Design and analysis of Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Generator for Direct-Driven Wind Turbines

Abstract: Axial flux permanent magnet generator (AFPMG) is can have one or two sided stator windings, meaning that the rotor disc of which the permanent magnet (PM) are mounted may be sandwiched in between two parallel stator discs. This paper deals with the development of AFPMG for a gearless wind energy system. This gives the axial air gap PM generator the potential for very high torque generator applications. The design, construction and test results of 3kW, 240rpm AFPMG are presented. The electromagnetic analysis was carried out by three dimensional finite element analysis (3D FEM) method and the thermal field analysis was computed by the computational fluid dynamic (CFD) method. Based on the analytical design approach, a 3kW prototype generator is constructed. The predicted performance values from the analytical model are then compared with experimentally measured quantities to evaluate the effectiveness of the analytical design approach.