Methodology for the Electromagnetic Design of the Axial-Flux C-Core Switched Reluctance Generator

The main contribution of this paper is to present a methodology proposal for the electromagnetic design of the axial-flux switched reluctance generator with C core (C-SRG). The proposed methodology focuses on different aspects. First, initial C-core dimensions are obtained from analytic equations and design considerations from the traditional switched reluctance machines. Then, a 2-D finite-element method (FEM) model is used to determine the final constructive parameters of the C-SRG coupled with an iterative optimization process. From the proposed design methodology, a C-core prototype of the generator was built, and the static results were obtained. The C-SRG operational analysis compares the experimental results to the simulations results, which uses a model based on FEM that well represents the nonlinearities of the system. The simulated and experimental results attested the viability and efficiency of the proposed methodology to design the C-SRG for wind power generation.