Production and Application of HPMS Recycled Bonded Permanent Magnets for a Traction Motor Application

Due to the volatility of the cost and sustainability concerns associated with the rare-earth permanent-magnets, alternative product designs using less or no rare-earth contents have, recently, gained popularity. Another method to address this need is to apply a magnet recycling process, such as the novel hydrogen processing of magnetic scrap (HPMS) which can be applied to the end-of-life products such as hard drive disks. Despite the growing research on the background science of different recycling techniques, a practical make, use and evaluation of recycled magnets in a real-life application, is rarely attended. To address this gap, in this paper and for the first time, the viability of the HPMS recycled magnets for use in a permanent magnet traction motor is investigated. On this basis, a detailed description and testing of the recycling process and the magnet production for a customized traction motor design is provided. Furthermore, the behavior of the motor using the final magnet product is analyzed using simulations and prototype testing. Based on the results, the proposed recycled magnets satisfy the overall requirements, while demonstrating similar or better electromagnetic performance compared to the alternative low-cost ferrite magnets.