Optimisation is key…
Infinite System Design is passionate about electro-mechanical system optimisation. As the world become increasingly reliant on electrification and automation it has never been more important to select the appropriate motor, inverter and transmission for your system, a non optimised system results in increased cost, energy and a waste of materials.
Infinite System Design, through the technical partnership with Drive System Design, has invented a novel macro-optimisation process which gives the user informed directional quantitative information to direct the design process towards the optimal electro-mechanical system for your application.
Key to the development of this process is the large range of possibile motor, inverter and transmission combinations for a given application. Considering motors there are PMSM, induction, SRM among others with various parameters which can be modified such as magnet types, pole number, etc; with inverters there are different switch types to consider, phases, etc; and with transmissions there are different architectures, ratios, teeth geometry, etc which creates a huge design space. Current market options limit this design space through the lengthy process of generating data to simulate each component and limited DOE functionality, the optimisation process available at Infinite System Design generates the data for each possibility extremely quickly through our streamlined in-house software providing data for a large number of options to suit your project within the project timeframe. The data is then used to simulate each possible combination of motor, inverter and transmission over user defined duty cycles to find the optimal solution to reduced energy consumption and see trends against weight and cost, for example. A duty cycle may be a velocity profile for an electric vehicle or velocity/position profile for an VTOL.
This capability available at Infinite System Design allows the customer to make an informed, quantitative data driven decision giving confidence that they are selecting the correct electro-mechanical system for their project before investing in a detailed design or prototype and testing.
Case Study: HGV Electric Powertrain Optimisation
Infinite System Design worked with Drive System Design and a major truck manufacturer to develop a new electric powertrain to cover their future vehicle program. Utilising the state-of-the-art electric powertrain macro optimisation tool a range of viable electric motors, inverters and transmissions were analysed over drive cycles with a vehicle model. System efficiency, vehicle range and cost data for each powertrain provided the customer information required to make key design decisions leading to the detailed design stage. Sweeping a wide selection of powertrains gives confidence in selecting the optimal solution early on reducing project costs.
Case Study: VTOL Electric Powertrain Optimisation
Our technical partners Drive System Design utilised the in-house electric powertrain optimisation tool developed at Drive System Design was utilised for an aerospace application, an electric VTOL (Veritcal Take-Off Lift) aircraft. In this case a plant model of the aeroplane and propeller was created to allow the simulation of a flight path considering the aircraft parameters for each powertrain iteration. Being an aerospace application the optimisation required the reduction of energy consumption and cost while trading off battery weight. Developing plant models that account for the important factors gives confidence in selecting the right solution.
Case Study: Formula E Electric Powertrain Optimisation
Infinite System Design in collaboration with Drive System Design worked with a motorsport team to help optimise their electric powertrain. In this case the optimisation problem took cost out of the equation and only meeting key performance requirements whilst reducing energy consumption were the goals. The in-house electric powertrain optimisation tool was utilised providing data for each viable motor, high efficiency gate inverter and transmission component. The vehicle was simulated over each race of the season for each viable powertrain to analyse lap-time and energy consumption providing insights for the powertrain design team. Considering possible solutions your competitors haven’t gives you the edge to stay on pole.