Konrad Reichert

Biography

Dr. Konrad Reichert has made seminal contributions to the introduction of numerical field methods, especially the finite element method for electrical machine simulation and design. He also developed computer programs based on systems analysis and numerical field calculation methods that advanced new motor technologies.

The finite element design packages for electrical machines, developed by him and his staff at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH), have made it easier and safer to develop machines via computer-aided design. They enable simulations to define machine operating characteristics and parameters such as voltages, inductances, demagnetization limits, local loss distribution, and torque and torque ripple. His programs are used extensively today in commercial and scientific applications in electrical machine design, permanent magnet manufacturing and university research worldwide.

His expertise has been critical to the design of large permanent magnet machines, such as gearless permanent magnet generators in windmill applications. He also made significant contributions to optimizing electrical machine performance in hybrid electric vehicle propulsion, low-torque ripple in steer-by-wire projects, and gearless drives for transportation. His research and the resultant software have indicated the influence of mesh shape and the importance of refining parasite machine effects like cogging torques.

Retired from ETH Zurich since 1997, Dr. Reichert is an IEEE Life Fellow. He has a Dipl. Ing., a doctoral degree and a senior doctoral degree, all in electrical engineering, from the University of Stuttgart in Germany.