Design and Analysis of an Axial Flux Magnetically Geared Generator

Axial flux magnetically geared machines offer the potential to achieve exceptional torque densities at high diameters. This paper proposes a topology for an axial flux magnetically geared machine, in which the electric machine is placed in the bore of the axial flux magnetic gear. This new topology offers the advantage of correctly matching the size of the electric machine to its required torque without increasing the volume of the system beyond that of the magnetic gear. A proof-of-concept prototype with a torque density of 7.8 kN · m/m
³
was designed, fabricated, and tested to evaluate the novel topology. A less conservative alternate design capable of achieving 60.6 kN · m/m
³
was also simulated to demonstrate the topology's potential for high torque densities, and even higher torque densities can be reached at larger scale designs.