High-Speed Machines: Typologies, Standards, and Operation under PWM Supply

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of the most recent state of the art in the field of high-speed electric machines fed through high-frequency converters. This type of systems is rapidly wide spreading in aeronautical and automotive applications, as well as microturbines. Each typology has its own advantages and downsides, which are analytically presented in this paper. Some types of high-speed electric machines require high-frequency voltage supply, highly stressing the dielectric materials of the winding insulation system. For this reason, in high-speed electric drives, premature failure may occur and a reduction of the total system reliability has been observed in the past years. Such issues are comprehensively investigated in this paper.