Performance of PM Linear Generator Under Various Ferromagnetic Materials for Wave Energy Conversion

This chapter examines the influence of the various ferromagnetic materials on the performance of a single-phase tubular permanent-magnet linear generator (TPMLG) for wave energy conversion. Four ferromagnetic materials were considered in this study. They are non-oriented electrical steel, Permalloy (Ni-Fe-Mn), Accucore, and Somaloy 700. The generator equipped with a tubular stator carries a single coil and employs a quasi-Halbach magnetized moving-magnet translator. Therefore, in order to obtain an accurate performance analysis, the nonlinear time-stepping finite-element analysis (FEA) technique has been used. The electromagnetic characteristics, including the magnetic field distributions, flux-linkage, winding inductance, electromagnetic force, and electromotive force (EMF) have been investigated. It is shown that a generator whose stator is fabricated from soft magnetic composite (SMC) materials has potential advantages in terms of ease of manufacture, highest force capability, lower cost, and minimum eddy-current loss.