Development of an eco-design methodology for electric motors

To reduce the significant impact of the transportation sector on the environment, developed countries worldwide have started a massive electrification of their car fleets with a high-volume production of the main components of the electric vehicle powertrain: the battery, the inverter, the electric motor, and the mechanical transmission elements. The electric motor is a central component of the powertrain, generally made of rare-earth magnets, copper, magnetic iron sheets (FeSi), aluminum and steel. Their massive production on a global scale will therefore have a considerable impact on greenhouse gases and on the depletion of resources. Moreover, the growth of energy costs and its probable scarcity in the future will constrain us to consider the energy consumed during the life cycle of the electric motor, especially during its design and its potential recycling. 

The purpose of this thesis is to develop an eco-design methodology for electric motors by considering the entire life cycle. We will start by setting up a multi-objective and multi-physical eco-design methodology (with aging models) with iso-process considering the life cycle assessment (LCA) of an electrical machine. Then, we will work on reducing our 2D finite element calculation models to gain speed. We will end with different sensitivity studies to test the robustness of the developed methodology.

Keywords: electrical machines, eco-design, life cycle assessment (LCA), optimization

• Academic supervisor    BEN HAMED Hamid, SATIE Lab. - ENS Rennes & HLIOUI Sami, SATIE Lab. – CY Cergy Paris University - ENS Paris Saclay
• Doctoral School    Electrical, Optical, Bio-Physics and Engineering (EOBE) - ED 575, Paris Saclay University, web site 
• IFPEN supervisor    Doctor CISSE Koua Malick, Research Engineer, Mobility and systems Division,    koua-malick.cisse@ifpen.fr
• PhD location    IFP Energies nouvelles, Rueil-Malmaison, France & SATIE Laboratory, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
• Duration and start date    3 years, starting in fourth quarter 2023
• Employer    IFP Energies nouvelles, Rueil-Malmaison, France
• Academic requirements    MSc in electrical engineering or mechanical engineering.
• Language requirements    Fluency in French or English, willingness to learn French
• Other requirements    Electrical machines, Matlab and/or Python, knowledge in optimization algorithms and/or life cycle analyses would be a plus

To apply, please send your cover letter and CV to the IFPEN supervisor indicated here above.