Aerodynamic losses in switched reluctance machines

A computational and experimental study of aerodynamic losses in switched re luctance machines, with particular reference to establishing the influence of various design parameters and the merits of various prediction technique s is reported. The flow of air around switched reluctance rotors has been c alculated by a series of two- and three-dimensional computational fluid dyn amic calculations. The results are supported by experimental measurements o f aerodynamic losses of a 50mm diameter switched reluctance rotor at rotati onal speeds up to 50000rpm. The limitations of two-dimensional analysis are illustrated, and comparisons with aerodynamic losses in other machine topo logies are discussed.