FEA-Based Comparison of BLDC and BLAC Modes for an Axial Flux Motor with Trapezoidal BEMF

In this paper, a comparative analysis of brushless DC motor (BLDC) and brushless AC motor (BLAC) drive modes is presented for an axial flux motor with trapezoidal back-emf waveform. The 120-degree and 180-degree commutation modes are studied for BLDC mode, while the SPWM and SVPWM methods are investigated for BLAC mode. Based on the co-simulation of 3D-FEA and ECS, the influence of drive strategies on the motor characteristics, losses and efficiency are analysed. Furthermore, the effect of phase advance is also considered in this paper. It is shown, that the BLDC mode with 120-degree conduction has the best efficiency performance, while the BLDC mode with 180-degree commutation provides the widest speed range and the SVPWM drive features the lowest torque ripple.

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