Experimental characterization and comparison of TLIM performances with different primary winding connections

This paper presents an experimental characterization and comparison of the performances achieved by a Tubular Linear Induction Motor (TLIM) prototype with different typologies of primary winding connections. More in detail, three different configurations have been considered, analyzed and discussed: full-pitch star, 5/6 shortened pitch star and 5/6 shortened pitch double star. For this purpose, an experimental test bench at the Sustainable Development and Energy Saving Laboratory (SDESLab), University of Palermo, Italy, has been set-up. The obtained results have allowed the identification of the best winding configuration for different applications intended for the motor. Moreover, in comparison with classic approaches that involve mathematical equations for winding design, the proposed experimental work is suitable for TLIM winding designs: indeed, more accurate results are obtained and approximation coefficients avoided.