qualified personnel (HQP) with unique capabilities in the areas of electrical, mechanical and automotive engineering. Additionally, this program will provide positive solutions towards reducing fossil fuel usage and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. These factors will enhance Canada's economy, environment, and public policy development-creating a better Canada for Canadians.