Design Optimization of a Permanent Magnet Generator for Direct Drive Wind Turbine

In this paper, an axial flux permanent magnet generator for a 30 kW direct drive wind turbine is designed and the design parameters were optimized with the aim of achieving high efficiency. In order to reduce the cogging torque and electromagnetic torque ripple components, the air core topology has been used, and with the aim of increasing the power capacity of the generator, a modular structure has been used. The advantage of the modular design is that each module can be considered as a generator unit and depending on the wind speed conditions, the number of units corresponding to the wind speed can be placed in the circuit and the generator will always work with maximum efficiency. First, by using the governing equations, the dimensions and performance characteristics of the generator are determined, and then a generator prototype is fabricated based on the electromagnetic design. In order to evaluate the output performance of the generator, machine simulation was performed in Maxwell finite element analysis software and the characteristic curves of voltage, current and ohmic losses were extracted. In order to evaluate the accuracy of the results, the outcomes of the analytical method have been compared with the experimental tests results.