Design and Performance Evaluation of an Axial Flux Switching Generator for a Wind Energy Conversion System

Abstract

Wind energy is the most suitable option for providing energy to rural areas and it is also an essential part of the Distributed Generation systems. In all of these systems, cost and ease of installation and maintenance are major factors. This paper discusses the design of an axial flux switching generator with field winding excitation for a direct-drive wind energy conversion system. The design saves cost, reduces maintenance, and increases efficiency due to the absence of a gearbox. In addition, axial generators are designed with a large number of poles and have a higher power-to-weight ratio, and are suitable for small rotational speeds. The proposed generator will be a double external rotor with a fixed stator sandwiched between them 24/20 stator /rotor pole three-phase generation winding with a rotational speed range from (300 to 1000 rpm). This design will be studied through analytical equation and also by Finite Element model on ANSYS Maxwell Software. This design provides the best compatibility between performance characteristics and ease of manufacture and installation. The output power, voltage, load, and no-load characteristics are provided in this paper. The proposed design has given good performance results that fits wind applications especially for rural electrification.