MEC-Based Modelling of Claw Pole Machines:Application to Automotive and Wind Generating Systems

Abstract

The paper deals with the development and the finite element validation of the magnetic equivalent circuits (MECs) of three claw pole topologies.  These are considered as viable candidates for automotive and wind generating applications.   The first concept is the conventional claw pole alternator, the second claw pole topology has a DC-excitation winding in the stator, rather than in the rotor in conventional machine, and the third claw pole concept is a one-phase machine with claw pole in the stator and PM excitation in the rotor. The proposed MECs consider both no-load and loaded armature operations. It also accounts for the saturation of the magnetic circuit. The resolution of the established MECs is carried out using the Newton-Raphson algorithm. A validation of the proposed MECs is achieved considering a comparison between their results and those yielded by 3D finite element analysis.

Keywords

• claw pole machine; automotive and wind generating systems; magnetic equivalent circuit; Newton-Raphson algorithm; validation; finite element analysis

References

1. M. Hecquet and P. Brochet “Modeling of a claw-pole alternator using permeance network coupled with electric circuits,” IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 2131-2134, 1995.
2. S. Kuppers and G. Henneberger, “Numerical procedures for the calculation and design of automotive alternators,” IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 2022 – 2025, 1997.
3. S. H. Lee, S. O. Kwon, J. J. Lee, and J. P. Hong, “Characteristic Analysis of Claw-Pole Machine Using Improved Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. 45, No. 10, pp. 4570- 4573, Octobre 2009. Magnetic Circuit,” IEEE
4. L. Li, A. K. Lebouc, A. Foggia, and J. C. Mipo, “Influence of magnetic materials on claw pole machines behavior,” IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 574-577, 2010.
5. A.G. Jack. “Experience with the use of soft magnetic composite in electrical machines,” Proc. of the International Conference on Electrical Machines, vol. 3, pp. 1441-1448, Istanbul-Turkey, September 1998.
6. P. G. Dickinson, A. G. Jack and B. C. Mecrow, “Improved permanent magnet machines with claw pole armatures,” CD-ROM of the International Conference on Electrical Machines, Bruges-Belgium, August 2002.
7. A. Ibala and A. Masmoudi, “Accounting for the Armature Magnetic Reaction and Saturation Effects in the Reluctance Model of a New Concept of Claw-Pole Alternator,” IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, Vol. 46, No. 11, pp. 3955-3961, November 2010.
8. A. Ibala, A. Masmoudi, G. Atkinson, and A.G. Jack, “On the modeling of a TFPM by reluctance network including the saturation effect with emphasis on the leakage fluxes,” COMPEL, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 151-171, 2011.

9. A. Ibala, Elaboration and validation of the MECs of different claw pole machines (in French), PhD Thesis, Sfax Engineering School, Sfax, Tunisia, 2011.
10. A. Deale, L. Albert, L. Gerbaut et F. Wurtz. Automatic generation of sizing models for the optimization of electromagnetic devices using reluctance networks. IEEE Trans. Magn., vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 830-833, 2004.
11. L. Albert, Modelling and optimization of claw pole alternators applied to automotive systems (in French), PhD Dissertation, Institut National Polytechnique de Grenoble, France, 2004.
12. B. Multon. Wind Energy and Electrical Engineering (in French), STIM Doctoral School Conference, Saint- Nazaire, France, October 2002.