Abstract
This paper presents the use of a capacitive three-phase auxiliary winding to enhance the torque per ampere of a three-phase Squirrel Cage Induction Motor (SCIM) for electric traction, which generally requires high torque density, a high power factor and high efficiency. The three-phase auxiliary winding is only magnetically coupled to the stator’s main winding. A conventional 5.5-kW, 50-Hz, and 4-pole three-phase SCIM is modified to accommodate main and auxiliary windings in the stator slots. The practical results evidenced that on no-load the torque per ampere is ± 5 times higher with the presence of a capacitive auxiliary winding that utilizes 80 μF per phase.