A Magnetic Equivalent Circuit for Synchronous Alternator Excitation System Design

This paper focuses on the development of a magnetic equivalent circuit (MEC) of an exciter machine with an armature rotating interior to a wound field. The machine is intended as part of an excitation system for a wound rotor synchronous machine (WRSM) serving as a motor or generator. The MEC model is structured to enable multi-objective optimization of the exciter as a standalone system or as part of a system-level design in which the exciter (machine, diode rectifier, control) and WRSM are designed together within a system-level optimization. Validation of the exciter model is evaluated by comparing with hardware for a standalone open-circuit experiment and when used to supply field current to a WRSM under transient load application.