Design and prediction of the operation of synchronous machines by CAD

A few decades ago, the development of a synchronous machine project was a long-term undertaking, keeping electrical and mechanical design engineers busy for many months. The use of narrow calculation tools and abacuses summarizing acquired experience was a major brake on the evolution of techniques and innovation.

Since then, the tremendous evolution of information technology and the development of computer-aided design (CAD) have continued to revolutionize the working methods of electrical engineers. Faced with fierce competition, engineers have to respond very quickly to numerous invitations to tender, develop new, more efficient technologies at lower cost, and provide technical documents in a polished presentation. This concern for competitiveness has led manufacturers to equip their design offices with ever more sophisticated resources. Formerly centralized, computerized systems are now becoming widespread in electrical and mechanical design departments, providing greater comfort and enhanced performance, and thus boosting competitiveness.

By means of examples relating to the dimensioning (§ 1 ) and determination of electromagnetic fields (§ 2 ) of synchronous machines, we propose to show a way of designing sophisticated, scalable and high-performance calculation programs.