Design and Comparative Analysis of MgB2 and YBCO Wire-Based-Superconducting Wind Power Generators

This paper presented a comparison study result on the design of direct-driven-type-superconducting wind power generators using MgB₂ and YBCO wires. Detailed features of MgB₂ and YBCO wires were investigated and 4-MW superconducting generators were designed using MgB₂ and YBCO wires. The magnetic field distributions of the generators were analysed using a 3-D finite-element method program. The total length of the wires, the volume, and weight of the designed generators were compared. As a result, the weight and volume of the generator using the YBCO wire were lighter and smaller than the generator using the MgB₂ wire. The required length of the MgB₂ was shorter than the YBCO wire which is much more expensive than MgB₂ wire. It is therefore necessary to select the appropriate superconducting wires considering cost, weight, and volume issues when designing superconducting generators.

I. Introduction

Increasing environmental concerns during the 20th century have shifted the research focus from conventional electricity sources to renewable sources. A number of renewable power generation sources exist, such as wind energy, solar energy, wave energy, hydro power and more sophisticated systems based on hydrogen. In renewable power generation, wind energy has been noted as the fastest-growing energy technology in the world [1], [2]. The wind industry has been interested in a large scale wind turbine to reduce the cost of generating the wind power. In recent years, multi-megawatt wind generators have become mainstream in the international wind power market. In the case of a superconducting generator based wind turbine, it is possible to develop generator having a smaller volume, lighter weight, and higher efficiency than conventional generators [3] –[7].