Performance Analysis of a High-Speed Universal Motor Under AC and DC Supply Using Experimental and FEM Approaches
Jhonny Barzola, Oliver Oñate, Carlos Andrés Dávila Montalvo, Francisco Naranjo Cobo, Julio Esteban GuerraThis study investigates the performance of a 1.5 kW, 20,000 r/min universal motor under AC and DC supply by combining experimental characterization, MATLAB/Simulink modeling, and two-dimensional magnetostatic analysis using Finite Element Method Magnetics (FEMM). A motor–generator test bench was used to record electrical variables and shaft speed at different load levels, from which electromagnetic torque was estimated. Simulink represented the average electromechanical response through a lumped-parameter model, whereas FEMM was used to examine flux distribution, magnetic saturation, and rotor-position dependence. The experiments and Simulink model consistently showed decreasing speed and increasing torque as load increased, whereas FEMM clarified the associated magnetic saturation and rotor-position dependence. Simulink reproduced the general operating trends but exhibited quantitative deviations associated with its linear magnetic representation. FEMM indicated the onset of saturation between 2 and 3 A and showed that the calculated torque depended strongly on angular position. The coordinated comparison clarifies the complementary scope of experimental, system-level, and field-based analyses while identifying the limitations imposed by indirect torque estimation and magnetostatic modeling.