Subject Overview

Electrical Machine Design develops the electromagnetic, thermal, mechanical and economic principles required to design transformers, rotating electrical machines and emerging high-efficiency machines. It integrates analytical sizing, materials, windings, insulation, cooling, computer-aided engineering, manufacturing, testing, standards, sustainability and industrial decision-making.

Learning Goal

Students will be able to translate specifications into safe, standards-compliant and manufacturable electrical-machine designs; calculate dimensions, windings, losses, temperature rise and performance; evaluate design trade-offs; use simulation and optimization tools; and justify designs using reliability, cost, sustainability and lifecycle evidence.

Syllabus

1. Design Framework, Specifications and Standards

Learning Objective: Define machine-design terminology and workflow; convert rated power, voltage, speed, duty, environment and performance requirements into design specifications; apply IEC, IEEE, NEMA, safety, efficiency and documentation requirements; and recognize professional ethics and design responsibility.

Category: foundation

2. Electrical and Magnetic Materials

Learning Objective: Evaluate conductors, electrical steels, permanent magnets, insulation, structural materials and emerging composites using B–H characteristics, losses, temperature limits, mechanical properties, availability, cost, recyclability and supply-chain risk.

Category: foundation

3. Magnetic-Circuit Design and Electromagnetic Loading

Learning Objective: Model flux paths, reluctance, saturation, leakage, fringing, air gaps and magnetomotive force; select specific magnetic and electric loadings; and derive principal dimensions, output equations and sizing coefficients.

Category: core

4. Windings, Insulation and Dielectric Design

Learning Objective: Design distributed and concentrated windings; calculate turns, conductor size, winding factors, harmonics and current density; select slot geometry and insulation systems; and assess dielectric stress, partial discharge, creepage and clearance.

Category: core

5. Losses, Efficiency and Performance Prediction

Learning Objective: Calculate copper, core, mechanical, stray-load and harmonic losses; construct loss budgets and equivalent models; predict efficiency, regulation, torque, power factor and operating characteristics; and apply energy-efficiency regulations and lifecycle costing.

Category: core

6. Thermal Design and Cooling Systems

Learning Objective: Develop lumped thermal networks and heat-transfer models; estimate temperature rise and hot spots; design natural, forced-air, liquid and direct cooling; and coordinate thermal class, duty cycle, derating and protection.

Category: core

7. Mechanical, Structural and Acoustic Design

Learning Objective: Design shafts, bearings, rotors, frames and enclosures; evaluate centrifugal stress, critical speed, vibration, balancing, tolerances, electromagnetic forces and noise; and account for ingress protection, shock and fatigue.

Category: core

8. Transformer and Inductor Design

Learning Objective: Design single- and three-phase transformers and inductors, including core selection, window utilization, windings, leakage reactance, regulation, cooling, insulation coordination, short-circuit strength, harmonics and special high-frequency requirements.

Category: application

9. Induction Machine Design

Learning Objective: Design stator and rotor dimensions, slots, windings and air gaps for squirrel-cage and wound-rotor machines; predict equivalent-circuit parameters, torque–speed behavior, starting, losses, harmonics, crawling, cogging and inverter-fed performance.

Category: application

10. Synchronous Machine Design

Learning Objective: Design salient-pole and cylindrical-rotor machines; determine field and armature windings, excitation, reactances, regulation, torque and stability constraints; and address generators, motors, damper systems and grid-code requirements.

Category: application

11. DC, Permanent-Magnet and Reluctance Machines

Learning Objective: Design conventional DC machines, brushless permanent-magnet machines, switched-reluctance and synchronous-reluctance machines; address commutation, magnet sizing, demagnetization, torque ripple, cogging, rotor topology and rare-earth trade-offs.

Category: application

12. Power-Electronic Drive and System Integration

Learning Objective: Co-design machines with converters, controls, sensors, gearboxes and loads; assess PWM harmonics, common-mode voltage, bearing currents, insulation stress, field weakening, regenerative operation and application-specific drive cycles.

Category: contemporary

13. Computer-Aided, Multiphysics and Optimization Methods

Learning Objective: Use analytical tools, finite-element analysis and coupled electromagnetic–thermal–mechanical simulation; perform sensitivity, uncertainty and tolerance studies; formulate multi-objective optimization; and validate computational models against physical evidence.

Category: advanced

14. Manufacturing, Testing, Reliability and Asset Management

Learning Objective: Relate stamping, winding, casting, magnet assembly, impregnation and machining processes to design tolerances and quality; plan prototype and type tests; apply FMEA, reliability, condition monitoring, diagnostics and maintenance decisions.

Category: strategic

15. Sustainable, Digital and Future Machine Design

Learning Objective: Evaluate cost, manufacturability, lifecycle impacts, repairability and circularity; apply digital twins, connected monitoring and responsibly governed AI for surrogate modeling, optimization and predictive maintenance; and examine additive manufacturing, advanced cooling, novel materials and high-speed machines.

Category: contemporary