Finite Element Method Investigation and Loss Estimation of a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator Feeding a Non-Linear Load

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is the performance investigation of a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator (PMSG) system, suitable for wind power applications and the comparison of the machine electromagnetic characteristics under open and closed control loop implementations. The copper and iron losses are estimated and compared for the above control systems with the use of the Steinmetz-Bertotti loss separation equation. In addition, the effect of the rotating magnetic field on the total losses is studied. The generator is simulated using Finite Element Analysis (FEA), while the rest of the components are connected to the machine model using a drawing window of the FEA software and suitable command files. The close loop control used in the present study results to less losses and greater machine efficiency. The main novelty of the paper is the simulation of the PMSG coupled with a converter and control schemes using FEA, which ensures more accurate results of the whole system and allows the detailed machine electromagnetic study, while the majority of existing papers on this topic uses simulation tools that usually simulate in detail the electric circuits but not the machine. The FEM model is validated by experimental results.