Magnetic losses and thermal analysis in a magnetic gear for wind turbine

Abstract

This article deals with the magneto-thermal analysis of a concentric magnetic gear for integration in a 6 MW 12.5 rpm wind turbine. In this drive, heat generated by magnetic losses must be extract by a cooling system in order to maintain an acceptable temperature. Taking into account the losses level, an axial air flux cooling system is proposed to extract losses. The magnetic losses are computed from an analytical model. Heat transfer is computed from an analytical thermal network model which is validated from comparison with finite element model. Finally a cooling system sizing based on these models is proposed.