This study deals with pre-sizing methodology of embedded static converters using optimisation for which high performances of weight, volume and efficiency are required. Moreover, in the automotive and aircraft domains, power-sharing architectures should be an other investigation path to reach such performances. The idea of power sharing is suitable and judicious if the actuators are in the same power range. In this study, the authors consider three electrical machines sequentially driven. The first solution is to use three independent inverters without power sharing, the second one is an inverter with a power-sharing system. A non-conventional DC–AC matrix converter is proposed to replace classical inverters. So as to overcome a priori power designers habits, a general modelling and optimisation is performed to provide a virtual prototyping tool to avoid physical prototyping because of their exhaustive cost. The objective function is the overall volume (mainly the heatsink's volume). The optimisation results are presented and discussed. These preliminary results, under a three-AC drive assumption, show clearly that {inverter + power sharing system} and even the DC–AC matrix converter have an overall volume lower than the three-inverter solution.

In this study, a three-phase drive with a six-leg voltage source inverter and an open-end winding interior permanent magnet synchronous machine designed for traction of an electric vehicle is studied in a flux-weakening operation. The topology allows the functionality of a high-power charger to be obtained, without adding any other supplementary power devices. On the other hand, since there are three independent currents, the control structure has to handle not only the two dq-current components but also a zero-sequence current. If neglected, in comparison with a wye-coupled three-phase drive, this zero-sequence component can cause a higher maximum peak value of the phase currents, additional stator Joule losses, torque ripple, inverter voltage saturation and insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) oversizing. The proposed control strategy consists in adapting a conventional method used for wye-connected machines particularly in flux-weakening operation. This strategy allows the closed-loop control of the zero-sequence current to be maintained in the whole speed range and therefore inverter saturation is avoided. Simulations and experimental results are presented and analysed.

This study deals with energy management (EM) in hybrid electric vehicles. This study designs EM as an optimisation problem, then, optimises it using particle swarm optimisation (PSO) and some of its hybridisations. This study will be first in the literature to introduce PSO to the problem of EM in electric field. Moreover, this study proposes some novel applications of hybrid PSO, such as PSO–DE and PSO–QI. Encouraging simulation results obtained in this study that may attract for a case study for practical implementations.