A Comparative Study of Two Types of Axial Flux Generators Associated with a Wind Turbine Prototype Using 3D FEM

Abstract

This research focuses on harnessing wind energy in remote areas to generate electricity using specialized wind turbines. A comparative study was carried out between two types of turbines—vertical and horizontal—to produce small-scale electrical energy. To facilitate this study, prototypes of both turbine types were developed and tested in the research laboratory. The electrical generators employed were Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Generators (AFPMG), which included two variants: single-side AFPMG and double-side AFPMG. Given the working principles of axial flux generators, three-dimensional simulations utilizing finite element analysis were performed to monitor variations in the magnetic field across all directions. In the next phase of the research, fully assembled turbines underwent initial testing, with their performance compared against each other. The results of these experiments were analyzed comparatively, leading to several important findings that contribute valuable insights to this domain.

Keywords

• Single-side AFPM
• Double-side AFPM
• Wind Turbine Prototype
• Finite Element Method

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