Multiphysical approach including equivalent circuit models for the sizing by optimization

Purpose – Multiphysical models are often useful for the design of electrical devices such as electrical machines. In this way, the modelling of thermal, magnetic and electrical phenomena by using an equivalent circuit approach is often used in sizing problems. The coupling of such models with other models is difficult to take into account, partly because it adds complexity to the process. The purpose of this paper is to propose an automatic modelling of thermal and magnetic aspects from an equivalent circuit approach, with its computation of gradients, using selectivity on the variables. Then, it discusses the coupling of various physical models, for the sizing by optimization algorithms. Sensibility analyses are discussed and the multiphysical approach is applied on a permanent magnet synchronous machine. Design/methodology/approach – The paper allows one to describe thermal and magnetic models by equivalent circuits. Magnetic aspects are represented by reluctance networks and thermal aspects by thermal ...