3D FEA based feature investigation of a claw pole alternator with DC excitation in the stator

Abstract

This paper deals with finite element analysis (FEA) modeling and features investigation of a claw pole alternator with its DC-excitation winding is located in the stator rather than in the rotor in conventional machines. The proposed model takes into account for the saturation of the magnetic circuit. A special attention is paid to the distribution of the air gap flux density and the back-EMF. A validation of the results yielded by FEA is achieved considering both measurements carried out on a prototype of the studied machine and analytical results obtained by a reluctance model developed in a previous work.