Evaluating Harmonic Distortions in Brushless Doubly Fed Induction Machines

The brushless doubly fed induction machine (DFIM) is a special machine type that is of interest as a generator in wind turbine drive trains. The brushless DFIM has a significant space-harmonic content compared with conventional machine types, due to its construction. This results in additional harmonic distortions, such as torque-ripple and time harmonics. This paper studies the causes and origins of harmonic distortions in the brushless DFIM. Using time- and space-harmonic analysis, an analytical evaluation method is derived to predict the torque ripple frequencies and time-harmonic frequencies in stator and rotor voltages and currents. The evaluation method is applied to a prototype brushless DFIM to demonstrate the severity of harmonic related distortions that can be present in the brushless DFIMs. The evaluation is validated by additional finite-element analysis and measurements. Furthermore, measures are proposed to reduce harmonic distortions. The insight into harmonic distortions in the brushless DFIM and the ability to predict and prevent them must lead to the improved brushless DFIM designs in the future.