A magnetic-geared outer-rotor permanent-magnet brushless machine for wind power generation

Abstract

This paper presents a new permanent-magnet (PM) brushless machine for wind power generation. This machine adopts an outer-rotor topology, aiming at capturing wind power directly. In order to achieve high power density, a high-speed PM brushless generator is artfully integrated with a coaxial magnetic gear. The design details, with emphasis on the special constraints of wind power generation, are elaborated. By using the time-stepping finite element method, the static characteristics as well as no-load and on-load operations are simulated. A prototype is also built for experimentation. Both simulation and experimental results are given to verify the validity of the proposed machine. Finally, a quantitative comparison is made to justify that the proposed machine is of smaller size, lighter weight, and lower cost than its counterparts. © 2009 IEEE.