Design of an axial-flux type permanent-magnet generator

Axial-flux permanent-magnet generators have been developed in the last few years, because of a good ratio of power to weight and low cost. References [1], [2] showed that axial-flux slotted machines have a smaller volume for a given power rating than radial-flux machines, and that two-sided axial-flux configuration is superior to one-sided axial-flux configuration. Optimal design of axial-flux permanent-magnet synchronous generators was studied. For example, the energy efficiency of a machine has been optimized by analytical expression as well as by FEM. However, the influence of only four basic parameters has been studied. This paper designs an axial-flux permanent-magnet generator. The design method is a reluctance network method, which takes into account the rotor movement, and has a very short computational time. Lots of parameters including resistance of generator and load resistance are optimized using a full search method. Output voltage and power are calculated using 3-D FEM, and are compared with those of a commercialized generator.