A Robust 5 MW Split-Pole Reluctance Synchronous Wind Generator

In this paper the consequences for the performance of a reluctance synchronous wind generator, when removing some complexity from its rotor, are considered. The investigation is done on a 5 MW power level with the generator in the medium speed range. Complex flux barrier shapes are avoided in the designs. As a result, a reluctance generator with a simple salient pole rotor is optimized in its design and used as a baseline machine. Skewing and a fractional slot winding is implemented to address a high torque ripple. Finally, a suggested split-pole design is shown to increase the efficiency of the simple reluctance generator to above 98% with a torque ripple below 5% and a power factor of around 0.65.