Thermal Analysis for Improving the Design of Radial Flux Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generators

In this paper, the analytical thermal model of a radial flux permanent magnet synchronous generator (RF-PMSG) is developed for applications in variable speed direct-drive low-power wind turbines. The thermal model takes the form of a lumped parameter thermal network to estimate temperatures and heat fluxes for a wide operating range of the RF-PMSG. The proposed thermal model is fully coupled with the electromagnetic solution of a flexible analytical design methodology of RF-PMSGs and its algorithmic solution is coded in Matlab. The thermal analysis is an essential requirement for enhancing the design performance of radial flux permanent magnet synchronous generators. Finally, the performance of a 10 kW RF-PMSG is analyzed using the thermal model, for a wide steady-state operation range.